2025 NBA Draft Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Potential Top-Five Pick Edgecombe Declares For Draft

April 20th, 2025 at 6:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Baylor freshman V.J. Edgecombe, a potential top-five selection, has declared his intentions to enter the draft, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets.

Edgecombe is ranked as the No. 4 prospect on ESPN’s Best Available list, behind only Duke’s Cooper Flagg and the Rutgers duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has Edgecombe going off the board with the No. 3 pick ahead of Bailey in his latest mock draft.

Edgecombe plays with a high motor and defends, which makes the 6’5” wing a safe pick despite his roller-coaster offensive season, Vecenie writes. NBA executives are mixed on his on-ball upside, Vecenie adds, with some comparing him to Victor Oladipo, whereas others see him more as a standout 3-and-D player with tremendous athleticism.

Edgecombe averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game in his lone season with the Bears. A native of the Bahamas, Edgecombe shot 43.6% from the field and 34% from distance. He averaged 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in two NCAA Tournament games and had a season-high 30 points against Kansas State in January.

Spanish Prospect Hugo Gonzalez Entering NBA Draft

April 19th, 2025 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

Real Madrid wing Hugo Gonzalez has decided to enter the 2025 NBA draft, agents Carlos Sanchez and Saul Lopez tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Gonzalez, a 6’7″ forward from Spain, has played limited minutes in domestic (ACB) and EuroLeague competition, averaging 3.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game across 50 outings. However, he has compiled an impressive résumé in international tournaments, Givony writes, having competed in the U17 World Cup in 2022 and the U18 EuroBasket in 2023 and 2024.

Although Gonzalez doesn’t play much for a veteran-heavy Real Madrid team, the Spanish club has championship aspirations in both the ACB and EuroLeague and could still be playing deep into June, which would complicate the 19-year-old’s ability to work out for NBA teams prior to the draft, as Givony notes.

Despite his modest role in Madrid, Gonzalez has made an impression on NBA evaluators with his athleticism, defensive versatility, and intensity, according to Givony, who has him ranked at No. 22 on ESPN’s big board of 2025 draft prospects.

That makes Gonzalez a potential first-round pick, assuming he keeps his name in the draft pool. He has until June 15 to decide whether or not to withdraw.

Post-Play-In Update On 2025 Draft Order, Lottery Standings

April 18th, 2025 at 11:19pm CST by Luke Adams

As we explained on Monday following the conclusion of the NBA’s 2024/25 regular season, the results of the play-in tournament helped move the lottery standings and the 2025 draft order one step closer to being officially set.

Here’s what we know now…

Lottery teams

Because No. 10 Miami made it through the play-in tournament and earned a playoff spot in the East, the lottery teams (and odds) are slightly different from the ones we projected on Monday.

The Magic and Heat claimed the East’s final two playoff spots and will face Boston and Cleveland, respectively, in round one of the postseason. The Warriors and Grizzlies locked up the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds in the West, lining up first-round dates with Houston and Oklahoma City, respectively.

As a result, the tentative lottery standings are as follows, per Tankathon:

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
UTH	14	13.4	12.7	12	47.9	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
WSH	14	13.4	12.7	12	27.8	20	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
CHA	14	13.4	12.7	12	14.8	26	7	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
NOP	12.5	12.2	11.9	11.5	7.2	25.7	16.8	2.2	–	–	–	–	–	–
PHI*	10.5	10.5	10.6	10.5	2.2	19.6	26.7	8.7	0.6	–	–	–	–	–
BKN	9	9.2	9.4	9.6	–	8.6	29.7	20.6	3.7	0.2	–	–	–	–
TOR	7.5	7.8	8.1	8.5	–	–	19.7	34.1	12.9	1.3	>0	–	–	–
SAS	6	6.3	6.7	7.2	–	–	–	34.5	32.0	6.8	0.4	>0	–	–
PHX*	3.8	4.1	4.5	4.9	–	–	–	–	50.7	28.3	3.5	0.1	>0	–
POR	3.7	4	4.4	4.8	–	–	–	–	–	63.4	18.5	1.2	>0	>0
DAL	1.8	2.0	2.2	2.5	–	–	–	–	–	–	77.6	13.5	0.5	>0
CHI	1.7	1.9	2.1	2.4	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	85.2	6.6	0.1
SAC*	0.8	0.9	1.0	1.1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	92.9	3.3
ATL*	0.7	0.8	0.9	1.0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	96.6

(* Asterisks denote traded picks)

The Sixers‘ pick will be sent to the Thunder if it’s outside the top six.
The Suns‘ pick will be sent to the Rockets.
The Kings‘ pick will be sent to the Hawks if it’s outside the top 12.
The Hawks‘ pick will be sent to the Spurs.

