2025 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Edwards, Randle, Jazz Draft, Trail Blazers Workouts

May 27th, 2025 at 9:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Anthony Edwards scored just 16 points in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday. However, the Timberwolves superstar believes he played the game the way it’s supposed to be played.

“I don’t look at it like I struggled, or (Julius Randle) struggled,” Edwards said. “They just, they had a good game plan, making us get off the ball. Especially for me, man. They were super in the gaps, I made the right play all night.”

Edwards only attempted 13 shots and made just one three-pointer.

“It’s an urge that I want to get the ball in the rim, put it up there,” Edwards said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “But you don’t want to take bad shots and get your team out of rhythm. So I was just playing the game the right way, man.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Randle took just seven shots and made only one. He was disappointed in himself that he wasn’t more assertive, he told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I’ve got to figure out a way to get myself in position to be more aggressive, rather than just standing, spectating or trying to crash the glass,” he said. “Or I can just find other little things to do.”
The Jazz possess the No. 5 and 21 picks in the first round and pair of second-rounders in next month’s draft. Multiple league sources indicated to the Deseret News’ Sarah Todd that the front office is willing to hear offers and make deals on any of those draft picks. However, considering it’s been over a decade since Utah had a top-five selection, Todd believes it’s likely that the Jazz will retain the No. 5 pick.
Zach Hicks (Penn State), Chris Manon (Vanderbilt), Wade Taylor IV (Texas A&M), Caleb Love (Arizona), Zack Austin (Pittsburgh) and Money Williams (Montana) worked out for the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report tweets. That group is comprised of players trying to earn second-round consideration.

Florida’s Alex Condon Among Latest To Withdraw From Draft

May 27th, 2025 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Florida big man Alex Condon is removing his name from the 2025 NBA draft pool and returning to the Gators for his junior year, he informs Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Condon was a member of the team that won a national championship last month and will be looking to pull off the feat again next season.

[RELATED: 2025 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

“It’s a really good situation waiting for me there,” Condon said. “A great coach with Todd Golden. Teammates I won a national championship with. I have great chemistry with those boys. We have a good transfer class coming in. I expect guys to make a leap. My big man coach Carlin Hartman is returning, so I will keep developing my game with him.”

A 6’11” forward/center from Australia, Condon was elevated to Florida’s starting lineup as a sophomore in 2024/25 after coming off the bench as a freshman. In his second college season, he averaged 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks in 24.9 minutes per contest in 37 games (35 starts), earning third-team All-SEC honors.

Condon conducted private workouts for eight NBA teams during the pre-draft process, he told Givony. The big man was the No. 31 prospect in the last update of ESPN’s big board, though in today’s news story, Givony refers to him as ESPN’s No. 38 player. Either way, Condon was far from a lock to be a first-round pick, which factored into his decision to return to school.

Condon is one of several draft prospects reported in recent hours to be withdrawing from the NBA draft. Here are a few others:

After testing the draft waters following his freshman season, guard Joson Sanon is headed back to school, reports Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Sanon, who averaged 11.9 points per game on .422/.369/.714 shooting for Arizona State in 2024/25, is transferring to St. John’s for his sophomore year.
Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton has officially withdrawn from the draft and is rejoining the Buckeyes for one more season, a source tells Rothstein (Twitter link). As a junior in 2024/25, Thornton put up 17.2 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game in 32 outings (all starts), earning a spot on the All-Big Ten second team.
Forward Devon Pryor, who is transferring from Texas to Oregon for his junior year, is opting out of the draft, per Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Pryor didn’t see much action for the Longhorns last season, averaging just 12.1 minutes per game in 23 appearances.
Elijah Fisher, a 6’6″ wing, has withdrawn from the draft and will join his fourth school in four years, according to Chepkevich (Twitter link). After spending one season apiece with Texas Tech, DePaul, and Pacific, Fisher has committed to Seton Hall for the 2025/26 campaign.
Chris Howell is exiting the draft and transferring from UC San Diego to New Mexico, reports Chepkevich (Twitter link). As a junior last season, the 6’6″ guard averaged 5.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 steals per game in 35 starts for the Tritons.
Guard Dominick Harris, who has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining, will pull out of the draft and transfer from UCLA to Loyola Chicago, tweets Chepkevich. Harris has also played for Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount since beginning his college career in 2020.

