2025 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mouhamed Faye, Ben Henshall To Pull Out Of NBA Draft

June 14th, 2025 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Potential second-round pick Mouhamed Faye will take his name out of this year’s draft, agent Matteo Comellini tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).

Faye, 20, will consider options in both the EuroLeauge and the NCAA for next season, according to Givony. The 6’10” Senegalese center played this year with Reggie Emilio in Italy, where he averaged 10.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He ranks 54th on ESPN’s big board.

Faye left Senegal at age 16 to join Reggiana’s youth team for the 2022/23 season. He was promoted to the senior team a year later and was honored as the best player under 22 in Lega Basket Serie A. He also registered for the 2024 draft, but withdrew in mid-June.

Australian guard Ben Henshall is also exiting the draft, agent Sam Rose tells Givony (Twitter link). Henshall, 20, also plans to consider NCAA and professional opportunities for next season. He spent this year with the Perth Wildcats in the NBL, averaging 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Henshall ranks 64th on ESPN’s list of the best prospects.

International players have until June 15 to pull their names out of this year’s draft. The NCAA set a May 28 deadline for college players to withdraw and keep their eligibility.

Draft Notes: Sixers’ Plans, Heat Workouts, Sorber, Mock

June 14th, 2025 at 9:56am CST by Earnest Marshall

Confirming a recent report that stated the Sixers have talked to the Spurs about the possibility about the No. 2 overall pick, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that moving up to draft Dylan Harper would give Philadelphia the sort of point guard the team has long coveted. Harper would pair nicely with Tyrese Maxey while Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes could split on/off-ball duties.

If the Sixers don’t make a deal for the No. 2 pick, it remains unclear whether they’ll stick at No. 3 or trade down. The third pick feels like an early turning point in the draft, with the Sixers reportedly impressed by Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe and, according to Pompey, split on Harper’s Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey.

In 30 games last year, Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

We have more rumors related to the draft:

San Francisco guard Marcus Williams and Kansas guard Zeke Mayo have worked out for the Heat, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Neither player is projected to be drafted, but Miami has a strong history of developing overlooked players. Williams averaged 15.1 points and 4.3 assists per game last year while Mayo averaged 14.6 PPG. Both players shot over 40.0% from three. Rounding up recent mocks, Jackson writes that Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf and Rasheer Fleming are among popular picks for the Heat if they stick with their 20th overall selection.
Georgetown center Thomas Sorber visited with the Jazz, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones (Twitter link). Sorber is recovering from a season-ending foot injury, so he didn’t work out but instead had dinner with team officials and underwent a medical evaluation. Sorber is ESPN’s 18th best-available prospect and the Jazz hold picks Nos. 5, 21, 43 and 53.
HoopsHype updated its aggregate mock draft that combines evaluations from 10 major sites to provide a consensus prediction. Bailey remains at No. 3 with Edgecombe going fourth to the Hornets. Jeremiah Fears (mocked sixth to the Wizards) and Cedric Coward (mocked 15th to the Thunder) are among the notable risers.

Pistons Notes: Harris, Offseason, Draft Workouts

June 13th, 2025 at 8:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Tobias Harris was an unsung hero for the Pistons and their staggering single-season turnaround, writes Keith Langlois for NBA.com. Following an unceremonious departure from the Sixers, Harris’ second stint in Detroit helped unlock things for the young team, both on and off the court.

“His leadership is big-time,” Cade Cunningham said. “It’s not always vocal – most of the time it’s by example… Also, just on the court being able to settle us down, able to get him the ball, and he’s going to go get us points. There’s a lot I could say about Tobias, but I love playing with him. Super happy that he’s here. He’s made a huge impact on me and the group.”

Harris ended up playing the second-most minutes on the team, trailing only Cunningham. He averaged 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 34.5% on three-pointers during the regular season and 15.7 PPG and 7.7 RPG while shooting 43.5% from three during the Pistons’ hard-fought six-game series against the Knicks.

Harris has one year and $26.6MM on his contract. The Pistons could choose to use it in a deal to upgrade their roster long-term, but given how well he fit with the team last year, they should be very content to keep him around in a similar role in 2025/26, says Langlois.

“He is our safety blanket. He’s reliable. He’s dependable,” said head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “He understands what needs to happen in the moment. He’s an unbelievable human being, an unbelievable teammate. He’s a fierce competitor. You want me to keep going?”

