Draft Notes: Centers, Luis, Sleepers, Flagg, Richardson, Gonzalez
Ahead of next week’s draft, David Aldridge of The Athletic talked to several college coaches and NBA executives and scouts about the top big men in the 2025 draft class, including Khaman Maluach, Derik Queen, Collin Murray-Boyles, and Thomas Sorber, among others. Interestingly, one of the college head coaches who spoke to Aldridge believes Maluach has “the biggest upside of anybody” in this year’s draft.
“He’s huge. And he’s long. He’s a good athlete. And I think he has natural defensive instincts,” that coach said of the Duke center. “He shoots the ball better than I think, maybe, he was able to show this year. He’s a live body. He’s enthusiastic about playing. It seems he loves the process, is not afraid of it. He’s competitive. He’s not afraid. He’s ready to mix it up if he needs to. His length, size and athleticism, and then when you add those other things, I think the only thing that could stop him is injury.”
Meanwhile, multiple college assistant coaches questioned what sort of players Queen will match up with defensively at the NBA level.
“I don’t worry about him at all on offense. But I don’t think he can guard fives. I don’t think he’s great in pick-and-roll defense, and I don’t think he can move well enough laterally to guard Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Michael Porter Jr., these scorers,” one of those assistants said. “Can he guard (Mikal) Bridges? Can he guard Josh Hart? Can he guard Stew (Isaiah Stewart), the next tier of guys who aren’t the primary offensive option, but they know how to cut, how to go to the glass?”
We have more on the 2025 NBA draft:
- Speaking to Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, St. John’s standout RJ Luis Jr. – a second-team All-American in 2025 – discusses his breakout junior year, what he can bring to an NBA team, and why he believes he can be “even better” in the NBA than he was at the college level.
- CJ Moore of The Athletic surveyed college basketball coaches to get their thoughts on some of this year’s second-round prospects and to have them identify some deeper sleepers who might find their way onto NBA rosters as undrafted free agents. Houston guard LJ Cryer, St. John’s wing Aaron Scott, Butler wing Jahmyl Telfort, Missouri guard Caleb Grill, and San Francisco guard Marcus Williams earned mentions as sleepers.
- Applying his stats-based model to some of this year’s top prospects, Kevin Pelton of ESPN finds that Kon Knueppel (No. 2) and Noa Essengue (No. 5) are among the players whom that model likes a little more than draft experts do, while Ace Bailey (No. 22) and Tre Johnson (No. 24) are among those who don’t fare nearly as well. Interestingly, Pelton notes that his projection for Cooper Flagg is the third-best in his overall database, which dates back to 2005, behind only Zion Williamson and Luka Doncic.
- With green room invitations sent out to a total of 24 prospects for next week’s draft, the only players in ESPN’s top 25 who didn’t get invites are Jase Richardson (No. 18) and Hugo Gonzalez (No. 22), notes Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Gonzalez is still playing in the Spanish League postseason.
Southwest Notes: Murray, Edey, Flagg, Mavs, Hooper
Appearing on The Pivot Podcast (YouTube link) this week, Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray said he has “nothing but love” for the city of New Orleans but that the last year was his “worst experience in the NBA,” as Rashad Milligan of NOLA.com relays.
In addition to sustaining two major injuries – a broken hand and a torn Achilles – Murray dealt with a series of tragedies in his personal life, including the death of a cousin, his mother suffering a stroke, and an uncle overdosing. He also felt that he wasn’t getting the sort of support he needed from the Pelicans.
“The organization, it got bad, man,” he said. “As you guys can see, such and such got fired, another guy left, they brought new people in.”
Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin was let go at the end of the season, while general manager Bryson Graham left New Orleans to take a job in the Hawks’ front office.
