Are the Nets the Most Deserving of Cooper Flagg?

Nearly every lottery team has its sights set on Flagg, but is Brooklyn worthy of some draft luck?

Mar 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The idea of being 'worthy' of an NBA draft prospect is comedic to some degree. A system based on the randomness and probabilities of ping pong balls has fans engaged in major discourse online, for which team 'deserves' the No. 1 overall pick.

This year, the discourse is the most prominent it has been in years. Duke freshman Cooper Flagg has taken college basketball by storm, establishing himself as the consensus No. 1 overall pick in 2025. Similar to Victor Wembanyama in 2023, Zion Williamson in 2019, and countless other transcendent prospects, Flagg has nearly every lottery team salivating over his services.

The Brooklyn Nets were the projected lottery winners before the start of the season, but have played their way out of top-five odds. They're currently slated at sixth in odds, with a 9.0% chance at the No. 1 pick and a 37.2% chance at a top-four pick according to Tankathon.

The Nets have been through a lot as a franchise over the last few years. A failed championship window followed by multiple seasons of mediocrity have plagued Brooklyn from getting a top prospect, not to mention the fact that the team sold all of its first-round picks in the process.

However, things could turn around for Brooklyn in this year's draft due to the team having multiple first-round picks. The Nets are pooling a great deal of chips into the 2025 class, including a shot at the next great prospect.

While lottery luck has been proven over the last few years, the Nets are not the most deserving of Flagg. There are plenty of teams that have been through more heartbreak and tough times since the start of the decade, the most prominent being the Washington Wizards.

The Wizards haven't had a legitimate superstar leading a deep playoff run since John Wall in the mid-2010s. Since his departure, Washington has been in a major hole, and is 13-49 so far this season.

Flagg in Washington D.C. would bring a new sense of excitement to the game, and while playing in an even bigger market would benefit the league, the NBA has a recent history of smaller markets getting the No. 1 pick. Examples include Williamson to the New Orleans Pelicans, Paolo Banchero to the Orlando Magic, and Anthony Edwards to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With all of this in mind, plus the Nets' record compared to Washington, expect the Wizards to end up grabbing the 6-foot-9 forward, pairing him with the No. 2 overall pick of 2024, Alex Sarr. The duo would create a lot of hype around the league, but Brooklyn still has a shot at capturing the Flagg and is certainly deserving.

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