Yaxel Lendeborg Withdrawing From Draft, Transferring To Michigan

May 27th, 2025 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

Yaxel Lendeborg, projected to be a first-round pick next month, is withdrawing from the 2025 NBA draft and transferring from UAB to Michigan, he tells Jonathan Givony and Shams Charania of ESPN.

“While it’s been and still is a dream of mine to play in the NBA, I feel the development and growth as a player and a person I will gain at the University of Michigan will be very beneficial,” Lendeborg explained to ESPN.

There will be no shortage of college early entrants pulling out of the NBA draft ahead of the NCAA’s withdrawal deadline on Wednesday, but Lendeborg will almost certainly be one of the highest-rated prospects to forgo the professional route. He had been listed as the No. 26 overall prospect on ESPN’s 2025 big board and was also the 26th player selected in the site’s most recent mock draft.

[RELATED: 2025 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

A 6’9″ forward, Lendeborg made the All-AAC first team in 2024 and 2025 and was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in both seasons as well. As a senior this past season, he averaged 17.7 points, a conference-leading 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals in 33.6 minutes per game across 37 outings (all starts). He posted a strong shooting line of .522/.357/.757.

According to Givony, Lendeborg joined elite company by registering at least 600 points, 400 rebounds, and 150 assists a single season in 2024/25 — Larry Bird is the only other player in Division I history to accomplish that feat.

Lendeborg has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining before becoming automatically draft-eligible in 2026. He told ESPN that he got excited about the idea of joining the Wolverines after seeing how they deployed big man Danny Wolf as a ball-handler and facilitator.

“It’s amazing what Dusty May did with Danny Wolf,” Lendeborg said. “I would watch his games this season and say, ‘Man, I wish that was me.’ I’m trying to bring the same type of versatility he brought to Michigan.”

Mgbako, Conerway, Okereke Pulling Out Of NBA Draft

May 27th, 2025 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

Forward Mackenzie Mgbako has opted to withdraw his name from the 2025 NBA draft, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN. According to Givony, Mgbako will be transferring from Indiana to Texas A&M for his junior year.

“I decided to withdraw to focus on becoming a lock first-round pick next year,” Mgbako said. “I am committed to making the improvements to my game based upon feedback from NBA teams.”

Mgbako spent his first two college seasons with the Hoosiers, averaging 12.2 points per game as both a freshman and a sophomore. He played slightly fewer minutes in his second year (25.2 MPG) than in his first (27.1 MPG), but increased his rebounds per game from 4.1 to 4.6 and bumped his shooting percentage from 39.5% to 43.7%.

A former top-10 high school recruit and McDonald’s All-American, Mgbako was projected as the No. 58 overall pick in ESPN’s latest mock draft last Monday. He had a solid pre-draft process, earning an invitation to the draft combine after leading the G League Elite Camp in scoring, but will head back to school and look to further improve his draft stock over the course of the 2025/26 season.

We have updates on a couple more prospects pulling out of the NBA draft:

Senior guard Tayton Conerway, who has one year of NCAA eligibility remaining, will take advantage of that fact by withdrawing from the draft and playing a final college season, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (Twitter link). The reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year is transferring to Indiana after averaging 14.2 points, 4.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and a conference-high 2.9 steals per game for Troy last season.
After testing the draft waters this spring, forward AK Okereke will remove his name from the draft pool and transfer from Cornell to Vanderbilt, he tells Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Okereke had a solid junior season in 2024/25, putting up 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game while making 59.5% of his field goal attempts.
We’re tracking all the draft decisions made by early entrants right here.

Nets Viewed As Candidate To Move Up In Draft

May 27th, 2025 at 9:08am CST by Luke Adams

No NBA team has more first-rounders or total picks in the 2025 draft than the Nets, who currently control the eighth, 19th, 26th, 27th, and 36th overall selections.

According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link), Brooklyn’s collection of 2025 picks, combined with general manager Sean Marks‘ history of draft-day trades, “almost immediately” led to chatter at this month’s combine about the Nets looking to move up in the draft.

As Lewis details, there has been plenty of speculation about the possibility of the Nets trying to move up to No. 2, since they heavily scouted local star Dylan Harper, whose father Ron Harper also addressed the idea of a Brooklyn trade on Twitter. Additionally, the Spurs, who currently hold that pick, already have De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle in their backcourt.

