The Brooklyn Nets fell to the eighth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery despite having the sixth-best odds after a disappointing season. General manager Sean Marks and owner Joe Tsai chose to tank for a higher draft position, but this strategy yielded only the second-worst possible outcome. The Nets traded significant assets to acquire their picks for rebuilding around potential star Cooper Flagg, but their struggles persisted. This marks their first lottery pick since 2010, enduring repeated lottery disappointments throughout their history.
The Nets' first lottery pick in 15 years will be a disappointing one, falling to eighth on Monday night's 2025 NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago.
After suffering through a 26-56 campaign, Flagg was the prize, and at least finishing in the top four was a goal. The Nets got neither.
It's hard to find a team that has suffered more in the lottery than the Nets, both in Brooklyn and their prior New Jersey iteration.
First-year head coach Jordi Fernandez represented the team on the dais on Monday night, having said before departing for Chicago: 'We're just ready to be lucky.'
Both have lottery heartache, usually of their own making by trading away picks that eventually came good.
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