Pelicans Draft Jeremiah Fears With No. 7 Pick
With the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, the Pelicans have selected guard Jeremiah Fears.
Fears raised his stock significantly over the course of his first and only college season at Oklahoma — he didn’t show up at all on ESPN’s 59-player mock draft last November. The former four-star recruit was among the NCAA’s best ball-handlers and play-makers as a freshman, averaging 17.1 points, 4.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game in 34 outings (31 starts).
Fears’ jumper remains a work in progress, as he knocked down just 28.4% of 3.9 three-point tries per game for the Sooners, but the 6’4″ guard still has plenty of room to grow — he won’t turn 19 years old until October.
While Fears is viewed by some talent evaluators as having star-level upside, it could take him a while to reach that point, with defense and decision-making two other critical areas he needs to improve on going forward, writes Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Interestingly, the Pelicans recently agreed to trade CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk to Washington for Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey. Assuming Poole is New Orleans’ starting point guard, Fears — whose game is somewhat similar to Poole’s — could initially be a spark-plug scorer off the bench.
Wizards Select Tre Johnson At No. 6
The Wizards have used the sixth overall pick in the draft to add Texas guard Tre Johnson.
A 6’6″ shooting guard with a 6’10” wingspan, Johnson averaged 19.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists on .427/.397/.871 shooting in 33 games (34.7 MPG) for the Longhorns in 2024/25 as a freshman.
Johnson was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and made the All-SEC second team in his lone college season. While there have been some questions about his inconsistent engagement level on defense, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN, the Dallas native is one of the best shooters and scorers in this year’s draft class.
Johnson will bring more scoring punch to a team that just added CJ McCollum in a trade with New Orleans. Washington, which often struggled to score consistently this season, will welcome a dynamic offensive force in Johnson, who showed an ability to create his own shots in college.
Washington also invested heavily in young guards in last year’s draft, selecting Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George in the first round. Johnson will arrive with a stronger pedigree than either of them and figures to have a featured role in his rookie season.
The Wizards have remade their backcourt over the past 12 months, adding point guard AJ Johnson as well in a February trade with Milwaukee. They seem likely to focus on adding more size when they pick again at No. 18.
Jazz Pick Ace Bailey Fifth Overall
The Jazz have selected Rutgers forward Ace Bailey with the fifth overall pick in the draft.
There’s no trade in the works, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, who tweets that Utah intends to hang onto Bailey.
Bailey’s situation had been one of the most popular subjects of speculation in the weeks leading up to the draft. While he was widely considered the third-best prospect in this year’s class by draft experts, he canceled a workout with the Sixers at No. 3 and declined invitations to visit other teams in the top half of the lottery, fueling speculation that his agents were trying to steer him to a preferred destination.
Rumors leading up to the draft suggested that Bailey might be trying to get to a team on the East Coast, such as Washington at No. 6 or Brooklyn at No. 8. Instead, he’ll begin his NBA career in Utah.
Bailey played alongside No. 2 pick Dylan Harper at Rutgers in 2024/25. The 6’8″ forward averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 33.3 minutes per game across 30 contests (all starts), registering a .460/.346/.692 shooting line.
Bailey, who will turn 19 in August, is considered one of the best scorers in this year’s draft and brought a “high level of intensity” on the defensive end as a freshman, per Givony. While there have been questions about his maturity, Bailey has the potential to be as impactful on the court as anyone in the 2025 draft.
Bailey’s high ceiling is crucial for the Jazz, who don’t have any obvious future All-Stars or franchise cornerstones among their players on rookie scale contracts and finished with a league-worst 17-65 record in 2024/25. Despite entering lottery night with the best odds of any team to land a top-four pick, Utah fell to No. 5 — having drafted Bailey, the Jazz were still able to add a prospect with legitimate star-level upside.
Hornets Draft Kon Knueppel At No. 4
The Hornets have used the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 draft to select 6’5″ wing Kon Knueppel.
Knueppel, one of three top-10 prospects (along with Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach) from a Duke team that made it to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament this spring, was one of the best outside shooters in college basketball in 2024/25, knocking down 2.2 three-pointers per game at an elite rate of 40.6% as a freshman.
A member of the All-ACC second team and this year’s ACC Tournament MVP, Knueppel has also shown promise as a passer and defender and exhibited the ability to score from inside the three-point line, so he’s not just a one-dimensional shooter, writes ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Knueppel, who turns 20 years old in August, averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal in 39 games (30.5 minutes per contest) in his freshman season for the Blue Devils, knocking down 56.7% of his twos and 91.4% of his free throws.
Charlotte opted for a high-floor prospect in Knueppel rather than going for a riskier choice who may have more long-term upside, with Ace Bailey and Maluach among the players who would have fit that bill.
