5 Teams That Could Trade Up In the 2025 NBA Draft
Draft-day trades are an NBA rite of summer. This year's extravaganza will be no different.
If anything, the action on Thursday, Jun. 25, could prove more frenetic than usual—especially when it comes to squads moving up the board.
Seven teams currently have multiple first-round selections. Roster-spot crunches, financial concerns and affinities for taking bigger swings all stand to fuel a frenzied exchange—and consolidation—of picks.
This list will run through the five teams we'll be most closely monitoring ahead of and during draft night. And bear in mind, we're limiting inclusions exclusively to squads that will look to move up the first-round ladder.
Brooklyn Nets
1 of 5
Landing the No. 8 pick is not what the Brooklyn Nets had in mind when they cannonballed into the rebuilding process over the offseason. They were too competitive for much of the year—decidedly 2022-23 Utah Jazz-ian.
Fortunately for the Nets, they have four total first-round picks to help make up the difference.
Some combination of Nos. 19, 26 and 27 could be attached to No. 8 in hopes of cracking the top five—or maybe even the top two. Brooklyn could also look to keep No. 8 and see whether attaching No. 26 and/or No. 27 to No. 19 gets them another lottery selection.
Everything seems like it’s on the table—and possible.
Oklahoma City Thunder
2 of 5
Assuming the Oklahoma City Thunder pick up club options for Ajay Mitchell and Jaylin Williams, they will have 15 guaranteed contracts on the books—the max they can carry in the regular season. They also have two first-round picks in this year’s draft.
You do the math.
Executive vice president Sam Presti is no stranger to working through these, ahem, obstacles. He almost assuredly has 17 to 26 deals lined up in which Oklahoma City turns Nos. 15 and 24 (and maybe other stuff) into a lottery pick that should terrify the rest of the league.
Putting the Thunder here is nevertheless a risk. They may be more likely to trade out of the draft in favor of down-the-line selections. Adding new players gets easier if they’re prepared to move on from Ousmane Dieng, Jaylin Williams, Kenrich Williams or someone else. Otherwise, Oklahoma City doesn’t readily have the roster space to even consolidate, let alone use all of its picks.
Orlando Magic
3 of 5
The Orlando Magic have two first-rounders in their clip—Nos. 16 and 25–and don’t technically have the room for them. Fifteen players will be on the books if they bring everyone back.
Spoiler alert: They won’t be bringing everyone back.
Orlando’s smattering of team options allows it to integrate both selections with relative ease. Its proximity to the luxury tax, both now and moving forward, also incentivizes the front office to take as many swings on cost-controlled talent as possible.
But the Magic are too good and, for now, too malleable to be thinking in those terms. Parlaying two selections into a higher pick also works in service of cost control. You’re still getting one player on a rookie scale, and relative to their draft position, you theoretically have a better chance of them catching on as a rotation player.
Utah Jazz
4 of 5
New Utah Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge is apparently taking the "We don't do that here" approach to tanking. But his sentiments are being overblown. The Jazz could enjoy perfect health and availability next season and still be poised to finish with a bottom-two record in the Western Conference.
Yet, there is no denying this team needs a cornerstone. Markkanen doesn't fit the bill. The same goes for Walker Kessler, Isaiah Collier, Keyonte George and, well, everyone else on the roster.
Getting that player is critical to advancing the Jazz's rebuild. Perhaps they find him at No. 5. But they also have No. 21—not to mention a boatload of future first-rounders. If they believe projected top-four picks Dylan Harper, V.J. Edgecombe or Ace Bailey are The Guy, they have the assets required to move up to No. 4, No. 3, maybe even No. 2.
Are the Jazz also aggressive or desperate enough to go this route? Now that's a different story.
Washington Wizards
5 of 5
The Washington Wizards' Michael Winger- and Will Dawkins-led front office has traded up the board in each of its first two drafts on the job. It would be foolish to rule out another upward climb this year.
Washington has Nos. 6, 18 and 40 at its disposal, as well as the short-term contracts and flexibility beneath the tax to entice teams in the top five that may be looking to clean up their cap sheets or expand the purview of other deals.
Granted, the Wizards may not have the same urgency as others to improve their primary draft position. Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr arm them with two cornerstone possibilities, and whoever they nab at No. 6 could prove to be another option.
At the same time, this Washington regime is nothing if not opportunistic. If the chance to rocket into the top five presents itself, or if the powers that be identify someone who won’t be there at No. 6 as #TheirGuy (non-Cooper Flagg division), the Wizards have the track record that suggests they’ll pounce.
Moving up from No. 18 without involving sixth overall falls into the opportunistic bucket as well. Between No. 40 and a bunch of other inbound future second-round picks, Washington could have the accessory assets to slide into the back end of the lottery.
Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
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