“I’m stressed, I’m mad everyday, I’m sad, I’m angry, I don’t want to be there at that time. It’s just so much going on,” Murray said, describing his mental state during the season. “… It wasn’t just me, it was everybody’s mental. Every player. I hope this brings peace to my brothers. I hope everyone gets what they need. I hope the organization gets it together because you have the talent, but it ain’t just the talent. You need every dot to connect to have a chance to win.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Grizzlies center Zach Edey will have an initial hearing on Monday for a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving, according to Ron Wilkins of the Lafayette Journal & Courier. As Wilkins reports, Indiana police say that stopped Edey on May 1 after he was driving 101 mph in a 55-mph zone. He told the state trooper who pulled him over that he was speeding because he was trying to pass another vehicle.
- Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscriber link) takes an inside look at Cooper Flagg‘s visit to Dallas this week, which included a Tuesday dinner with general manager Nico Harrison, head coach Jason Kidd, CEO Rick Welts, assistant GM Michael Finley, and other Mavericks staffers. According to Curtis, Flagg’s visit also included meetings with members of the Mavs’ business operations department, a tour of the team’s facilities, and a standard workout that included situational reads and shooting drills. He reportedly shot the ball “insanely well” during that workout, a league source tells Noah Weber of The Smoking Cuban.
- With Flagg set to join the Mavericks next Wednesday as the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, Chris Mannix takes an in-depth look at the star prospect in a cover story for Sports Illustrated.
- The Mavericks plan to name Max Hooper as the new head coach of their G League affiliate, the Texas Legends, reports Marc Stein (Twitter link). Hooper, the head video coordinator in Dallas, will replace Jordan Sears, who is expected to move back to the Mavs’ coaching staff after coaching the Legends for the past two seasons, Stein explains.
Stein/Fischer’s Latest: Durant, DeRozan, Kuminga, Sixers, Yabusele, Flagg
Potential moves around the NBA are on hold as the league waits for the Suns to finalize a Kevin Durant trade, according to Mark Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
They mention Kings forward DeMar DeRozan as a player who could be a “fallback trade target” for unsuccessful Durant suitors and cite a report from James Ham of The Kings Beat, who said on his podcast this week that the Heat may be among the teams that pursue DeRozan.
Sources tell Stein and Fischer that Miami has previously expressed interest in forward Jonathan Kuminga, who’s about to become a restricted free agent, and could become a sign-and-trade partner for the Warriors, echoing a report earlier this week from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
After weeks of speculation, there still doesn’t appear to be a clear favorite to land Durant, who’s widely expected to be dealt before the first night of the NBA draft on Wednesday. Stein and Fischer state that the Spurs and Rockets haven’t seen a need to increase their offers, being reluctant to add an older player to their young cores and knowing that Phoenix wants to resolve the situation quickly. The Timberwolves are still interested, but are hesitant to go all in with their offer without some indication that Durant would consider an extension.
Stein and Fischer share more inside information from around the league:
- A source tells the authors that the Sixers are currently expected to hold onto their No. 3 pick in the draft. They add that Philadelphia is still interested in trading up with San Antonio to grab Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, but the Spurs appear set on keeping the No. 2 selection. The report on the Sixers’ plans came before news broke late Wednesday that Ace Bailey has called off his scheduled workout with the team.
- Stein and Fischer point out that the guaranteed contract for the No. 3 choice will add an $11.1MM salary to the Sixers‘ books next season. Sources tell them that Philadelphia plans to operate either near or above the second apron as they hope for improved health from Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey. Stein and Fischer expect Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon to all pick up their player options, and sources tell them that re-signing Quentin Grimes remains an offseason priority. They add that it will become “increasingly challenging” to retain big man Guerschon Yabusele, who’s expected to draw strong interest on the free agent market.
- Stein and Fischer hear that Cooper Flagg was “impressive” this week as he traveled to Dallas to meet with general manager Nico Harrison, coach Jason Kidd and other Mavericks officials. Flagg also worked out for about an hour, displaying the skills that have made him a lock to be the No. 1 pick.
Draft Notes: Robinson, Flagg, Bailey, Dixon
Former senior Kentucky forward Jaxson Robinson, who spent the first part of the pre-draft process rehabilitating a right wrist injury that required surgery, has several workouts on his plate this week, reports Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
According to Rankin, Robinson has already worked out for the has workouts on tap with the Lakers, Cavaliers, Celtics and Suns after having already auditioned for the Warriors and Kings.