Knueppel’s skill set should theoretically fit well in any system, and the Hornets certainly have a need for his shooting prowess after ranking last in the NBA in FG% and 28th in 3PT% in ’24/25. He could immediately slide into the starting lineup alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.
Sixers Use No. 3 Overall Pick On V.J. Edgecombe
The Sixers have selected Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe with the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
Edgecombe, who was widely viewed as one of the best prospects in this year’s draft class, averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.1 steals per game in his lone season at Baylor, posting a shooting line of .436/.340/.782 in 33 contests (all starts).
The 6’5″ guard was the Big 12’s Freshman of the Year and made the All-Big 12 second team before declaring for the draft as an early entrant. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has referred to Edgecombe as the “most explosive” athlete in the 2025 draft class, noting that he has shown promising potential as a ball-handler and defensive play-maker.
Early in the draft process, Rutgers forward Ace Bailey was considered the most likely pick at No. 3. However, his refusal to meet with the Sixers, canceling a scheduled workout last week, pushed the team toward a safer choice. Edgecombe had an impressive workout in Philadelphia earlier this month, signaling that he might be worthy of the No. 3 pick.
The Sixers weren’t expecting to have a lottery selection when the season began, but a string of injuries quickly dashed any chance they had of competing for a title. They wound up at 24-58 and barely won at all after the All-Star break in an effort to improve their lottery odds.
In addition, they had to sweat out a close call on lottery night just to keep their draft pick, which would have gone to Oklahoma City if had landed outside the top six. Dallas and San Antonio both passed the Sixers in the lottery, but they breathed a sign of relief when their envelope landed in the top four.
Spurs Draft Dylan Harper With No. 2 Pick
The Spurs have selected Rutgers guard Dylan Harper with the second pick of the 2025 NBA draft.
The pick was expected, as Harper is widely considered the second-best prospect in this year’s class, only trailing Cooper Flagg, whom Dallas selected No. 1 overall.
While the Scarlet Knights had a disappointing season in 2024/25, going just 15-17, Harper was highly productive on an individual level, averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 29 games (32.6 minutes per contest). He posted a shooting slash line of .484/.333/.750.
There had been some speculation that San Antonio might consider moving the No. 2 pick, perhaps in pursuit of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. But there has been no indication to this point that the Bucks forward will request a trade, and even if he does, Harper could still be an attractive centerpiece to a potential offer in the future.
Another reason rival teams were curious about what the Spurs would do is because Harper may not be an ideal fit in a backcourt featuring two other talented scorers with inconsistent outside shots: Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox.
Drafting Harper doesn’t necessarily put those questions to rest, but it does signal the Spurs are high enough on the 19-year-old that they prioritized his talent over his fit, and are prepared to see how he looks on the roster alongside Castle, Fox, and rising star Victor Wembanyama.
Like the division-rival Mavericks, who jumped from No. 11 to No. 1, the Spurs also moved up several places in the 2025 draft lottery, going from No. 8 to No. 2.
Harper is the son of former NBA guard Ron Harper, who won five championships during his 15 years in the league, and the younger brother of forward Ron Harper Jr., who is currently on a two-way contract with Detroit.
Mavericks Select Cooper Flagg With No. 1 Overall Pick
As expected, the Mavericks have selected Duke forward Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA draft.
The consensus top prospect is coming off a wildly successful freshman season with the Blue Devils, having won numerous major awards, including ACC Player of the Year and AP Player of the Year, among several others.
Flagg was the driving force behind Duke’s 35-4 record and helped the team reach the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Houston, another No. 1 seed.
The 18-year-old combo forward stuffed the stat sheet all season, leading the stacked Blue Devils in points (19.2), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), steals (1.4) and blocks (1.4) per game, with a strong shooting line of .481/.385/.840. Flagg made 37 appearances in 2024/25, averaging 30.7 minutes per contest.
Dallas had just a 1.8% chance of claiming this year’s top pick, jumping up from No. 11 to No. 1 when the team won the draft lottery last month. It was the first time in 17 lottery appearances that the Mavericks ended up with a better pick than their odds dictated.
In addition to being viewed as the best prospect in his class, Flagg is also (at least) a year younger than many of his peers, having reclassified from 2026 — he won’t turn 19 until December 21.
The former Blue Devil star will join a Mavericks roster headlined by 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis and nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving, who reached an agreement earlier this week on a new three-year contract to remain in Dallas.
Spurs Trade No. 38 Pick Kam Jones To Pacers
July 6: The trade is official, per an announcement from the Spurs (Twitter link). The draft rights to No. 38 pick Kam Jones have been sent to Indiana in exchange for Sacramento’s 2030 second-round pick and cash.