We have more from around Detroit:

The Pistons’ main focus this offseason should be on retaining or finding a way to replace the contributions of Malik Beasley and Dennis Schröder, writes Spotrac’s Keith Smith in his Pistons offseason preview. This will likely involve Detroit operating over the cap and offering Beasley most of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will start at a projected $14.1MM. They could then use Schröder’s Early Bird rights to re-sign him to a deal worth around $42MM for three seasons, Smith suggests. While the Pistons have been linked to free agent big men, Smith questions if it would be worth it if the cost is both of those free agents plus Tim Hard away Jr., and concludes that it’s likely premature for an all-in move.
Detroit conducted pre-draft workouts with Jacksen Moni (NDSU), Obinna Anochili-Killen (Marshall), Jalon Moore (Oklahoma), and Johnell Davis (Arkansas) on Thursday, according to Detroit Free Press Pistons beat writer Omari Sankofa II (via Twitter). Moni ranks 87th on ESPN’s top-100 board while Moore leads the group, coming in at 66th.
Sankara previously noted (via Twitter) that Andrew Carr from Kentucky worked out for the team on Tuesday. Carr ranks 100th on ESPN’s board after averaging 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds as a fifth-year senior.

And-Ones: Expansion, Greenwood, Anigbata, 2020 Draft

June 13th, 2025 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

While NBA commissioner Adam Silver believes the league will “likely” expand beyond its current 30 teams sooner or later, he said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show this week that it’s not obvious to him that it absolutely needs to happen in the short term (Twitter video link).

“The reason I say it’s not obvious is because as a global business where something like two billion people will connect with us on social media, over a billion people over the course of the year will watch some portion of the game, adding another U.S. city, it’s unclear how much growth we’ll get as a result of that,” Silver explained, noting that expanding from 30 teams to 32 would dilute the NBA’s talent pool and result in two new partners splitting up the league’s revenue.

“… Having said that,” Silver continued, “I do believe certain markets can potentially be additive to the NBA, and that’s what we’re going to look at. I think part of it is geographic. It’s a big country. Making sure we’re represented all around the country, and then over time, maybe there’s more we can do in Canada, and Mexico City is a city we’ve talked about before.”

Silver went on to say that the NBA hasn’t met with any groups from specific cities yet, but confirmed that expansion will be a real topic of discussion at the league’s Board of Governors meetings in July.

“I don’t mean to tease people with this,” Silver said. “This is the summer we’re going to look at it seriously.”

We have more from around the basketball world:

David Greenwood, a former UCLA star who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1979 draft behind Magic Johnson, has passed away at age 68 after battling cancer, according to Beth Harris of The Associated Press. Greenwood appeared in over 800 regular season games across 12 NBA seasons with the Bulls, Spurs, Pistons, and Nuggets, earning a spot on the All-Rookie first team in 1980 and winning a title with Detroit in 1990. He held career averages of 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 28.4 minutes per game.
Ahead of Sunday’s draft withdrawal deadline for early entrants, German forward Alec Anigbata has removed his name from consideration, reports Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). The 20-year-old has played a minor role for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany this season and will become automatically draft-eligible in 2026, Chepkevich notes.
If the 2020 NBA draft were held again knowing what we know now, Anthony Edwards would still be the No. 1 pick, but a pair of Tyreses – Tyrese Haliburton and Tyrese Maxey – would move into the top three after initially being drafted at No. 12 and No. 21, respectively, according to HoopsHype. In HoopsHype’s 2020 re-draft, a series of late first-rounders move into the top 10, with Desmond Bane jumping from No. 30 to No. 5 while Jaden McDaniels (No. 28 to No. 6), Immanuel Quickley (No. 25 to No. 9), and Payton Pritchard (No. 26 to No. 10) also make big leaps.

Nets Notes: Sharpe, Cap Space, Giannis, Scott, Pierre

June 12th, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Nets have seen steady improvement from center Day’Ron Sharpe since he was drafted in 2021. He’s set to be a restricted free agent this summer, and Brooklyn has a decision to make on him after re-signing starting center Nic Claxton to a four-year, $97MM contract last year.

In an interview with Swish Theory’s Charlie Cummings (hat tip to Net Income of NetsDaily), Sharpe identified what it will take for him to reach the next level in the league.

