French Guard Nolan Traore Declares for 2025 NBA Draft, B/R's No. 17 Ranked Prospect

French guard Nolan Traore declared for the the 2025 NBA draft on Thursday.

"I'm excited to take the next step in my career and declare for the NBA Draft," he said to ESPN's Jonathan Givony. "I still have many goals with my team, to finish the regular season strong, make the playoffs and then have a great draft process. I want to be drafted to the best situation with a pathway to earn playing time right away. I'm ready for that challenge."

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman ranked Traore as the No. 17 player in his 2025 big board.

"There is a professional presence about Nolan Traore, who's outstanding 43.1 assist percentage has earned him regular starts at 18 years old in Pro A," Wasserman wrote in his scouting report.

"However, his struggles with touch and finishing have become worrisome, particularly since he's made limited progress with his shooting.

"Traore is ultimately too young to print his weaknesses in permanent ink. And despite the percentages he has shown he can make threes when set and floaters when under control. And he has the speed to attack lanes and beat rim protectors to the spot."

Wasserman also had Traore landing with the Washington Wizards in his newest mock draft. He would add to the Wizards' French representation after they got Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr in successive drafts.

The 18-year-old has averaged 10.8 points and 5.2 assists in 26 appearances for Saint-Quentin in the French top division. He also had 13.4 points and four assists per contest in the Basketball Champions League.

Traore remains a work in progress as a shooter. He has connected on just 28.2 percent of his long-range jumpers in the LNB Élite league. The fact he has attempted 103 three-pointers at least shows he's not afraid to spot up from deep.

Traore's status as a first-round talent, along with his desire to make the jump now, may have been cemented a year ago when he took part in the Nike Hoop Summit, which included Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper among others. Wasserman wrote in April 2024 he "came out a big winner from the week that ended with an 18-point, four-assist game against the Americans."

With another year of seasoning, perhaps Traore could've made himself a surefire lottery selection. Since the odds of him at least being a first-rounder are strong, it's easy to see why he doesn't want to waste any time.