However, one source told Lewis that reports linking the Nets to the No. 2 pick are “all BS and rumors,” while a separate league source who spoke to The New York Post said he can’t envision a scenario in which Harper ends up in Brooklyn.

If the Nets do move up from No. 8, the Sixers (No. 3), Jazz (No. 5), and Wizards (No. 6) are considered likelier trade partners, in Lewis’ view.

Multiple reports have indicated that the 76ers, specifically, would only consider trading that No. 3 pick in scenarios where they move just a few spots back in the lottery (rather than further back, or out of the first round entirely), since they still want to add a “dynamic young talent” to their roster. A deal with Brooklyn might fit that criteria.

Still, Lewis stresses that even if the Nets are exploring trading up in the draft, that doesn’t necessarily mean a deal would have to involve the No. 8 pick. In fact, giving up assets to move up two or three spots from No. 8 might not make sense in a draft that doesn’t have a clear-cut top tier of six or seven prospects, he adds.

The sentiment around the league, Lewis explains, is that Brooklyn might actually try to acquire a second lottery pick (perhaps further back in the top 14) by using some combination of the team’s other first-round picks (Nos. 19, 26, and 27), future draft capital, and/or veteran wing Cameron Johnson. The Nets will also have substantial cap room this offseason, so they could further sweeten any trade offer by agreeing to take on an unwanted contract.

Houston’s Milos Uzan Withdrawing From NBA Draft

May 27th, 2025 at 7:57am CST by Luke Adams

After testing the NBA draft waters this spring, Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan has decided to withdraw his name from the pool and return to college for another season, his agent Aman Dhesi tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

It’s the second straight year in which Uzan has declared for the draft and then opted not to go pro. In 2024, he withdrew and transferred from Oklahoma to Houston after spending his first two college seasons with the Sooners.

Uzan had his best college season as a junior in 2024/25, averaging 11.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game across 40 outings (all starts). His 42.8% three-point percentage and 78.3% mark on free throws were both career highs.

Uzan earned a spot on the All-Big 12 second team after helping to lead Houston to a Big 12 title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. However, his Cougars fell to Florida in the national championship game, so he’ll be seeking his first NCAA title as a senior. With Uzan returning alongside Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler, the squad is a strong candidate for the preseason No. 1 ranking, Givony writes.

Uzan, who was ranked as the No. 41 prospect on ESPN’s big board for 2025, will be automatically draft-eligible in 2026.

College early entrants have until the end of the day on Wednesday to withdraw from the NBA draft if they want to retain their NCAA eligibility.

Karter Knox Withdraws From Draft, Returns To Arkansas

May 26th, 2025 at 9:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Potential second-round pick Karter Knox is withdrawing from the draft and returning to Arkansas, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony tweets.

The 6’6” wing could move into first-round consideration next June with a strong sophomore season. Knox started 24 of 36 games for the Razorbacks as a freshman but posted fairly modest stats — he averaged 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per contest while shooting 46.2% from the field and 35.0% from beyond the arc.

Knox was ranked No. 56 on ESPN’s list of this year’s top 100 prospects.

Knox, 20, was considered a top-30 player in the 2024 recruiting class and originally committed to Kentucky. He followed coach John Calipari to Arkansas after Calipari left the Wildcats’ program.

Knox is the younger brother of 2018 lottery pick Kevin Knox, who finished this season with Golden State.

Atlantic Notes: Walker, Pettiford, Nets, Raptors

May 26th, 2025 at 5:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers hold a $2.94MM club option on Lonnie Walker‘s contract for next season. Will they exercise it? Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes they will, contingent on where the team stands financially after the draft and which players they’ll target in free agency.

After signing with the Sixers, Walker appeared in 20 games and averaged 12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the depleted club in the second half of the season. Pompey anticipates Walker can serve as a backup guard and take on a bigger role when injuries strike.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Nets hosted Tahaad Pettiford for a workout last week, NJ.com contributor Adam Zagoria tweets. Pettiford appeared in 38 games for Auburn as a freshman last season, all but one off the bench, and posted averages of 11.6 points and 3.0 assists in 22.9 minutes per game. Pettiford is currently ranked No. 38 overall on ESPN’s Best Available list.
The Nets will have more cap space than any other team this offseason. How should they spend their money? Yossi Gozlan of ThirdApron.com (subscription required) breaks down their cap space projection, how they could utilize it, and how their restricted free agents factor into the economic equation.
How can the Raptors become a contender again? Along with offensive improvement from Scottie Barnes, the most likely path to contention is via a trade, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes in his latest mailbag. They will have movable contracts for salary-matching purposes, Koreen notes. They also need at least two of their young players to establish themselves as rotation-quality performers or better.

