Projected No. 1 Pick Flagg Declares For NBA Draft, League Clarifies Lottery Order

By Barry Janoff

Photos: DukeApril 21, 2025: On the same day that Duke freshman Cooper Flagg declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft, the NBA said five ties among teams with identical regular-season records were broken through random drawings to determine the order of selection for the NBA Draft 2025 presented by State Farm.

Flagg is projected to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.

The first round of the NBA Draft 2025 is scheduled for June 25 in Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y., home of the Nets.

The NBA Draft Lottery 2025 presented by State Farm is scheduled for May 12 live on ESPN (6:30 or 7 PM ET depending on the schedule of playoff games that day).

Flagg most likely will land with a team undergoing a major rebuilding process.

The five teams with the highest probability of winning the Lottery (and their 2024-25 records) are the Utah Jazz 17-65 14%, Washington Wizards 18-64 14%, Charlotte Hornets 19-63 14%, New Orleans Pelicans 21-6112.5% and Philadelphia 76ers. 24-58 .293 10.5%

However, as seen in past Lotteries, teams with lower percentages have had their names called as the team with the overall No. 1 Draft pick.

Drawings will be conducted at NBA Draft Lottery 2025 presented by State Farm to determine the first four picks in the NBA Draft 2025.

The remainder of the Lottery teams will select in positions 5 through 14 in inverse order of their records in 2024-25 regular-season games.

Duke unveiled Flagg’s move on social media, declaring, “League next. Duke Forever. Thank-you Cooper Flagg."

Flagg, a 6’ 9”, 205-pound forward from Newport, Maine, averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals in his lone college season, leading the team in each category.

Among his accolades, he was named the Associated Press Men’s National Player of the Year.

Although Flagg has declared for the NBA Draft, NBA rules say he has until May 28 to decide whether or not to withdraw, enabling prospects to go through the combine process and then choose if they decide to return to college.

The first round of the NBA Draft will air on ABC, ESPN and the ESPN App.

The second round is scheduled for June 26 on ESPN and the ESPN App. ESPN Radio will also provide national coverage of the NBA Draft 2025 presented by State Farm.

The teams entered in the NBA Draft Lottery and their probability of winning the Lottery:

Utah 17-65 .207 14.0%

Washington 18-64 .220 14.0%

Charlotte 19-63 .232 14.0%

New Orleans 21-61 .256 12.5%

Philadelphia* 24-58 .293 10.5%

Brooklyn 26-56 .317 9.0%

Toronto 30-52 .366 7.5%

San Antonio 34-48 .415 6.0%

Phoenix (to Houston via Brooklyn) 36-46 .439 3.8%

Portland 36-46 .439 3.7%

Dallas 39-43 .476 1.8%

Chicago 39-43 .476 1.7%

Sacramento** 40-42 .488 0.8%

Atlanta (to San Antonio) 40-42 .488 0.7%

* This pick may be conveyed to Oklahoma City
** This pick may be conveyed to Atlanta

Back to Home Page