Cooper Flagg to Mavs, Ace Bailey to Wizards in ESPN's NBA Mock Draft After 2025 Finals
Former Rutgers standout Ace Bailey is projected to fall to the Washington Wizards at No. 6 in the latest 2025 NBA mock draft by ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo.
Givony and Woo's most recent mock continues to predict Cooper Flagg will go to the Dallas Mavericks and Dylan Harper will join the San Antonio Spurs with the top two selections of the draft.
Bailey, previously projected as a potential option for the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3, has meanwhile slipped down the board following his reported cancellation of a scheduled workout with the Sixers.
The Rutgers product cancelled two days before scheduled dinner and private workout with the Sixers' front office last week, Givony and Shams Charania reported for ESPN.
That decision contributed to the Sixers' decision to target Baylor's VJ Edgecombe in the latest edition of ESPN's mock.
Givony wrote that "Bailey's clear determination to avoid teams in this range puts Philadelphia in a difficult position, potentially selecting someone who clearly does not want to play for them."
"While sources say Edgecombe appeared nervous during his private workout in Philadelphia and did not shoot the ball particularly well in an unnatural one-on-one setting, he made a strong impression in interviews and meetings, something the front office values more highly," Givony wrote.
Bailey is then projected by Givony and Woo come off the board at No. 6, when the Wizards take the former Rutgers star.
Givony has previously said that Bailey's representatives say they "feel confident going into the draft process."
According to Givony, most NBA teams feel that means "he has received assurances of being selected by a team considered more advantageous to Bailey in the long term, considering factors like geography, minutes, role, opportunity and development."
Givony previously reported that last year's No. 2 pick Alex Sarr similarly expressed an interest in falling down the board in order to be drafted by the Wizards.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman similarly projected in his latest mock draft that the Sixers would go with Edgecombe at No. 3.
Wasserman predicts that the Charlotte Hornets will then take the Rutgers product at No. 4 because the team "could be drawn to the idea of building with a pair of big, shotmaking wings" between Bailey and Brandon Miller.
Where Bailey lands could ultimately determine how the rest of the top 10 picks shake out when the 2025 NBA draft begins on Wednesday in Brooklyn at 8 p.m. ET.
