The 2025 NBA Draft appears to have a clear-cut top two picks in Duke's Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper of Rutgers. After that, the draft is full of uncertainty, especially after the lottery. Here are five reasons that this draft looks very difficult to predict.
1. The Philadelphia 76ers have a lot of options at No. 3
The Dallas Mavericks are expected to select Flagg with the top pick, and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic believes that the only way the San Antonio Spurs would pass on Harper is if they made a blockbuster deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Past those two players, there is no consensus No. 3 prospect, nor a consensus on what approach the Sixers will take with their veteran-led team.
Philadelphia might simply take its favorite prospect from a group that includes Ace Bailey (Rutgers), VJ Edgecombe (Baylor), Tre Johnson (Texas) and Kon Knueppel (Duke). But they might use the pick as leverage to get off one of their unwanted salaries, either by trading down or getting a veteran. If they got ambitious, they could even try to move last season's disappointing big-money signing, Paul George. It's hard to know what will happen past pick No. 3 when it isn't clear which team will be picking there.
2. Some teams have too many first-round picks
The Oklahoma City Thunder have done a masterful job of constantly replenishing their store of draft picks in the last six years, but now they have the No. 15 and No. 24 selections this year, and 15 players already under contract for 2025-26. Thanks to the Mikal Bridges trade, the Brooklyn Nets have four picks in the first round. The Orlando Magic have 15 players under contract next year and draft at No. 16 and No. 25, while the Atlanta Hawks have No. 13 and No. 22.
That's four teams that should be interested in trading up, or trading out of the first round entirely. Not only are first-round picks unlikely to help immediately, but they also carry guaranteed contracts. The Nets don't want to add four rookies in the same season. The Thunder are already the second-youngest Finals team in history. It's unlikely all four of those teams stay put, and not at all unlikely that all four trade one of their picks.
3. NIL money has convinced many prospects to return to college
The No. 30 pick in the NBA Draft gets a starting salary of $2.74M in 2025-26. Yaxel Lendeborg, a projected first-round pick this season, withdrew from the draft and transferred to the University of Michigan for an NIL package rumored to be around $3M.
For players who don't expect to go in the lottery, it can be safer to take guaranteed money to play in college. JT Toppin was expected to be selected late in the first round or early in the second. Now he's going back to Texas Tech for $4M. Plus, they can always enter the draft next season.
NEW: JT Toppin is expected to make around $4M in NIL at Texas Tech next season, @MattNorlander reportshttps://t.co/DFUayFSGMY https://t.co/vrV2CKRuJZ pic.twitter.com/EzzB07gs5p
— On3 (@On3sports) April 9, 2025
That means that the number of quality players normally available in the middle of the draft has dropped precipitously. The 2021 draft had 363 early-entrant candidates. Four years later, only 106 players declared by the end of April, and 50 of them have since pulled out of the draft. Expect more international players and projects to go late, and second-round picks to be less valuable.
The 2025 NBA Draft has its fewest early entrants in a decade.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) May 28, 2025
It's less than 1/3 of the early entrants the year before the NIL era began. pic.twitter.com/Fh6BMrA8KQ
4. The NBA's worst teams aren't picking at the top
Flagg would have changed the direction of any franchise he went to, but he's going to a team that was in the NBA Finals one year ago. That means the worst teams in the NBA — the Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards — have to choose between imperfect players for rosters that have plenty of holes.
Would Charlotte opt for the higher ceiling of Ace Bailey over the more NBA-ready shooting of Kon Knueppel? Do the Wizards take one of the tantalizing combo guards in this range even after picking second team All-Rookie guard Bub Carrington last year? It's hard to know how much teams will draft for fit or best player available, or which players they consider best in the first place.
5. Teams are trying to trade or buy their way back in
The Sacramento Kings are rumored to be making an "aggressive" pursuit of a first-round pick. They're one of nine NBA teams who don't currently have a pick in the draft's first round, a group that includes the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers.
