Nets Need to Offload Veterans to Land Top 2025 NBA Draft Pick

As it stands now, Brooklyn will be too talented to land Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, or a number of other top picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Nov 4, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cooper Flagg (2) dribbles the ball down the court during the second half against the Maine Black Bears at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images / Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

The 2025 NBA Draft is thought of to have five, or even more, franchise-altering talents.

The likes of Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Rutgers five-stars Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, the surging Egor Demin, as well as Nolan Traore, VJ Edgecombe and a host of others are sure to offer All-Star talent to some degree. But in order for the Brooklyn Nets to have a chance at the top-tier prospects, they’re first going to have to offload some talent.

At 5-9, the team currently sits at No. 11 in the East, well above where most thought they would be to this point. They’ve beaten the likes of Milwaukee, Memphis, Chicago and New Orleans this season, already over performing in their early-season slate. 

Cam Thomas has again proven to be one of the better scorers in the NBA, averaging 24.6 points per game. Dennis Schroder continues to be one of the more underrated guards in the league, and Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and even Ben Simmons have been able to anchor the team as honorable role players, each succeeding in various facets like scoring, defense and play-making.

All this and more has led to a better product than experts expected from Brooklyn. And likely, worse draft odds than the franchise expected.

Currently, the team sits tied for the sixth-best odds. It’s possible they could move up to snag one of the coveted top prospects. But they could also fall, with the best chance to land No. 7 currently.

Top-10 picks in any capacity are sure to help the Nets’ rebuild. But in order for them to truly return to contention, they’ll really need top three-to-five selections. 

For now, they’d do well to offload some win-now players in the next few months in order to improve their odds. Otherwise, they’re going to need some serious luck on lottery night.

Brooklyn is back in action today against the Charlotte Hornets at 6:30 p.m. in an NBA Cup matchup.

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