“Offensive rebounding — that’s always gonna be my thing, that’s my bread-and-butter,” Sharpe said. “Being the strongest is going to help me do that. I’m trying to get to a point where it don’t matter who’s on that court, I’m moving you and I’m gonna get that board.”

Sharpe averaged 7.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 18.1 minutes last season.

“I just want to do whatever we can to help the team,” Sharpe said. “If it’s talking to the next person, then I can do that. If it’s bringing energy, I can do that. If it’s ‘go and grab every offensive rebound,’ I can do that. If it’s ‘go and drop 20,’ I can do that.”

We have more from the Nets:

The Nets will enter the 2025 offseason as the only team with significant cap space, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll use their spending flexibility on free agents. Instead, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post details in a subscriber-only story, Brooklyn can position itself to land unwanted contracts from other clubs that want to get in on the offseason action, especially star-level trades that require a third-team facilitator. The Nets also have five picks in next month’s draft and are said to be exploring a move up.
With multiple reports suggesting that the odds of Giannis Antetokounmpo requesting a trade out of Milwaukee appear to be decreasing, the Nets’ “Plan A” this offseason may be off the table. However, that clarity could prove to be a good thing, Lewis writes in a separate piece (subscriber link). Instead of going all-in on a superstar, the team can focus on youth development as it heads into the second year of a rebuild.
The Nets, who control five draft picks (Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27, and 36) held a pre-draft workout featuring St. John’s forward Aaron Scott and Belmont guard Jonathan Pierre, according to The Draft Stack (Twitter link). Scott averaged 8.4 points and 1.4 steals per game in his final collegiate season at St. John’s and Pierre averaged 13.8 PPG while shooting 36.9% from three last year.

Draft Workouts: Jazz, Wolves, Kings, Broome

June 12th, 2025 at 5:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz are hosting a pre-draft workout on Friday featuring Colorado State wing Nique Clifford, North Carolina wing Drake Powell, Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner and Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, multiple league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Clifford is the top-ranked prospect of the group, according to ESPN’s big board, coming in at No. 22. Powell (No. 31), Kalkbrenner (No. 33) and Lanier (No. 37) are also viewed as strong bets to be drafted, either late in the first round or early in the second.

Utah currently controls four picks — Nos. 5, 21, 43 and 53 — in June’s draft.

Here are a few more notes regarding pre-draft workouts:

The Timberwolves, who control the 17th and 31st picks, are holding a workout Thursday that includes Asa Newell (Georgia), Jamir Watkins (Florida State), Keshon Gilbert (Iowa State) and Steven Crowl (Wisconsin), reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North (via Twitter). Newell, who was invited to the green room, is ranked No. 21 on ESPN’s board, while Watkins is No. 39. The other two players are unranked.
The Kings will be hosting six players for a workout on Friday, the team announced (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). The six are Ryan Nembhard of Gonzaga, Curtis Jones of Iowa State, Koby Brea of Kentucky, Kadary Richmond of, Norchad Omier of Baylor, and Vladislav Goldin of Michigan. All six prospects appear on ESPN’s board, ranging from No. 47 (Brea) to No. 95 (Omier). Sacramento currently only controls the 42nd pick, but is rumored to be interested in moving into the first round.
Big man Johni Broome, the 40th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s list, had a workout with the Warriors today, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The former Auburn star said he has previously worked out for the Clippers, Pistons, Hawks, Nets, Raptors and Celtics, and has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Thunder, Timberwolves and Suns, according to Rankin. Golden State controls the 41st pick.

Latest On Kevin Durant

June 12th, 2025 at 4:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Appearing on NBA Today on Thursday (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania gave an update on his report that the Suns and Kevin Durant‘s business partner, Rich Kleiman, have been evaluating trade options ahead of this month’s draft.

“There is traction on Kevin Durant trade scenarios,” Charania said. “And there are some teams that are motivated to get a deal done sooner rather than later, and so we’ll see. Will something happen before the NBA Draft? Does this linger into June 25, June 26, closer to that draft period?

“But those are the five teams (Houston, Minnesota, New York, Miami and San Antonio) where the Suns are most focused at. There are some wild-card suitors as well. But what this could end up coming down to is, he’s on expiring deal. … Is this all going to be contingent on him accepting a long-term (extension)? (Or) will there be a team that simply swings for him?”