Multiple tiebreakers will still be required before the pre-lottery draft order is locked in, since three pairs of lottery teams finished the regular season with identical records.

The teams listed above in italics were tied, so the following spots in the chart could still be flipped, pending the results of random tiebreakers:

Phoenix Suns / Portland Trail Blazers (36-46)
Dallas Mavericks / Chicago Bulls (39-43)
Sacramento Kings / Atlanta Hawks (40-42)

For instance, if the Trail Blazers win their tiebreaker with the Suns, they’ll be the team that has about a 50/50 chance at the No. 9 pick in the lottery, whereas the Suns’ pick (controlled by the Rockets) would become far more likely to end up at No. 10 or 11.

Lottery teams that ended up with identical regular season records essentially have the same odds at a top-four pick as one another, though the clubs that win the tiebreakers will get one extra ping-pong ball combination at No. 9, No. 11, and No. 13.

Traded first-round picks

The play-in results also provided some clarity on certain first-round picks that were traded with protections.

Crucially, as we outlined earlier tonight, the fact that the Heat and Grizzlies made the playoffs on Friday means they’ll both give up their 2025 first-round picks, which were top-14 protected and will now land outside of that range. Miami will send the No. 15 overall pick to the Thunder, while Memphis will send either the No. 18, 19, or 20 pick (depending on the results of a Monday tiebreaker) to the Wizards.

Because the Warriors made it through the play-in tournament earlier in the week, their pick at No. 18, 19, or 20 will be conveyed to the Heat.

The Spurs, who control the Hawks‘ first-round pick, will now have a second lottery selection in addition to their own by virtue of Atlanta losing two consecutive play-in games and missing the playoffs. That pick will almost certainly end up at No. 13 or 14, depending on the results of Monday’s tiebreaker. There’s a very slim chance it could move into the top four.

The Hawks lucked out on Friday when the Grizzlies defended their home court and eliminated Dallas from the postseason. If the Mavericks had pulled out a win, Memphis would’ve entered the lottery as the No. 14 team in the lottery standings and could’ve pushed Sacramento up to No. 12, depending on the results of a Monday tiebreaker. The Kings will send their pick to the Hawks if it lands outside the top 12, which is highly likely to happen now that Sacramento will be at either No. 13 or 14 entering the lottery.

Playoff teams

Based on the play-in results, the draft order outside of the lottery will be as follows, pending tiebreakers:

Oklahoma City Thunder (from Heat)
Orlando Magic
Minnesota Timberwolves (from Pistons)
Washington Wizards (from Grizzlies) / Miami Heat (from Warriors) / Brooklyn Nets (from Bucks)
- Note: A random tiebreaker will determine the order from Nos. 18-20.
Utah Jazz (from Timberwolves)
Oklahoma City Thunder (from Clippers) / Indiana Pacers / Orlando Magic (from Nuggets) / Atlanta Hawks (from Lakers)
- Note: A random tiebreaker will determine the order from Nos. 22-25.
Brooklyn Nets (from Knicks)
Brooklyn Nets (from Rockets)
Boston Celtics
Phoenix Suns (from Cavaliers)
Los Angeles Clippers (from Thunder)

The random tiebreakers for draft positioning will be conducted on Monday afternoon at 3:00 pm Eastern time, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link).

Once those tiebreakers are completed, we’ll publish a full pre-lottery order for both rounds of the 2025 draft.

