Nets Clinch Top Odds for 2026 NBA Draft Lottery

GM Sean Marks discusses team's preparation and hopes for a high pick after last year's disappointment.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 4:25pm

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A fragmented, cubist-style painting depicting a basketball game, with the court and players broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes in a palette of navy, green, and orange, conveying the tension and excitement of the NBA Draft Lottery.The Nets' hopes for a franchise-altering draft pick rest on the outcome of the NBA's annual lottery, a high-stakes event that has eluded the team in recent years.Today in Milwaukee

The Brooklyn Nets have secured a bottom-three finish in the 2025-26 NBA season, giving them the maximum 14% chance of landing the top overall pick in the upcoming draft lottery. After falling to the 8th pick last year, GM Sean Marks is hoping for better fortune this time around as the team looks to add a potential franchise-altering talent to its young core.

Why it matters

The Nets have struggled to find top-tier talent through the draft in recent years, making this year's lottery a critical opportunity to add an impact player that can help accelerate their rebuild. With perceived franchise-changing prospects like A.J. Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer available, the Nets are eager to cash in on their lottery odds.

The details

By virtue of their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks and wins by the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz, the Nets have clinched a bottom-three finish, guaranteeing them the maximum 14.0% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick and a 52.1% chance of a top-four selection. This comes after the team fell to the 8th pick in last year's lottery, missing out on top talents like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, and V.J. Edgecombe.

  • The NBA Draft Lottery will take place on May 10, 2026.
  • The Nets finished the 2025-26 season with a 5-23 record over their final 28 games.

The players

Sean Marks

The general manager of the Brooklyn Nets, who has expressed nervousness but confidence in the team's preparation for the upcoming draft lottery.

B.J. Johnson

The assistant general manager of the Brooklyn Nets, who has led the team's amateur scouting efforts in preparation for the draft.

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What they’re saying

“Look, I'm not going to lie and say I'm not nervous going into that. I'm nervous for the way the ping pong balls land. But at the end of the day, it's like if you've done your work, if you're prepared, and I give [assistant GM] B.J. Johnson and the rest of our amateur scouting department a lot of credit. They've put hours and hours and days and weeks into preparing for the last draft, just like they did this draft. So we're going to be prepared, wherever they fall. Obviously, we hope for as high as possible. But at the end of the day, it's exciting for us to see what other piece do we add to our team, and then go from there.”

— Sean Marks, General Manager

What’s next

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The takeaway

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