While his ESPN colleague Brian Windhorst said earlier on Thursday that he thinks Durant “definitely” has interest in joining the Knicks, multiple local reporters have stated the team doesn’t plan to pursue the two-time Finals MVP, perhaps ruling New York out as a potential suitor.

Although the “situation remains fluid,” there’s growing skepticism that the Spurs will acquire Durant, with “no clear traction” on a deal, league sources tell Grant Afseth of RG.org.

According to Afseth, league insiders have doubts about the fit of Durant, who turns in 37 years old in September, joining a young, up-and-coming team in San Antonio. Afseth suggests the Spurs may be reluctant to meet the Suns’ asking price for Durant.

Following up on a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Afseth cites league sources who say the Sixers‘ discussions with the Spurs about moving up from No. 3 to No. 2 are believed to have been exploratory rather than serious.

“For now, it’s more due diligence than anything,” one source told RG.

As of now, the Spurs are still expected to keep the second pick and select Dylan Harper, Afseth reports.

While the Knicks or Spurs may not land Durant, the Heat are legitimately interested in the superstar forward, confirms Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The big question, Winderman writes, is whether that interest is mutual.

As Winderman observes, the Heat and Suns discussed a trade involving Durant and Jimmy Butler prior to the February deadline. Butler ended up in Golden State, which first nearly acquired Durant before he essentially nixed the deal. Heat stars Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are not expected to be available in any Durant trade talks, according to Winderman.

Fischer’s Latest: Celtics, Sixers, Hawks, Capela, Draft

June 12th, 2025 at 3:17pm CST by Rory Maher

While there was speculation around the combine that rival teams would likely seek some sort of assets from Boston along with Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7MM expiring contract) or Jrue Holiday ($104.4MM over the next three years), the Celtics have been operating as though they’re confident those former All-Stars will return positive value on the trade market, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

According to Fischer, the Celtics have given some teams the impression they aren’t in a rush to reduce their projected record-breaking luxury tax bill for 2025/26, and may do so in phases rather than all at once. That could include trading Porzingis for a smaller salary this offseason, and perhaps waiting for the trade deadline next February to make another cost-cutting move.

ESPN’s Shams Charania recently reported that the Celtics won’t be actively looking to move Jaylen Brown or Derrick White this offseason, but they don’t necessarily view either player as untouchable.

Fischer hears Boston would have to have to be blown away to part with White, pointing to Brooklyn’s return for Mikal Bridges as a point of comparison. He also states that Payton Pritchard should be in a similar category of “extremely hard-to-get,” with Boston looking to remain competitive next season despite losing Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles.

Here’s more from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up:

Confirming a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Fischer has also heard the Sixers have spoken to the Spurs about the possibility of moving up from No. 3 to No. 2 in the draft. Fischer also confirms that Philadelphia has zeroed in on four candidates for the third pick, though only two of those prospects — V.J. Edgecombe and Ace Bailey — are currently known. Moving back in the draft remains a possibility as well, Fischer adds.
After reporting that there hasn’t been much chatter about the Hawks combining their two first-round picks (Nos. 13 and 22) in an effort to move up in the draft, Fischer has subsequently heard otherwise from “various sources.” According to Fischer, rival teams believe Atlanta is focused on centers in the draft, with Clint Capela expected to walk in free agency.
There’s an expectation around the league that there could be a rush of trade activity late in the first round and early in the second as teams jockey for prospects, Fischer writes. As Fischer explains, several players projected to be selected in that range wound up returning to college due to multi-million dollar NIL deals, leaving the latter portion of the second round, in particular, somewhat lacking in young talent compared to previous drafts.

Draft Notes: Player Comps, Fit/Value, Guide, Withdrawals

June 12th, 2025 at 12:07pm CST by Rory Maher

In a story for ESPN.com, Jeremy Woo lists both the high- and low-end comparisons for each player mocked by ESPN to go in the top 15 of the 2025 draft, which will begin on June 25. Woo writes that the likely outcome for the comparisons typically falls somewhere in the middle.

For consensus top prospect Cooper Flagg, Woo says Jayson Tatum with more defense would be a best-case outcome, with his low-end comp being Andre Iguodala with more offense. How about Dylan Harper, widely viewed as the second-best player in the class? According to Woo, Harper has a chance to become a Jalen Brunson-type player with more size, while a career like D’Angelo Russell‘s may be his floor.