Ben Saraf, Tyrese Proctor Among Draft’s Latest Early Entrants

April 18th, 2025 at 7:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Israeli guard Ben Saraf has decided to enter the 2025 NBA draft, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Saraf, who is the No. 23 player on ESPN’s big board of 2025 prospects, plays overseas for the German team Ratiopharm Ulm. In 16 EuroCup games this season, the 19-year-old has averaged 12.8 points, 4.6 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 24.4 minutes per contest.

“This is the right time for me,” Saraf said. “After playing against the highest levels of competition in European basketball, I am ready and excited for the draft, but first we need to finish the season strong in Ulm.”

As Givony writes, Saraf is well regarded by NBA evaluators for several reasons, including his size, scoring instincts, and feel for the game. He’s also a creative play-maker, though his outside shot remains a work in progress. He has made just 10-of-45 three-point attempts (22.2%) in EuroCup competition this season.

Here are a few more updates on prospects who are entering the draft as early entrants:

Duke junior guard Tyrese Proctor is entering the NBA draft, as Colton Schwabe writes for the Duke Chronicle. Proctor had his best season as a Blue Devil in 2024/25, starting all 38 games he played in for the Final Four team and averaging 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per contest, with a .452/.405/.680 shooting line. The 6’6″ guard, who named to the All-ACC third team, is the No. 47 player on ESPN’s big board.
Hansen Yang, a 7’1″ center who plays for Qingdao in China, has declared for the draft, his representatives at Klutch Sports tell Givony (Twitter link). The 19-year-old has averaged a double-double in 45 outings this season, posting 16.6 PPG, 10.5 RPG, and 2.6 BPG in 32.8 MPG. He comes in at No. 79 on ESPN’s board and could be a second-round draft-and-stash candidate if he keeps his name in the draft.
Forward/center Izan Almansa is entering the draft, agent Guillermo Bermejo tells Givony (Twitter link). Almansa already has an impressive résumé, having spent time with Overtime Elite, the G League Ignite, and – most recently – the Perth Wildcats in Australia. The 19-year-old has also represented the Spanish national team in several competitions, including at the 2023 U19 World Cup, where the Spaniards won gold and Almansa earned MVP honors. He’s the No. 89 prospect on ESPN’s top-100 list.
As we detailed last week, international early entrants like Saraf, Yang, and Almansa have until June 15 to decide whether or not they want to keep their names in the draft. Most college prospects will make that decision by May 28, which is the deadline for a player to withdraw and preserve his NCAA eligibility.

Noa Essengue To Declare For NBA Draft

April 18th, 2025 at 1:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

French star Noa Essengue will enter the NBA draft, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The 18-year-old power forward is a potential lottery pick, coming in 17th in ESPN’s latest draft rankings.

“Since I was a kid, it’s been my dream to get drafted by an NBA team,” Essengue said. “My goal now is to be a top-10 pick. I’m focused on the end of my season, hoping to win a championship, but after the playoffs, I will need to get myself ready, because there’s a big gap between Europe and the NBA.”

Givony notes that Essengue is 6’10”, but he’s often assigned to defend point guards because of his quick feet and long arms. He’s a fast jumper who draws fouls frequently and has proven to be an efficient finisher at the rim despite his thin build. Givony also cites Essengue’s basketball IQ, which includes “a good feel for cutting, leaking out in transition and finding teammates with intelligent passes.”

“My biggest strength is my defense,” Essengue said. “I have the versatility to guard one to five. If an NBA coach wanted to put me on the court right now, it would be because I can stay in front of point guards and also put a body on centers. I need to keep improving every aspect of my game, though. I’m playing tougher every game, trying to match the intensity and physicality of my opponents.”

Essengue is currently playing for Germany’s Ratiopharm Ulm in the BBL League as well as EuroCup competition. Through 43 games, he’s averaging 10.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 24 minutes per night.

Givony notes that Essengue will be the second-youngest player in this year’s draft, only three days older than projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. Givony adds that if Essengue had been born two weeks later, he would have been required to wait for the 2026 draft.

“I want to be a guy who can do everything on the court,” Essengue said. “I watch a lot of Kevin Durant, Brandon Ingram, and Kawhi Leonard, players that can dribble, pass, shoot and defend.”

