Nets Currently Sitting Outside of Early Draft Lottery

The Brooklyn Nets are exceeding expectations to start the 2024-25 NBA season. The Nets are 9-13, good for the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference, but also tied with the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls for the eighth seed.

The Nets were expected to be at the very bottom of the NBA entering the season, but right now they're on track to have a repeat of last season when the team finished just outside of the Play-In Tournament with a 32-50 record. That is the worst-case scenario for any NBA team, which is ending up in mediocrity. A team that isn't bad enough to get a top draft pick but also isn't good enough to be a playoff team is the worst situation.

Brooklyn is projected to have the ninth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft based on record, which eliminates its chances of drafting a player like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey. The Nets were expected to be in the early lottery and have the chance to draft their franchise player, but things are looking bleak based on their current performance.

Brooklyn is still holding onto veterans Dennis Schroder, Cameron Johnson, and Dorian Finney-Smith, who are a big part of the team's wins. They were expected to be traded months ago to emphasize the Nets' rebuild, but they remain on the roster and have hindered Brooklyn's pursuit of a top draft pick, but also haven't helped the team get to playoff positioning.

If the Nets want a shot at drafting in the early lottery, it's in their best interest to trade their veterans now and embrace the rebuild. If not, they could end up finishing outside of the Play-In without a high pick, which would set the team back.