Category: NBA Draft Blog

NBA Draft blog

Dallas Mavericks select Cooper Flagg with first pick in 2025 NBA Draft

The Dallas Mavericks have selected forward Cooper Flagg from Duke University with the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

In one season at Duke, Flagg (6-9, 225) averaged 19.2 points (.481 FG, .385 3FG), 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks in 37 appearances (all starts) while leading the team to their second NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance in the last 10 years. Earlier this year, the 18-year-old was named National College Player of the Year (USBWA, NABC, AP, Wooden, Naismith, CollegeInsider.com), becoming the 11th player from Duke to be awarded the honor and the second freshman from Duke to do so (Zion Williamson). Additionally, he was voted consensus First-Team All-American and National Freshman of the Year. In the Atlantic Coast Conference, Flagg was also selected as the AAC Player of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year and named to All-ACC First Team, ACC All-Defensive Team and ACC All-Rookie Team.

The Maine native set the ACC freshman single-game scoring record after recording 42 points against Notre Dame on Jan. 11. He led Duke in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game, becoming the second freshman in the last 25 years to lead his respective team in all five categories (Ben Simmons).

Flagg represented Team USA at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup, where he was named All-Tournament Team after averaging 9.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.4 steals en route to a gold medal campaign for his country and was chosen for the USA Select Team ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Flagg will wear No. 32 for the Mavericks.

Hornets select Kon Knueppel with 4th pick in 2025 NBA draft

The Charlotte Hornets selected guard Kon Knueppel from Duke University with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

A native of Milwaukee, Knueppel averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 30.5 minutes per game across 39 appearances (all starts), helping lead the Blue Devils to a Final Four berth and earning NCAA All-Region honors. Knueppel tallied seven 20-point outings and became one of 15 freshmen in NCAA history with 550 points, 100 assists and 80 3s in a season.

Knueppel was named All-ACC, ACC All-Freshman, All-ACC Tournament and ACC Tournament MVP as the Blue Devils claimed both the ACC regular season and tournament championships. He starred at Wisconsin Lutheran in Milwaukee in high school, being named Wisconsin Mr. Basketball and leading the Vikings to a 2024 state championship and 30-0 record as a senior. Knueppel signed with Duke as a consensus top-20 recruit and enrolled at Duke in June 2024.

Knueppel’s mother and father both played college basketball, and his uncle, Jeff Nordgaard, played for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1997-98 season.

76ers select VJ Edgecombe with 3rd pick in 2025 NBA draft

The Philadelphia 76ers selected VJ Edgecombe from Baylor University with the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Edgecombe, 19, was named the 2024-25 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year and earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors after producing 15.0 points on 43.6-percent shooting (34.0% 3FG, 78.2% FT), 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.1 steals, and 32.7 minutes in 33 games during his lone collegiate season. His 68 steals last season were tied for the fourth-most throughout the conference and set the all-time record by a freshman in program history.

The Baylor product led all Big 12 freshmen in scoring while also ranking third in both rebounds and assists among the conference’s freshmen class. He produced six games of at least 20 points at the collegiate ranks, including a career-best 30 points on 8-of-13 shooting (11-12 FT) against Kansas State on Jan. 22. Edgecombe also had at least three makes from beyond arc on seven occasions last season, shooting at least 50.0-percent from deep in five of those contests.

Spurs select Dylan Harper with 2nd pick in 2025 NBA draft

The San Antonio Spurs selected guard Dylan Harper with the second overall pick and forward Carter Bryant 14th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Harper, 6-5/215, averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 29 games at Rutgers University. In his lone season with the Scarlet Knights, Harper recorded 564 points, setting a new freshman scoring record for the program, while shooting 48.7 percent from the field. He scored in double figures in 24-of-29 games, including Rutgers’ first triple-double since 1983 with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in a win over Columbia on Dec. 30. He reached the 20-point mark in 20 games on his way to Big Ten All-Freshman honors and All-Big Ten Third Team.

From Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, Harper led Don Bosco Preparatory High School to a 2024 state title and was named 2023-24 Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year as well as MVP of the 2024 McDonald’s American Game and Jordan Brand Classic. He represented USA Basketball as a member of the 2024 USA Men’s Junior National Select Team and the 2023 USA Men’s U19 National Team at the 2023 FIBA U-19 World Cup in Hungary.

Bryant, 6-7/215, appeared in 37 games for the Arizona Wildcats, averaging 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.00 blocks and 0.90 steals per game, while shooting 46.0 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from three.

A native of Riverside, California, Bryant was named a McDonald’s All-American after averaging 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds as a senior at Corona Centennial High School and received the 2023 Wooden Award as the boys basketball player of the year for CIF Southern Section District IV as a junior at Sage Hill where he averaged 22.1 points, 13.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.90 blocks and 1.60 steals per game.

Mavericks win 2025 NBA Draft Lottery

The Dallas Mavericks beat overwhelming odds and moved up to the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after the results of the NBA Draft Lottery. This is the first time in franchise history Dallas has moved up when in lottery position.

Dallas entered the night in the 11th slot, and the Mavericks had a 1.80% chance of landing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 Draft, as well as an 8.50% chance at moving into one of the top four positions. This marks the second time that Dallas has held the first-overall selection, the first being in the second-ever draft in Mavericks franchise history in 1981 when the team selected Mark Aguirre out of DePaul.