PJ Haggerty Withdraws From 2025 NBA Draft

May 26th, 2025 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Guard PJ Haggerty, who was a consensus second-team All-American and the AAC Player of the Year in 2024/25, has elected to withdraw from the NBA draft, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).

Having spent time at TCU, Tulsa, and Memphis since 2022, Haggerty will be transferring to Kansas State for the 2025/26 season, he tells ESPN.

After appearing in just six games for TCU in 2022/23, Haggerty had a breakout year as a redshirt freshman for Tulsa the following year, averaging 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.9 steals per game in 31 outings (all starts).

The 6’3″ guard put up nearly identical marks for Memphis last season, with averages of 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 steals in 36.6 minutes per game. He also put up career highs in three-point percentage (36.4%) and free throw percentage (81.8%) during his lone year as a Tiger.

Haggerty was ranked 64th overall on ESPN’s big board of 2025 prospects, making him a borderline candidate to be drafted. The 21-year-old will continue earning NIL money at the college level for at least one more season while looking to further boost his draft stock. According to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com (Twitter link), Haggerty’s NIL earnings next season are expected to exceed $2MM.

College early entrants have until the end of the day on May 28 to withdraw from the NBA draft if they want to retain their NCAA eligibility.

Thunder Notes: Caruso, Jalen Williams, Holmgren, Coward

May 24th, 2025 at 7:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder‘s relentless defense has been the biggest factor in making the Western Conference Finals seem like a mismatch through the first two games, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City has the depth to attack opposing offenses no matter who’s in the game and has posted a 52-20 advantage over Minnesota in points off turnovers.

“Our intensity and aggressiveness can wear on you,” Alex Caruso said. “Whether you’re physically aware of it or mentally aware of it. By the time we bring in our second unit, first unit’s already pushing. And then you bring in me, Cason (Wallace), and keep one of the bigs out there. It’s like you have a whole new starting five defensively.”

Lorenzi notes that few teams can stand up to OKC’s constant pressure for 48 minutes. The Timberwolves showed signs of irritation throughout Game 2, culminating with a flagrant foul whistled against Jaden McDaniels for a two-handed shove of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the fourth quarter.

“That’s frustration,” Caruso said. “Like, that’s clear as day. That’s just him being frustrated. So yeah, for sure, being able to use that. I mean, playoffs are emotional ups and downs, and usually the team that can stay the most even keel throughout the series and playoffs has the upper hand.”

There’s more on the Thunder:

In an interview with Mark Medina of RG, trainer Packie Turner said he recognized Jalen Williams as a lottery pick during the pre-draft process in 2022. Williams originally wasn’t heralded coming out of Santa Clara, but he moved up draft boards as he began working out for teams and was eventually taken by Oklahoma City at No. 12. “There are not many guys where for every single month of their career, they have gotten better,” Turner said. “But if you statistically look at Jalen, it has nearly been that. This year, some numbers took a dip. But the volume is up. So for what it is, it is still really good. That’s what is so impressive. Now defenses are keying in on him more. The position that he’s in now, he’s still delivering at that level. That’s what is so impressive. He really hasn’t wavered. I think he has risen to every occasion.”
Chet Holmgren was a Timberwolves fan while growing up in Minnesota, but he made it clear that he’s now “rocking with the Thunder” (video link from Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman). Holmgren notes that the Wolves weren’t often successful when he was following them, so he’s happy for the franchise and the state. Alec Lewis of The Athletic takes a look at Holmgren’s roots in Minnesota and examines how the experience prepared him for the NBA.
Cedric Coward, who has decided to remain in next month’s draft, visited the Thunder for a private workout, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Coward conducted a similar session with Boston and auditioned for seven other teams in Los Angeles. Coward’s chances of being taken in the first round appear to be growing, and he could be on the board for Oklahoma City’s picks at No. 15 and 24.