Michigan’s Danny Wolf Declaring For NBA Draft

April 16th, 2025 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Michigan forward/center Danny Wolf has decided to enter his name in the 2025 NBA draft pool and forgo his remaining college eligibility, he tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Wolf transferred to Michigan ahead of the 2024/25 season after spending the first two years of his college career at Yale. He started all 37 games he played for the Wolverines as a junior, averaging 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 blocks in 30.5 minutes per contest. He earned a spot on the All-Big Ten second team and was the conference’s leading rebounder.

Wolf’s strong play helped Michigan win the Big Ten tournament and a pair of NCAA Tournament games. They were eliminated by Auburn in the Sweet 16.

“This season exceeded all expectations,” Wolf said, per Givony. “We had an awesome year from a team standpoint. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into with a brand-new roster and coaching staff, but Dusty May had an out-of-the-box plan for my development with a unique style of offense that allowed me to play my game. I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without them letting me showcase my skill set and developing me into the player I am today.”

A seven-footer, Wolf has displayed impressive versatility, according to Givony, who notes that the big man showed off an ability to start fast-breaks, play-make, and create out of the pick-and-roll. He can also knock down the occasional three-pointer, having made 34.0% of 2.9 attempts per game over the past two seasons.

“In the summer, the coaching staff started tinkering with different ideas for utilizing me alongside another 7-footer in Vlad Goldin,” Wolf said. “Dusty May and I watched a lot of NBA film, guys like Lauri Markkanen, Alperen Sengun and Karl-Anthony Towns operating next to Rudy Gobert. I had some reservations in the process of what it would look like, but coach laid out his vision and really believed in me. I am happy it worked out.”

Wolf is the No. 19 prospect on ESPN’s big board.

Duke’s Kon Knueppel Entering 2025 NBA Draft

April 16th, 2025 at 11:39am CST by Luke Adams

Duke wing Kon Knueppel is declaring for the 2025 NBA draft and will go pro, he announced today on social media (Instagram link).

“Forever a Blue Devil,” he wrote in his Instagram post. “Taking the Brotherhood with me to the next chapter.”

Knueppel was a full-time starter as a freshman on a Duke team that made the Final Four this spring. Across 39 games, he averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steal in 30.5 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .479/.406/.914.

Although the Blue Devils fell short of the championship game, Knueppel cemented his status as a projected lottery pick with a handful of strong performances in the NCAA Tournament. He scored 20 points vs. Arizona in the Sweet 16 and 21 against Alabama in the Elite Eight. He contributed 16 points and seven rebounds in Duke’s Final Four loss to Houston.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have Knueppel coming off the board at No. 8 in their most recent mock draft, noting that the 19-year-old gave the Blue Devils elite efficiency and spacing as a freshman while also showing more than expected as a play-maker and defender.

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report also has Knueppel at No. 8 in his most recent mock draft, while Sam Vecenie of The Athletic places him at No. 6.

Florida’s Condon To Enter Draft While Maintaining NCAA Eligibility

April 16th, 2025 at 8:51am CST by Dana Gauruder

Florida big man and potential first-round pick Alex Condon is declaring for the draft but will leave open the possibility of returning to college next season, Jonathan Givony of ESPN reports.

Condon is ranked as the No. 29 prospect in ESPN’s projections but he’ll maintain his college eligibility as he prepares for the draft. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has the 6’11” Condon coming off the board with the No. 37 pick in his latest mock draft.

Condon was named third-team All-SEC after averaging 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 blocks per game in 24.9 minutes for the national champions. The Australian-born prospect didn’t start playing serious organized basketball until he was 16, so there’s room to grow his skills.

He wants assurances he’ll go in the first round — otherwise, he’ll try to help the Gators repeat.

“There’s no way I could go to any other school,” Condon told Givony. “If I have confirmation from NBA teams that I’m in the 15-30 range, if something is guaranteed, I will consider keeping my name in. I have a great situation at Florida. It would have to be something pretty special, my family would have to agree that we can’t turn that down.”

Givony notes that Condon was a significant conduit in Florida’s ball-screen offense with his ability to be a play-maker out of dribble handoffs. He displayed superior ability as a passer and off-the-ball defender, plus a high motor.