“Try to knock them all out before the draft,” Robinson said of his workout schedule. “It’s been tough since I’ve been injured, but just getting these last workouts in, trying to get my face in front of people so they can see me again.”
There’s more out ahead of the 2025 draft:
- Five-year Villanova star Eric Dixon will have a pre-draft workout with the Suns, Rankin writes for The Arizona Republic. Phoenix holds the Nos. 29 and 52 picks in this year’s draft. An All-American Third Teamer in 2024/25 and Villanova’s all-time leading scorer, Dixon reflected on how he thrived with the Wildcats. “It’s the kind of people that Villanova helps mold,” he said. “Villanova recruits a certain type of guy. They also can mold and make you a certain type of person.”
- One-and-done Duke forward Cooper Flagg, a lock to be the No. 1 pick in this month’s draft, touched down in Dallas earlier this week and is conducting a 48-hour visit with the Mavericks, who own that No. 1 selection, notes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (subscriber link). Given that Flagg is the anticipated top pick, he has no plans to meet with any other team before next week’s draft.
- Former Rutgers standout Airious “Ace” Bailey has emerged as the most confounding of this year’s anticipated lottery players, writes Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. Bailey has yet to have workouts with any NBA club so far, in a surprising move, although he is set to show off his skills for the Sixers this week. Philadelphia possesses the No. 3 selection.
Southwest Notes: Flagg, Rockets, Pelicans
Cooper Flagg, the presumed 2025 number one pick, is only visiting the Mavericks in the lead-up to the draft, Mark Medina of RG writes within an interview with Flagg’s trainer, Matt MacKenzie.
“He’ll be able to tour their facilities and learn about the organization as a whole,” MacKenzie said. “So it’s something he’s definitely looking forward to. It’s the only team he’s going to go visit. He’s very excited for it.”
MacKenzie confirms that Flagg’s workouts have included Kevin Durant and Chris Paul being in the same facility at times. Flagg got the chance to watch Durant work out, while Paul imparted advice primarily on how to adjust to the non-basketball side of the game.
“I think Chris Paul has been really helpful in sharing the different things that you need to be aware of when you’re coming into the league as a rookie in terms of how to manage your time off the court,” MacKenzie said. “During your downtime, you need to make sure you’re also treating your recovery with importance and understanding that 82 games is a long season… Being able to get that input has been incredibly valuable.”
Lauded for his versatile skill set, Flagg has taken part in workouts meant to prepare him for any and every role that his new team will ask him to play, according to MacKenzie.
We have more news from around the Southwest Division:
- Despite a roster crunch and uncertain roles moving forward, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle is skeptical that the Rockets will put one of Tari Eason or Jabari Smith Jr. on the trade block this summer. In her mailbag, Lerner writes that it’s more likely that they have to decide between extending one or both of them and then reevaluating next year. Lerner also doubts that the Rockets will make a move for the Nets’ Cameron Johnson, both for salary cap reasons and because she views the defensive drop-off from Dillon Brooks to Johnson as something Houston would be wary of.
- This is a big offseason for the Rockets, Keith Smith writes in his Spotrac offseason preview. While there has been talk about continuing to patiently build around the young core, there’s a sense that Houston’s success last season has led the team to consider fast-tracking the process. Deciding exactly how to handle the contract situation for Fred VanVleet, whose deal includes a team option, will be a crucial part of their summer, as will their ability to pull off a Kevin Durant trade. Smith writes that trying to retain Steven Adams should also be a high priority, as he was a pivotal part of their playoff run and proved to be a very effective backup.
- The Pelicans have struggled at times to find the right balance of players to put around Zion Williamson, writes William Guillory for The Athletic. That includes finding an answer at the center position, which is why Guillory considers whether it would make sense for New Orleans to target Khaman Maluach with the seventh pick in the 2025 draft. This offseason is the first with Joe Dumars as the top decision-maker and will tell the league much about how he plans to proceed with shaping the roster. Guillory notes that the team found success using double-big lineups featuring Kelly Olynyk and rookie big Yves Missi last season, but it’s unlikely that Missi and Maluach could play together unless the Duke center enters the league much more advanced as a shooter than expected.