June 25: The Spurs have agreed to trade the No. 38 overall pick in this year’s draft to the Pacers in exchange for a future second-round pick and cash, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The pick headed to San Antonio is the Kings’ 2030 second-rounder, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
While the deal is the first reported first draft-night trade, it technically won’t even affect Wednesday’s results, since the Pacers won’t make their newly acquired No. 38 pick until Thursday.
San Antonio still holds a pair of lottery picks at No. 2 and No. 14, but Indiana previously traded away its own first-rounder and only controlled the No. 54 overall pick, so this will give them a second 2025 selection.
The fact that the Pacers are agreeing to this trade now instead of waiting to see who’s on the board suggests they’re not necessarily targeting a specific prospect at that spot.
For a team flirting with the luxury tax line, the ability to select a player at No. 38 and sign him to a rookie-minimum contract could be valuable, since that player’s cap hit (projected to be $1.27MM) would be $1MM+ less than the cap charge for a player on a veteran-minimum deal ($2.3MM). It’s also worth noting, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, that the No. 23 pick Indiana traded away last week would’ve carried a cap hit of roughly $3.2MM.
As Keith Smith of Spotrac notes (via Twitter), sending out cash will hard-cap the Pacers at the second tax apron for the 2025/26 league year.
Hawks Notes: Young, Draft, Porzingis, Lineups
Speaking with reporters Monday at a news conference, Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh dispelled any speculation that Trae Young might be on the trade market, according to Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Saleh spoke highly of the four-time All-Star and indicated that he’ll remain in his role as the team’s on-court leader.
“We’re locked in with Trae. We talked last year (about) next season,” Saleh said. “We’re just locked in the next season, ready to move forward and be the best team that we could possibly be moving forward. And I think a lot of his leadership from last season went probably unnoticed to the common eye. Like the way that he helped develop our young guys and make them better was significant. So I mean just continuing on with that and hopefully just making our team better.”
Young posted typically great numbers in his seventh season with Atlanta, averaging 24.2 PPG in 76 games, claiming his first assists title with 11.6 per night and recording .411/.340./.875 shooting splits. He has one year left on his contract at almost $46MM, along with a nearly $49MM player option for 2026/27.
Saleh also said that ownership has given him permission to go into the luxury tax, which might be necessary if the Hawks use a significant portion of the $25MM+ traded player exception they generated in last summer’s Dejounte Murray deal.
There’s more from Atlanta:
- The Hawks are parting with the 22nd pick in tonight’s draft as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade, but Saleh is confident he can find help with the remaining selection at No. 13, Williams adds in the same piece. Saleh listed “competitiveness, toughness, resilience and adaptability” as the traits he looks for in prospects and said he concentrates more on finding the best player available than positional fit. “Ways to impact winning, I think, are just always important,” Saleh said. “Like, there’s skill sets that we probably would love to have, but at the same time, if somebody’s really good at something that impacts winning on either end of the court. That’s ultimately what we’re looking for, and that fits within the guys we currently have on our team.”
- The Porzingis deal is a signal that the Hawks are ready to make a strong move in the depleted Eastern Conference, states John Hollinger of The Athletic. Hollinger views Porzingis as the best pick-and-pop partner that Young has ever teamed up with, as well as a dangerous three-point option when Young and Jalen Johnson are running various actions. He also provides elite rim protection and should help improve a defense that ranked 19th in efficiency this season.
- The addition of Porzingis provides lineup flexibility, Williams notes in a separate story. He can either start at power forward alongside Onyeka Okongwu or he can be the center with Zaccharie Risacher remaining in the starting lineup.
Knicks Granted Permission To Interview James Borrego
The Knicks have received permission from the Pelicans to interview assistant James Borrego in their head coaching search, sources tell James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). Edwards first reported New York’s interest in Borrego on Monday.
The 47-year-old Borrego has served as associate head coach under Willie Green in New Orleans for the past two seasons. He has previous head coaching experience, compiling a 138-163 record in four seasons with Charlotte and a 10-20 mark as an interim head coach with Orlando 10 years ago.
Borrego will become the fourth candidate to interview with the Knicks since Tom Thibodeau was fired after losing to Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals. Borrego joins former Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins, former Sacramento head coach Mike Brown and current Minnesota assistant Micah Nori.
The Knicks are also reportedly monitoring Jason Kidd‘s situation in Dallas, although the Mavericks turned down their request to talk to Kidd about the position. Edwards stated Monday that Kidd seems to be a “long shot” to wind up in New York.
According to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required), the Knicks are emphasizing player development as they seek a new head coach. Bondy adds that Heat assistant Chris Quinn is another potential candidate to watch, though there’s no indication New York has requested permission to speak to him yet.