“We play through the bigs at Florida,” Condon said. “My job is to get the ball to our guards, and then crush the glass. My defense is NBA-ready. I already know how to switch ball-screens and stay in front of smaller guards, which you need to do in the NBA. I still have a lot of room for improvement, especially offensively. Most guys have been playing a lot longer than me. The next thing I need to tap into is my shooting. I shoot very well in drills but need to transfer that to games. If I come back to school, I will shoot it with more confidence.”

And-Ones: Clutch Player Award, NBA Europe, Award Picks, Oweh

April 15th, 2025 at 6:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The official candidates for Clutch Player of the Year have been revealed, NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor tweets. Here’s the list of candidates that voters can select for the award, as chosen by the league’s 30 head coaches:

Anfernee Simons, Trail Blazers
Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
Darius Garland, Cavaliers
De’Aaron Fox, Spurs
DeMar DeRozan, Kings
Derrick White, Celtics
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers
Jaylen Brown, Celtics
Jalen Brunson, Knicks
Jayson Tatum, Celtics
Kevin Durant, Suns
Kyrie Irving, Mavericks
LeBron James, Lakers
Luka Doncic, Lakers
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
Stephen Curry, Warriors
Trae Young, Hawks
Tyler Herro, Heat
Tyrese Maxey, Sixers

Curry won the award last year.

We have more from around the international basketball world:

While the NBA is trying to establish a new league in Europe, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum insists that the goal is not to replace the EuroLeague, Eurohoops relays via a Reuters interview. “Our goal is to create a commercially viable league that features high quality on -court competition and respects the rich tradition of European basketball. And we think that that will better serve fans and players on the continent,” Tatum said. He notes that there are major cities in Europe that don’t have a team where the NBA can establish roots. “There are big markets in Europe that aren’t being serviced today, where there are millions of basketball fans that aren’t being serviced,” he said. London, Paris, Berlin and Rome are among the candidates that NBA Europe considers as prime targets.
The Athletic’s John Hollinger reveals his award picks. He has Gilgeous-Alexander atop his MVP list and the Rockets’ Amen Thompson as his Defensive Player of the Year. O’Connor, writing for Yahoo Sports, has the same duo winning those awards. They also both have Stephon Castle taking Rookie of the Year honors, Payton Pritchard atop their Sixth Man of the Year lists, and Kenny Atkinson as Coach of the Year.
Kentucky junior guard Otega Oweh will test the draft waters, Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 tweets. Oweh averaged 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 steals this past season. He played his first two seasons at Oklahoma.

Collin Murray-Boyles Entering 2025 NBA Draft

April 15th, 2025 at 9:22am CST by Luke Adams

South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles will enter his name in the 2025 NBA draft pool. He informed ESPN’s Jonathan Givony of his decision in addition to announcing it on Instagram.

Although Murray-Boyles has the option of maintaining his NCAA eligibility and withdrawing later in the spring, both his Instagram statement and his comments to Givony suggest he intends to go pro.

“This is exactly how I thought my college career would turn out,” Murray-Boyles said. “South Carolina had a vision for me to lead the team. They gave me freedom to express myself.”

After establishing himself as a potential first-round pick with a strong freshman season, Murray-Boyles took another step forward as a sophomore in 2024/25, averaging 16.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks in 30.6 minutes per game across 32 outings. The 6’8″ forward made 58.6% of his shots from the floor and 70.7% from the free throw line.

Murray-Boyles was the No. 10 pick in ESPN’s latest mock draft. As Givony writes, he’s considered one of the most “physical and intelligent” defenders in the draft class and also served as an offensive focal point for the Gamecocks, giving him the opportunity to show off his play-making skills and feel for the game.

The 19-year-old has earned comparisons to Warriors forward Draymond Green as a result of his “versatility, competitiveness, and aggressiveness,” according to Givony.

“When people that know basketball watch me play, it’s the smaller things that standout,” Murray-Boyles told ESPN. “I’m not one to get oohs and aahs, but know what it takes to win games and impact a team positively. I hang my hat on how hard I play and my unselfishness. I love to play defense.”