Good, Bad, and Tolerable NBA Landing Spots for Nolan Traore

With plenty of potential late first-round picks opting to go back to college and make more money on NIL deals than they would as late first-round picks, the likelihood of some of the international prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft hearing their name called before the end of the first round later this month has gone up. For French point guard Nolan Traore, he is essentially a first-round lock at this point.

Traore has the talent of a first-round lock, but has not played to that level for large chunks of this season. He has struggled with ball security and scoring efficiency at times, and occasionally has been very unreliable as a half-court orchestrator. That isn't great for a point guard prospect, but much of it is to be expected in a prospect's first professional season, playing in two quality European leagues.

Even during the rough stretches, the flashes have been there for Traore. When the stepback is falling, when he's getting by defenders quickly and making his floaters, he looks like an elite point guard prospect, one that could become a quality NBA starter for a long time. Now, he is finishing the European season strong, probably because of the amount of freedom he was given to work through his growing pains. Teams that target him late in the first round should be looking to give him the same setup.

The Brooklyn Nets, who pick three times between picks 19 and 27, would be a great landing spot. The Nets are likely looking to tank again next season, especially after falling so much in this season's lottery. One of the best ways to tank is to turn the keys of your offense over to a young point guard. Traore would have the freedom to adjust to the NBA game and develop with the Nets under very little scrutiny next season. Head coach Jordi Fernandez has also proven capable of getting the most out of any point guard put in front of him, and Traore getting that guidance would likely do wonders for his development.

The Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks would be fine landing spots for Traore as well. With Jayson Tatum likely missing all of next season, and the Celtics' new ownership looking to potentially shed salary - likely by trading one of Jrue Holiday or Derrick White - it will be a season of zero expectations for the Celtics. Traore will also be joining a group of winners and a team that always tries to have as much shooting as possible on the floor, which will help open the game up for him.

For the Hawks, he'll get to join fellow countryman Zaccharie Risacher, and while he definitely wouldn't start, he would get to learn from Trae Young and see him operate as a lead ballhandler and pick and roll general. Quin Snyder would also be a great coach for him to learn from.

Traore should hope he doesn't end up with the Orlando Magic. The teams' consistent struggles with reliable spacing, while looking to expand on their back-to-back first-round exits, would potentially give him a combination of a suboptimal playing environment and more pressure to contribute to winning right away. That is not what Traore needs in his first few NBA seasons and why he should be hoping the Nets, or someone else, call his name later this month.