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.
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New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges has one year remaining on his contract, but there's reason to believe that could change between now and the start of the regular season. Bridges can sign a four-year, $156 million contract this offseason, but that doesn't mean a deal will happen. Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale thinks there's a chance Bridges and the Knicks fail to agree to an extension. "Bringing Bridges into the season without an extension and letting him hit unrestricted free agency poses all sorts of possible trouble. He could get way more expensive—his four-year max would run $222.4 million — or leave for nothing. The Knicks would have the opportunity to trade him before February's deadline if they're concerned, but they'd be lucky to recoup even half of what they gave up to get him," Favale wrote. "Part of the calculus in forking over five first-rounders and one swap to land Bridges last summer was the prevailing assumption he'd sign an extension. Speculation will run wild in New York if he doesn't." The Knicks have to sign Bridges to an extension or at least get some value from him in a trade if he doesn't ink another contract. However, it will be hard to get a lot for Bridges considering he has just one year left on his deal. All signs point to the Knicks agreeing with Bridges on a new contract, but the longer the negotiations go, the more concern will creep in. That could make things dicey going into the second half of the offseason. If the Knicks can't agree to terms on a new deal with Bridges, the trade will be a colossal failure and the team might struggle over the next few years to recover from the fallout and damages from the trade.
There have been a couple of different theories floated about why the Las Vegas Raiders made the shocking decision to cut star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, but head coach Pete Carroll has no interest in sharing the real motive. The Raiders released Wilkins on Thursday, which was barely a year after they signed him to a four-year, $110M contract in free agency. Initial reports suggested Wilkins and the team were at odds over how the 29-year-old's foot injury was being handled, but the story has since taken a bizarre turn. ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Monday that there was an incident between Wilkins and a teammate in the locker room that Wilkins viewed as playful, but his teammate did not take it that way. Tashan Reed of The Athletic reported that the incident took place in a meeting room at the Raiders' facility last week and was investigated by the team's human resources department. On Tuesday, a reporter asked Carroll about the alleged incident. The 73-year-old coach refused to get into it. "I have no comment to make,” Carroll said, via The Athletic. “We made a decision on what we’re doing, and we’re moving with it. We’ll see how that all unveils itself in time.” The last part of Carroll's comment is interesting. Carroll may have been saying time will tell how the decision to cut Wilkins will turn out for the Raiders, or he may have been insinuating that more information will come out at some point. Raiders defensive tackle Adam Nelson was also asked about Wilkins on Tuesday. Nelson responded by encouraging people to seek therapy if they are struggling with something in their life. Wilkins had 17 total tackles and a pair of sacks in five games with the Raiders before he suffered his season-ending foot injury.
Left-handed starting pitcher Blake Snell is in his 10th major-league season after making his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016. Snell spent time with the San Diego Padres, then signed a deal with the San Francisco Giants after the 2023 season, which he later opted out of to enter free agency in 2024. The 32-year-old veteran signed a five-year, $182M contract this offseason with the Los Angeles Dodgers after an exceptional 2024 campaign. Snell earned such a lucrative contract thanks to his outstanding career to date, which includes two Cy Young Awards and an All-Star appearance. Over 213 career starts, he owns a 77–58 record, a 3.18 ERA and 1,372 strikeouts. Snell was placed on the injured list on April 6 (retroactive to April 3) with left shoulder inflammation after experiencing discomfort during a bullpen session; he had made only two starts for the Dodgers before the injury. After four minor-league rehab outings, manager Dave Roberts announced on Sunday that Snell is expected to rejoin the rotation next week. With his return looming, the Dodgers have decided to shift to a six-man rotation but now face a decision on right-hander Dustin May’s roster status. May returned to a full-time starting role for the first time in two seasons and has struggled. On Sunday against the Boston Red Sox, May allowed four runs in five innings of work, and he entered the start with an ERA of 4.73. May’s name has surfaced in trade rumors, and he is a candidate to potentially be moved to the bullpen. He is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.