The 2025 NBA Draft began with one of the most anticipated prospects
of the decade. After unexpectedly winning the NBA Draft Lottery,
the Dallas Mavericks selected Duke freshman Cooper Flagg with the
first overall pick. San Antonio followed by selecting Rutgers guard
Dylan Harper second, while Philadelphia selected Baylor guard
VJ Edgecombe third.
The first round also featured extensive draft-night movement.
Khaman Maluach, Cedric Coward, Derik Queen, Yang Hansen, Walter
Clayton Jr., Will Riley, Drake Powell, Asa Newell, Nique Clifford
and Liam McNeeley were all selected by teams that subsequently
traded their draft rights.
Brooklyn was one of the busiest teams in the draft, making five
first-round selections. Duke also produced three first-round picks:
Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach.
The draft continued the NBA's two-night format, with the first
round held June 25 and the second round June 26. Only 59 players
were selected because the New York Knicks had previously lost a
second-round pick as a league penalty.
59 selections: The 2025 NBA Draft contained
30 first-round selections and 29 second-round selections. The
New York Knicks had previously lost a second-round pick after
an NBA investigation into the franchise's 2022 signing of
Jalen Brunson.
Cooper Flagg: Dallas selected Duke forward Cooper
Flagg with the first overall pick. The Mavericks had entered the
Draft Lottery with only a 1.8 percent chance of receiving the
No. 1 selection.
Dallas lottery surprise: The Mavericks' jump to
No. 1 was one of the largest lottery moves in NBA history. Dallas
entered the lottery in the No. 11 position before winning the
right to select Flagg.
Dylan Harper: San Antonio selected Rutgers guard
Dylan Harper second overall. Harper joined a young Spurs core that
already included Victor Wembanyama and 2024 Rookie of the Year
Stephon Castle.
VJ Edgecombe: Philadelphia selected Baylor guard
VJ Edgecombe with the third pick. Edgecombe, a native of the
Bahamas, became one of the highest-drafted Bahamian players in
NBA history.
Kon Knueppel: Charlotte selected Duke wing Kon
Knueppel fourth overall, making him the second Duke player taken
within the first four selections.
Ace Bailey: Utah selected Rutgers forward Ace
Bailey fifth overall. It was the Jazz's highest draft selection
since selecting Dominique Wilkins third overall in 1982.
Duke's first-round trio: Duke produced three
first-round selections. Cooper Flagg went first to Dallas,
Kon Knueppel went fourth to Charlotte and Khaman Maluach was
selected 10th by Houston before his rights were traded to Phoenix.
Khaman Maluach: Houston selected Duke center
Khaman Maluach at No. 10 as part of the Kevin Durant trade
framework, with Maluach's draft rights going to the Phoenix Suns.
Yang Hansen: Memphis selected Chinese center
Yang Hansen with the 16th pick before trading his rights to
Portland. His selection was one of the biggest surprises of the
first round.
Brooklyn's five first-rounders: The Nets made
five first-round selections: Egor Demin at No. 8, Nolan Traoré
at No. 19, Drake Powell at No. 22 through a draft-night trade,
Ben Saraf at No. 26 and Danny Wolf at No. 27.
International class: The first round included a
large international group, including Egor Demin, Khaman Maluach,
Noa Essengue, Yang Hansen, Joan Beringer, Nolan Traoré, Ben Saraf,
Hugo González and Yanic Konan Niederhauser.
Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Riley: Washington
selected Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. at No. 18 and traded
his rights to Utah. The Jazz selected Illinois forward Will Riley
at No. 21 and sent his rights to Washington.
Derik Queen: Atlanta selected Maryland center
Derik Queen with the 13th pick before trading his rights to
New Orleans.
Nique Clifford: Oklahoma City selected Colorado
State wing Nique Clifford at No. 24 before trading his rights to
Sacramento.
Second round: Minnesota opened Round 2 by
selecting Saint Joseph's forward Rasheer Fleming with the 31st
pick before trading his rights to Phoenix.
Ryan Kalkbrenner: Charlotte selected Creighton
center Ryan Kalkbrenner with the 34th pick. Kalkbrenner entered
the NBA after five collegiate seasons at Creighton.
Draft-night trades: The 2025 draft featured
extensive movement in both rounds. Several picks changed hands
multiple times through prearranged trades before the transactions
could officially be completed.
Two-night format: The first round was held on
June 25 and the second round on June 26 at Barclays Center in
Brooklyn. It was the second consecutive NBA Draft conducted over
two nights.
Final selection: Houston selected Tennessee guard
Jahmai Mashack with the 59th and final pick before his draft rights
were traded to Memphis.
