Twenty years from now 2025 NBA Draft will be called the 'Cooper Flagg Sweepstakes'. Just like Wemby in 2023, Zion in 2-19, all the way back to LeBron in 2003. It's only every few years that a prospect has lapped the rest of their rookie class as much as Duke phenom Cooper Flagg has. And because of his unique blend of athleticism, on-court IQ, three-level scoring, and near-manic drive to win, every lottery team was salivating at the chance to take Vanilla KG with the first pick in the draft.
But there were a few teams that were looking elsewhere with that coveted first pick, at least as far as the rumors would have suggested — and the Nets were at the top of that list. In fact, CBS Sports' Bill Reiter had reported on Brooklyn as a potential suitor for the Freak's services as far back as October of 2024.
And the link went beyond pure draft capital. The Nets' treasure trove of assets read, and still reads for some, like a bargain bin OKC's right around 2020 (not a bad thing). And draft capital only encompasses not just the lottery pick, but three other first-rounders in 2025, and then three more in 2027 (Nets fans rejoice, the post-KD era will at least let you draft your way out of the basement). Nic Claxton and Cam Thomas also headline a short list of intriguing names on the current Nets roster should they wish to trade for a superstar right now and need something to supplement whatever grab bag of draft picks they decide to pitch with.
Fast forward to the 2025 Draft Lottery, though, and Brooklyn's future looks bleak. The 2025 rookie class is by no means bereft of talent, and a team that lost out on Flagg would have been happy to walk away with either of Rutgers' stars Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey as worthy consolation prizes (and that's selling them short).
But to not just fall from the first pick, but all the way down to the tip of the talent drop-off cliff at number 8, lost the Nets Flagg, ease of mind, and a lot of leverage in whatever trade market they were hoping to enter in the near future. Whatever packages they initially had to offer for Giannis, or even Trae Young according to speculations from Fox Sports will have to be much more curated to even get through the door.
The dream of a core of Giannis and either or both of Claxton and Thomas, at least, is certainly gone, unless the Nets attempt to mortgage their future by involving the rest of their 2025 picks and more, either directly in a package to or through trading up. And even then, the chances are lower than the dubious levels that they were at that any traction could be had for a splashy, win-now move.
The Nets are used to thriving in obscurity
Outside of San Antonio, the Nets were the most popularly speculated trade partner for Milwaukee should Giannis be on the move. Their assets have already been covered above, and they have the cap space to make all nine digits of his salary work with their roster for the most part. Not to mention that Brooklyn still keeps a good bit of its reputation for developing (and recuperating) the careers of very serviceable role players, if not bonafide stars.
But the plot twist on Brooklyn's slide in the Draft Lottery (the Mavs and Spurs conspiracy theories are for another time) is that they are probably more heartbroken on losing out on Cooper Flagg as a player, rather than a trade asset. It has been a disastrous decade since the infamous Celtics trade, and Flagg was the Nets' first great shot at a homegrown superstar since moving to Brooklyn -- and truthfully, since before the Jason Kidd years. D'Angelo Russell probably came the closest as the poster child of Brooklyn's ability to professionally rehab player images and nurture talent, and he wasn't drafted by Brooklyn.
Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton are ascending, but the jury's out on where their respective ceilings actually are. The Nets haven't had a high-profile rookie to be excited about from the jump since Kenyon Martin.
And that is why it's not the worst thing in the world that Brooklyn slid to number eight on the draft board, at least as far as Giannis' services go. His talents notwithstanding, if Brooklyn were to sell the farm for Giannis, or Trey, or whoever hits the trade market, they'd largely be in the same boat as they were when Danny Ainge robbed them blind, or when they fell for KD and Kyrie's pyrite promises. And regardless of what assets they had, the odds were low that Giannis would ever be more than a 3-4 year rental for Brooklyn.
As the New York area's little brother, the Nets have always been in an awkward place in the superstar arms race: a required meeting that every All-Star's agent had to check off for their clients on the way to free agency or to a trade request, but not the team that they really wanted to play for in the area. Even their best teams of the modern era enjoyed(?) the worst average attendance in the league. Jason Kidd was their best player throughout the 2000's and no one paid attention to the team until Vince Carter joined for a few bright years of Kidd's tenure.
The team is cursed with a lack of culture, save the gritty chip on the shoulder all underdogs can have. And even when things worked out well enough for a gamble that anyone would have taken, the Nets' Big Three of KD, Kyrie, and James Harden never produced a result better than the D'Angelo-led Nets of niche GIF fame (and before you start, all three of those players have been, and continue to to be absolute head cases and team killers).
Brooklyn was always at its best when sneaking up on the league. And for the grit and will that they espouse in Sean Marks' front office, Cooper Flagg was not just an opportunity, but the perfect puzzle piece to grow into the black and white of Brooklyn.
In short, the 2025 Draft Lottery was predictable heartbreak for the Nets, in more ways than one. Few is the team that would give up a prospect like Flagg, especially not for what the Nets can offer, and losing out on the pick probably also cost them a chance at a generational superstar as well. But the heartbreak is nothing new to Brooklyn, and is misplaced in the Giannis hype.
Rare is the time when the Nets have attracted superstars, and their most recent successes on that front have ended in abject disaster. And if you're looking for a silver lining, the Nets' path is clear. Marks' front office is nothing if not brilliant at deal-making, and Brooklyn still has a bevy of young, if relatively unrecognized, talent. Something good is coming to the Barclays Center, and like everything good that came to the Nets, not even they can try to force it before its time.
Or see it coming.