Nets Currently in a Battle For Top-Five Draft Odds

Brooklyn has two teams on its tail for top-five odds in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.

Feb 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (8) dribbles around Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) on the pick by center Nic Claxton (33) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The end of the NBA regular season is near, and by now, team's directions or goals have been set. In the Eastern Conference, there is growing separation between the Play-In Tournament and playoff contenders from the 'tankers,' or teams with the incentive to lose.

Of course, losing games is never openly encouraged by anyone within the league; the players and coaches compete to win. But if an organization is in line for high lottery odds, fans will certainly let it be known on social media what the team needs to do.

The Brooklyn Nets are one of those teams, and for good reason. They are currently 23-46, well out of playoff contention and nearing elimination from Play-In contention, holding the 13th seed in the East. As a result, Brooklyn is fifth in lottery odds, with a 42.1% chance at a top-four pick and a 10.5% chance at the No. 1 overall pick, according to Tankathon.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors are also hoping to get a top-five pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The 76ers, who have suffered a tumultuous season under the Paul George-Joel Embiid-Tyrese Maxey experiment, are 0.5 games back from the Nets in a dogfight for top-five odds.

Brooklyn and Philadelphia are going back and forth, but it means more for the 76ers, whose pick is top-six protected. If the 76ers win more games and finish outside of that, it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which would be scary for the rest of the league.

The second team the Nets are battling with is the Toronto Raptors. They've gone 6-4 in their last 10 contests but are still 5.5 games back from the Play-In compared to one game back from the Nets in lottery odds.

With teams having anywhere from 12 to 15 games left in the regular season, the odds that the Nets will catch up to the 18-51 New Orleans Pelicans (fourth in odds) are bleak. If Brooklyn finishes within the top five, it will have been a mild success. However, the 76ers and Raptors are hot on their tail, and Philadelphia has the biggest incentive to lose.

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