What Players the Nets are Taking in Early NBA Mock Drafts

The Brooklyn Nets are slated to have a top pick in next year’s draft.

Mar 9, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils commits Patrick Ngongba (left) and Cooper Flagg look on prior to a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images / Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

After offloading star Mikal Bridges over the offseason — and acquiring their own picks back in exchange for the Phoenix Suns’ future — it seems the Nets are finally ready to position themselves for a rebuild.

That means Brooklyn is set to occupy the top of NBA mock drafts for the next year, which will project top prospects to land with the franchise.

Here’s who a few experts have the Nets taking nearly a year removed from the 2025 draft:

Bleacher Report, Jonathan Wasserman — Cooper Flagg, Duke

RookieWire, Cody Taylor — Ace Bailey, Rutgers

Draft Digest — Ace Bailey, Rutgers

CBS, Kyle Boone — Nolan Traore, Saint Quentin

ESPN, Jonathan Givens and Jeremy Woo — Khaman Maluach, Duke

Most of the mocks had Brooklyn with the top five, with CBS slating the Nets to land the draft's most coveted prize in Cooper Flagg. The team should well be in play for Flagg with its current roster construction, but 14% will be the maximum chance at landing the two-way, 6-foot-9 force.

Ace Bailey was the only repeat prospect among the mock drafts, and a player most experts have No. 2 behind Flagg. At around 6-foot-9, he's an already skilled shot-maker with a ridiculously high ceiling due to his length.

Other prospects projected to land in Brooklyn are talented 7-footer Khaman Maluach — who's scheduled to help Flagg at Duke next season — and Nolan Traore, a French point guard and likely the top international prospect at the moment.

Regardless of who the Nets take in next year's draft, the team will add a top talent that will hopefully usher the team into their next era.

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