Nets Predicted to Win Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes

The Brooklyn Nets may be in position to win the NBA Draft Lottery this season.

Montverde Academy Eagles forward Cooper Flagg (32) goes for a lay up during the first quarter of a game against the Cannon School Cougars during the 50th annual City of Palms Classic at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. / Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Brooklyn Nets are getting ready for training camp for a season in which they aren't expected to win too often.

Some team has to be the worst in the league and earn the No. 1 overall pick, and the Nets may very well be that team this season.

If the Nets are going to win the draft lottery, this is a good year to do it as Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is the projected top selection.

"Even the worst NBA team has a low chance of winning the draft lottery (14 percent). The Brooklyn Nets could go 0-82 and still face an 86 percent chance of not getting Flagg in the draft (assuming he stays the top prospect)," Bleacher Report contributor Eric Pincus writes. "But it's hot-take time, and while the Nets have some work to do (via trade) to get out of veterans like Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, look for Brooklyn to quickly drop to the bottom of the standings. It's a wild stab, but the Nets get good fortune in May's lottery."

The Nets don't have a lot of star power on the roster, which will likely result in a lot of losses this season. But if that means getting their star in Flagg in next summer's draft, those defeats may soon be worth it.

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