Particularly with potential impact players returning to school, don't be surprised if some of these teams use second-rounders, players and cash to get into the first round. For high-salary playoff teams, the late first round gives a unique opportunity to get affordable talent that's cost-controlled for four seasons. Teams pushing up against the various tax aprons may be especially interested. That's why, less than two weeks before the draft, picks 3-60 should be considered completely up in the air. Get ready to tear up a lot of mock drafts until then.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
Jonathan Kuminga has remained a free agent this offseason. There's no telling how his situation will resolve itself with the Golden State Warriors, but ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel has confirmed that the Sacramento Kings are among his interested suitors. It's unclear if the Warriors want to keep Kuminga around, but it's also clear that if he wants to join another team, they wouldn't want to lose him for nothing. One way the Warriors and Kings could resolve the Kuminga situation is by agreeing to a sign-and-trade that would swap Kuminga for players on the Kings roster. It would depend on who the Warriors would want in return for Kuminga. The Kings have some players to offer in exchange for the wing, like DeMar DeRozan or Devin Carter, so getting them would be something for Kuminga. However, even if the Warriors could entertain a sign-and-trade for the young wing, they're not interested in those two Kings. More than that, Sacramento may want Kuminga but only at a fair price. Sam Amick revealed the details during his appearance on Warriors Plus/Minus. "My understanding is the Warriors weren't interested in Carter or DeRozan," Amick said, which was aggregated by 95.7 The Game's Evan Giddings. "As of a couple weeks ago, the Kings weren't willing to pay Kuminga into the $20 million range (per year)." DeRozan is a six-time All-Star who will enter the second year of a three-year, $78.9 million contract. The Warriors are not above either of the NBA's tax aprons at the moment, while the Kings are hard-capped at the first apron.
The New York Yankees acquired several talented veterans after superstar outfielder Juan Soto walked in free agency this past offseason, with southpaw pitcher Max Fried (12-4, 2.62 ERA) chief among them. They signed the latter player to an eight-year, $218 million contract, and he's given them their money's worth thus far. Fried leads New York's pitching staff in wins and ERA. The 31-year-old is also tied for third in baseball in wins, is 11th in ERA, and is 11th with a 1.03 WHIP. Still, the Yankees could use pitching help, given that ace Gerrit Cole is out for the year after getting Tommy John surgery, and 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will make his first start of the season on Sunday. Fried was asked after Tuesday's bout with the Tampa Bay Rays if he's anxious to see what New York does ahead of Thursday's Trade Deadline, via SNY. "You've just got to take care of business every day," he said. "That's not something that we can control...We have baseball games to win." The Yankees did just that on Tuesday, beating the Rays 7-5 in a comeback effort. Fried earned his 12th win after allowing four runs (two earned) in 6.2 innings to go with nine strikeouts and two walks. The veteran also tossed a career-high 111 pitches. Over the last few days, the Yankees acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies and fellow third baseman Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals. They also traded pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the Atlanta Braves for a player to be named later or cash. New York will face Tampa Bay again on Wednesday and Thursday.
The World Junior Summer Showcase is in full swing, and Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford is shattering expectations, truly proving how good of a player he can be. The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 players who were invited to Hockey Canada's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada finally unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, after they held the roster release back while the organization dealt with several injuries, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis. Defensive prospect Ben Danford is the only Maple Leafs player invited to the annual showcase, where Canada's World Junior staff will get their first look at what their team might look like for the 2026 World Juniors, which will also take place in Minnesota in December. Danford is being called the best player at the World Juniors Summer Showcase Danford has been exceeding expectations, and one source revealed that he has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase so far. The source said Danford is steady, smart, and hard to ignore on the ice. 'Ben Danford has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase he's steady, smart, and impossible to ignore. Makes every shift count, whether he's breaking up plays or starting the rush. Canada's blue line is in good hands.' - An unnamed source The Maple Leafs selected Danford with their first pick (31st overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft. During his visit to Toronto's development camp earlier this month, the defender revealed that he's receiving mentorship from current Leafs defensemen as well as some alumni like Mark Giordano. The 6-foot-2 Danford could make for an excellent fit for Canada should he make the team. He is responsible in his own end, and he demonstrated leadership capabilities when he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals ahead of the 2024-25 OHL season.
San Francisco 49ers fans will probably remember the name Trey Lance as long as they live due to how big a bust he was for the franchise. They drafted him third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft and sent a trade package that included three first-round picks to do it. And their return on investment crashed and burned right before their eyes. He now has another chance to prove he belongs at the NFL level and try to separate himself from the "bust" label that might as well be written on the back of his jersey in the minds of fans. The Los Angeles Chargers have elected to name him the starter for the Hall of Fame game this Thursday, July 31, against the Detroit Lions. Former 49ers QB Trey Lance set to start for the Chargers in the Hall of Fame game During his time with the 49ers, Lance made four starts and only dressed for eight regular-season games. He recorded 797 passing yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions as a 49er. Injuries derailed him from ever creating any momentum on the field, but the on field product was also simply not good enough. It became apparent to the 49ers that their seventh-round pick a year after drafting Lance was a better starter option for the time being. That QB, of course, is Brock Purdy, who still to this day holds the title as the 49ers starter and has led the team to two NFC Championship appearances and even punched their ticket to appear in one Super Bowl. While the Lance situation may never feel great for 49ers fans, many likely feel that things worked out significantly better than they could have, thanks to Purdy. Now Purdy is one of the highest-paid QBs in the NFL, and Lance is battling to be a QB two in Los Angeles and will likely need to show out in the preseason to win the job.