Draft Notes: Player Comps, Fit/Value, Guide, Withdrawals
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.
NBA Invites 13 Prospects To Draft Green Room
A total of 13 draft-eligible players have been invited to the NBA’s green room for the 2025 draft so far, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Those players are as follows, sorted by their rank on ESPN’s big board:
Cooper Flagg (Duke)- Dylan Harper (Rutgers)
- Ace Bailey (Rutgers)
- V.J. Edgecombe (Baylor)
- Tre Johnson (Texas)
- Khaman Maluach (Duke)
- Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma)
- Kon Knueppel (Duke)
- Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois)
- Egor Demin (BYU)
- Carter Bryant (Arizona)
- Derik Queen (Maryland)
- Asa Newell (Georgia)
As Givony observes, 12 of the top 13 players on ESPN’s board have received invitations so far, with the only exception being French forward Noa Essengue, who comes in at No. 9. The 18-year-old is still playing in Germany for Ratiopharm Ulm as the team vies for a spot in the Basketball Bundesliga Finals.
Essengue’s season could be over as soon as later this week, in which case he’d have no problem attending the draft and would likely get a green room invite. However, it’s also possible his season might extend beyond June 25 (day one of the draft) if Ulm makes the BBL Finals and the series requires the maximum five games — in that scenario, Game 5 would be played on June 26.
Another 11 green room invitations are expected to be sent out to prospects prior to the draft, a source tells Givony. The players invited to the green room can usually feel pretty confident about their chances to be first-round picks, since the league only decides who to invite after asking teams to vote on the 25 prospects they expect to come off the board first.
Still, there are occasionally instances in which players in the green room slip further than expected. Last season, Givony notes, Kyle Filipowski and Johnny Furphy received green room invites but weren’t selected until the second round, which was held a day later for the first time.
Cooper Flagg To Visit Mavericks On June 17
Next Tuesday will be Flagg day in Dallas. Cooper Flagg will meet with the Mavericks brass on June 17, eight days before Dallas is expected to make the Duke freshman forward to the No. 1 pick in the draft, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Jonathan Givony.
Marc Stein reported on Saturday that Flagg would visit Dallas prior to the draft and now there’s a firm date for his arrival.
The Mavericks held the winning combination in the lottery despite having just a 1.8 percent chance of getting the top pick. Flagg has been the projected No. 1 choice even before he donned a Blue Devils uniform and only enhanced his status with a stellar one-and-done season. Flagg averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 48.1 percent overall and 38.5 percent on three-point attempts.
The Mavericks have no plans to work out any other prospects for the top pick. They have not wavered on their desire to select Flagg, who will be the new face of their franchise, nor have they shown any interest in trading the top pick. Flagg is not planning to conduct any additional visits.
Flagg will slot into a jumbo frontcourt that includes Anthony Davis at the four and either Dereck Lively or Daniel Gafford in the middle.
Stein’s Latest: Kidd, Flagg, Beal, Booker, More
The Mavericks will likely deny permission for the Knicks to talk to Jason Kidd about their head coaching vacancy if a formal request is made, Marc Stein states in his latest Substack column (subscription required). Stein cites “well-placed observers” who believe Dallas would turn down the request to interview Kidd, just as the Rockets have communicated that they would do if New York asks to speak with Ime Udoka.
Stein points out that Kidd received an extension after the first round of the playoffs in May of 2024 when rumors began circulating that the Lakers were targeting him in their search for a head coach. Kidd took the Mavs to the NBA Finals after that extension was finalized and led them to the play-in tournament this year while dealing with the fallout from the Luka Doncic trade and a late-season roster shortage.
