Brooklyn Nets Secure No. 19 Pick in 2025 NBA Draft After Winning Tiebreaker

Following a three-way tiebreaker on Thursday at the NBA's headquarters in New York City, the Brooklyn Nets earned the 19th-overall pick in the 2025 draft. The Washington Wizards were granted the 18th pick, while the Miami Heat received the 20th.

The selection—a Milwaukee Bucks pick acquired in last summer's Mikal Bridges deal with the New York Knicks—is added to a massive haul for the upcoming draft. Pick 19 joins picks 26, 27, 36 and wherever Brooklyn's lottery selection lands on May 12. The Nets currently have a 9% chance of winning the top choice—and the right to draft the recently-declared Cooper Flagg—and a 37.1% chance at a top-four pick.

Their slew of draft riches have resulted in the No. 1 spot in Tankathon's Draft Power Rankings. Only the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic come close to the Nets, each owning four total picks—two in the first round and two in the second.

Presently, NBADraft.net has Brooklyn taking Will Riley out of Illinois at 18 and Miami selecting National Champion Walter Clayton Jr. out of Florida the pick after. Other notable names to be mocked after the Nets go on the clock include UConn's Liam McNeeley, UAB's Yaxel Lendeborg and Tennessee's Chaz Lanier.

Although plenty of value is expected to be available in the back half of the first round, general manager Sean Marks could utilize the pick to move up—or possibly include it in a trade for a superstar. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a rumored target for months, and if the Bucks face an early playoff exit, could voice his desire to move on. If so, either the pick itself or whoever Brooklyn ends up taking may be used in a return package for the two-time MVP.

The news comes as the first major development for the franchise since the 2024-25 regular season came to a close. Next will be the draft lottery, followed by free agency—two events pivotal to the future of the Nets' rebuild.

As Brooklyn watches the postseason from home, Marks begins preparation for what is sure to be a busy offseason in Kings County.