NBA Draft 2025 will take place June 25-26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Coverage on both nights will begin at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN platforms.

Celtics sign Torrey Craig

The Boston Celtics have signed forward Torrey Craig.

Following the 2025 NBA trade deadline, the Celtics roster stands at 17 players.

The NBA veteran has appeared in 441 career games (168 starts) spanning eight seasons with stints in Denver, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Indiana, and Chicago. Craig owns career averages of 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 19.8 minutes per game while shooting 45.4 percent from the field. This season, Craig averaged 6.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in nine games for the Chicago Bulls.

During the 2022-23 season, Craig averaged career-highs across the board with 7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 24.7 minutes per game in 79 outings (60 starts) with the Suns. Craig has posted 14 double-doubles during his professional tenure and scored 20-plus points six times.

Craig spent four seasons in the Australian NBL before making his NBA debut with Denver during the 2017-18 season. In 2017, he was named the Australian NBL Defensive Player of the Year, earned Australian NBL Most Improved Player honors, and was selected to the All-NBL Second Team. The South Carolina native played four collegiate seasons at the University of South Carolina Upstate and averaged 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals in 31.0 minutes per game over 131 appearances (124 starts).

2024 NBA Draft first round results

Per NBA.com, these are the 2024 NBA draft first round picks that were made along with the reported trades, some of which may take a while before they come official. The second round takes place tomorrow:

1. Hawks draft Zaccharie Risacher (JL Bourg-en-Bresse)

2. Wizards draft Alex Sarr (Perth)

3. Rockets draft Reed Sheppard (Kentucky)

4. Spurs draft Stephon Castle (Connecticut)

5. Pistons draft Ron Holland II (G League Ignite)

6. Hornets draft Tidjane Salaun (Cholet Basket)

7. Trail Blazers draft Donovan Clingan (Connecticut)

8. Spurs draft Rob Dillingham (Kentucky) — Traded to Timberwolves

9. Grizzlies draft Zach Edey (Purdue)

10. Jazz draft Cody Williams (Colorado)

11. Bulls draft Matas Buzelis (G League Ignite)

12. Thunder draft Nikola Topic (KK Crvena Zvezda)

13. Kings draft Devin Carter (Providence)

14. Trail Blazers draft Bub Carrington (Pittsburgh) — Traded to Wizards

15. Heat draft Kel’el Ware (Indiana)

16. 76ers draft Jared McCain (Duke)

17. Lakers draft Dalton Knecht (Tennessee)

18. Magic draft Tristan da Silva (Colorado)

19. Raptors draft Ja’Kobe Walter (Baylor)

20. Cavaliers draft Jaylon Tyson (Cal)

21. Pelicans draft Yves Missi (Baylor)

22. Suns draft DaRon Holmes II (Dayton) — Traded to Nuggets

23. Bucks draft AJ Johnson (Illawarra)

24. Knicks draft Kyshawn George (Miami) — Reportedly traded to Wizards

25. Knicks draft Pacome Dadiet (Ratiopharm Ulm)

26. Wizards draft Dillon Jones (Weber State) — Traded to Thunder (via Knicks)

27. Timberwolves draft Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois)

28. Nuggets draft Ryan Dunn (Virginia) — Traded to Suns

29. Jazz draft Isaiah Collier (USC)

30. Celtics draft Baylor Scheierman (Creighton)

Atlanta Hawks win 2024 NBA Draft Lottery

The Atlanta Hawks secured the first overall pick at the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery, which was conducted earlier today in Chicago. The first pick in this year’s draft is Atlanta’s own.

Entering today’s lottery, the Hawks held a 3% chance of receiving the top overall pick in this year’s draft. It’s just the second time in Atlanta history the club owns the first overall pick, as the Hawks selected David Thompson with the first pick in the 1975 NBA Draft.

The 2024 NBA Draft will mark the 78th year of the event.

New this year, the NBA Draft will expand to a two-night format. The first round will take place on Wednesday, June 26 at the Barclays Center, while the second round will take place at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios on Thursday, June 27.

The first round will continue to have five minutes between draft picks and the second round will increase to four minutes from two minutes.

Orlando Magic select Anthony Black 6th overall in 2023 NBA Draft

The Orlando Magic have selected guard Anthony Black in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2023 NBA Draft.

Black (6’7”, 200, 1/20/04) played and started in all 36 games last season as a freshman at the University of Arkansas, averaging 12.8 ppg., 5.1 rpg., 3.9 apg. and 2.06 stlpg. in 34.8 minpg. He was named to the 2022-23 All-SEC Second Team (coaches), as well as the 2022-23 All-SEC Freshman Team. Black led the Razorbacks and SEC in minutes played, while setting Arkansas freshman records in games played, games started, minutes played (1,253), steals (74) and free throw attempts (190). He was the only player in the SEC to rank in the top 25 in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocked shots.

Black graduated from Duncanville High School in Duncanville, TX. As a senior (2021-22), he was named a McDonald’s All-American and played in the Iverson Classic. Black led Duncanville to the 2022 Texas 6A state championship and was named the Texas 6A State Tournament MVP. He was also a highly-regarded recruit as a wide receiver, receiving offers from Arkansas, Baylor and Texas among others.