Stein writes that many people in the league are confounded that the top targets who have emerged since Tom Thibodeau was fired are coaches who are already employed — Kidd, Udoka and Minnesota’s Chris Finch. He notes that several prominent coaches are currently free agents, citing Michael Malone, Taylor Jenkins, Mike Brown, Mike Budenholzer and Frank Vogel as examples.
Stein provides a list of coaches who have been involved in trades, noting that it has happened five times since 1982.
Stein offers more information from around the NBA:
- Cooper Flagg will visit Dallas prior to the June 25 draft, Stein has learned. There’s no drama regarding who the Mavericks will take with the No. 1 pick, but the visit will give Flagg a chance to become familiar with the coaching staff and team executives before it becomes official.
- A buyout may not be a realistic option for the Suns if they can’t work out a trade involving Bradley Beal. According to Stein, Phoenix is limited to a buyout offer of about $80MM, which is far short of the nearly $111MM Beal has left on his contract. The fact that the interview process for coaches included questions about how they plan to incorporate Beal is a sign that the Suns understand that he’ll be hard to move, Stein observes.
- Stein expects Devin Booker to receive a two-year, $150MM extension once he becomes eligible on July 6, noting that he played a prominent role in the search for a new head coach.
- Stein hears that Bucks guard Pat Connaughton is likely to pick up his $9.4MM player option for next season. A decision is expected soon, although the deadline isn’t until June 24.
- Former Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin has interviewed with the Grizzlies for a spot on Tuomas Iisalo‘s coaching staff, sources tell Stein.
Chris Paul To Put Family First In Career Decisions
Appearing Thursday on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video link), Chris Paul stated that family concerns will shape the remainder of his NBA career. They will factor into how much longer the 40-year-old guard wants to continue playing as well as where he might sign this offseason.
“It’s with my family more than anything,” Paul said. “My son just turned 16. My daughter is 12. The past six seasons, I’ve lived without them. I go to San Antonio, Phoenix, Golden State — they were in Houston with me — Oklahoma City… I’ve been around a few teams, but I’ve been away from them the last six years. It’s a little different. That’s the conversation.”
Paul will be back on the free agent market after signing a one-year deal with the Spurs last summer. Brought in to help mentor Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio’s other young players, Paul proved he can still be productive on the court. He appeared in all 82 games, averaging 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 28 minutes per night with .427/.377/.924 shooting numbers.
A return to the Spurs might be unlikely considering they traded for De’Aaron Fox in February and appear ready to select Dylan Harper with the No. 2 pick in the draft. If Paul moves on, he figures to get plenty of interest from playoff contenders who are looking for a strong floor leader.
Paul’s family lives in Los Angeles, so a return to the Clippers could be in the cards. He spent six years with the organization, earning All-NBA honors five times and making it one of the NBA’s most exciting teams. Paul could also ponder teaming up with long-time friend LeBron James on the Lakers.
Paul didn’t sound ready for retirement in the interview with McAfee, as he said his body still feels good. Most likely, it will be a year-by-year decision to see how much longer he wants to keep playing.
“Well, I don’t think I want to play for a while,” Paul said. “I’m being honest with you — I want to be Dad. I still love to play. I was up in the gym at 6 am this morning. Yesterday, I was in the gym. Day before, I was in the gym. It’s crazy. You know, my daughter actually hoops now, so before I flew out here, I was in the gym with her for 20 minutes. With kids, sometimes you gotta do short sessions, so I was in 20 minutes doing ball handling with her, and it was priceless. You don’t get that time back.”
Paul also talked about projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, whom he’s worked out with in advance of the June 25 draft, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (subscription required). Paul was on a group chat with other San Antonio players during the lottery, and there was a lot of excitement as the Mavericks and Spurs had the final two envelopes.
“I’m in L.A. right now, and Cooper Flagg has been out there,” Paul said. “I’ve been in the gym with him a couple times and whatnot. He’s as real as advertised.”
Marc Stein previously identified Dallas as a possible landing spot for Paul, since the Mavs will be looking for backcourt help while Kyrie Irving recovers from his ACL tear.