NBA Draft Lottery: Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and Utah Jazz Eye Duke’s Cooper Flagg

The Draft Lottery Explained

The NBA Draft Lottery, set for Monday, May 25, in Chicago, will determine the order of selection for the top picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. The event will air on ESPN at 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT). Don’t confuse it with the actual draft, which will take place on June 25-26 in New York.

• The Draft Lottery decides the order of selection for the top four picks.
• The teams with the worst regular-season records have the highest chances of winning the lottery.
• The Lottery winner will have the right to draft Cooper Flagg, Duke’s talented freshman.

106 players have filed as early entry candidates for NBA Draft 2025 @NBAPR

Top Prospects and Their Draft Lottery Odds

The Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and Utah Jazz have the highest chances (14%) of winning the lottery and drafting Cooper Flagg first.

• New Orleans Pelicans: 12.5%
  Philadelphia 76ers: 10.5%
  Brooklyn Nets: 9%
  Toronto Raptors: 7.5%
  San Antonio Spurs: 6.7%

The Houston Rockets (via Phoenix Suns), Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls, and Sacramento Kings also have odds ranging between 3.8% and 0.8%.

Cooper Flagg: The Can’t-Miss Prospect

Cooper Flagg, an 18-year-old from Maine, has taken the college basketball world by storm in his freshman year at Duke. With averages of 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, Flagg has led his team to the NCAA Final Four.

His impressive athletic abilities and leadership skills have made him the consensus numero uno pick in the upcoming draft.

Other Prospects to Watch

Beyond Cooper Flagg, several other prospects will catch the eye of NBA teams in the draft:

• Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey – Rutgers
  VJ Edgecombe – Baylor
  Tre Johnson – Texas

At the national level, Spanish players Hugo González, Izan Almansa, and Isaac Nogues could also hear their names called in the draft.

Duke’s Storied Draft History

If Cooper Flagg goes number one, he’ll join an elite group of Duke alumni to achieve that feat in the past four editions of the NBA Draft. His teammate, Paolo Banchero, was selected first by the Orlando Magic in 2022, while Zion Williamson was chosen first by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019.

Did you know?

“Cooper Flagg is one of only two freshmen in Duke history to average 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. The other? Elaine Powell in 2005-06.”