As the draft gets closer to the back end of the lottery, there’s a wider range of outcomes. For instance, if Collin Murray-Boyles improves his jump shot, Woo thinks he could develop into a player like Al Horford. But if he doesn’t, he might just be a frontcourt depth option with solid defense, similar to Xavier Tillman.

Derik Queen (Alperen Sengun/Sandro Mamukelashvili), Joan Beringer (Clint Capela/Jaxson Hayes) and Noa Essengue (Pascal Siakam/Jarred Vanderbilt) are among the prospects mentioned in the teens.

Here are a few more notes on the upcoming draft:

ESPN’s latest mock draft focuses on the first round, with Jonathan Givony selecting a player who fills each team’s biggest need, while Woo chooses the prospects who offer the best value. While there’s a decent amount of overlap between the fit and value picks, there are also some major differences, starting at No. 2, where Givony views Kon Knueppel as the best fit for the Spurs (Harper is the best available).
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently released his comprehensive draft guide, featuring in-depth scouting reports on 75 players and ranking his top 100 prospects. Vecenie is extremely bullish on Flagg, believing him to be the second-best prospect in the past decade, only behind Victor Wembanyama, and is also high on Harper. However, he’s not as optimistic about the rest of the draft, with those two in separate tiers of their own. Notably, Vecenie is much lower on Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears (No. 18 vs. No. 7) than ESPN. The same is true of BYU’s Egor Demin (No. 25 vs. No. 11). By contrast, he’s much higher on Cedric Coward (No. 10 vs No. 29) and Noah Penda (No. 15 vs. No. 28) than ESPN’s experts. The guide is well worth checking out in full if you subscribe to The Athletic.
A pair of international prospects are withdrawing from the draft, according to Givony of ESPN and Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter links). Croatian forward/center Michael Ruzic, the 44th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s big board, has withdrawn from consideration, agents Bill Duffy and Sasa Zagorac tell Givony. Meanwhile, Bassala Bagayoko, a 6’9″ big man from Mali, will return to Spanish club Bilbao for the 2025/26 season, Chekpkevich reports. June 15 is the final deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the draft.

Trade Rumors: Celtics, Durant, Knicks, Pelicans, Spurs, Magic

June 12th, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics won’t be actively looking to move Jaylen Brown or Derrick White this offseason, but they also don’t necessarily view either player as untouchable, ESPN’s Shams Charania said on Wednesday during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (YouTube link).

“The primary focus, from my understanding, with the Celtics’ offseason has been Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, (and) Sam Hauser, their trade markets,” Charania said. “Now, are teams making big offers and calling about Jaylen Brown and Derrick White? 100 percent. The Celtics prefer not to trade them, from my understanding. But if they get a big offer, they have to look at everything.”

Asked by McAfee if it’s accurate to say that everyone except Jayson Tatum, who will spent most or all of the 2025/26 season recovering from an Achilles tear, is theoretically in play, Charania replied, “Essentially.”

As has been reported repeatedly since Boston was eliminated from the playoffs last month, the club will be looking to reduce its luxury tax bill and get below the second tax apron in 2025/26, since Tatum’s injury figures to significantly reduce the odds of the Celtics seriously contending for another title next season.

Here are a few more trade-related rumors from around the NBA:

Brian Windhorst said during a Thursday appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (YouTube link) that he thinks Kevin Durant “definitely” has interest in the Knicks as a potential landing spot. However, after Stefan Bondy of The New York Post reported on Wednesday that the Knicks aren’t expected to pursue Durant, Steve Popper of Newsday has echoed that report, citing a league source who says New York isn’t interested in making a deal for the star forward.
Within his latest mock draft, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports says league sources continue to mention the Pelicans as a team with interest in moving up in the draft. According to O’Connor, multiple front office executives believe New Orleans, which controls the No. 7 overall pick, has interest in Rutgers’ Ace Bailey, who could be picked as early as No. 3, so Yahoo’s latest mock include a hypothetical trade between the Pelicans and Sixers.
The latest mock draft from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic also includes some sourced information related to potential trade scenarios. According to Vecenie, league sources believe the Spurs could move their No. 14 overall pick if a preferred target isn’t on the board and think the Magic will explore using at least one of their two first-rounders in a trade for offensive help.