Latest NBA Draft 2025 Rumors on Ace Bailey, Trades and More Picks, Prospects
The NBA world is awash with activity—and draft week is just getting started.
On Sunday alone, the Association saw the Oklahoma City Thunder crowned as champions, the Indiana Pacers lose star guard Tyrese Haliburton to an Achilles injury and the Phoenix Suns finalize their split from Kevin Durant by sending him to the Houston Rockets for a package that includes this week's No. 10 pick.
Anyone hoping to briefly catch their breath should note the rumor mill isn't slowing down at all. And buzz figures to only increase as we grow nearer to the start of Wednesday's first round.
Let's dig into this discussions, then, and see the latest on what everyone is talking about.
Ace Bailey Hoping For Draft Night Slide?
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Rutgers wing scorer Ace Bailey is one of the highest-upside prospects in this draft with a ceiling that arguably rises above anyone's who's not named Cooper Flagg. Bailey, though, also happens to need copious amounts of seasoning, giving him perhaps the widest range of possible outcomes for his NBA career.
You might think, then, that Bailey would be blazing through the workout circuit in hopes of convincing folks he has much better odds of maxing out his potential than he does bottoming out. But as ESPN's Jonathan Givony noted, Bailey is "continuing to decline workout invites from Philadelphia, Charlotte and Utah, and seemingly preferring the group of teams ranked outside the top five, specifically Washington, New Orleans and Brooklyn."
This sounds a bit like a "bold strategy, Cotton" kind of deal, but Givony added that "rival agents are closely monitoring Bailey's strategy, recognizing the clear benefits of guiding clients to more favorable situations with an eye on maximizing long-term earning potential." Givony observed that a draft-night skid could cost Bailey "$10-to-$15 million" but he "could potentially recoup the money he loses in his first contract with a much larger second contract."
Bailey pretty clearly has a preference for where he'll land, with Givony reporting those factors include "geography, minutes, role, opportunity and development." All of that said, it's possible none of those wishes will be granted, as teams don't necessarily need an in-house visit to draft a player.
VJ Edgecombe Struggles and Impresses in Sixers' Workout?
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Perhaps a byproduct of Bailey's potential fall, Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe "appears in pole position to hear his name called at No. 3," per ESPN's Jonathan Givony. Edgecombe's defense and athleticism feel like natural fits to pair with Sixers guards Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, although that wouldn't exactly be a towering perimeter trio. Still, as B/R's Jonathan Wasserman noted in his latest mock, "fit could potentially give Edgecombe the edge or tie-breaker for Philadelphia [over Bailey]."
When Edgecombe recently visited the Sixers, he reportedly "appeared nervous" and "did not shoot the ball particularly well," per Givony. However, Edgecombe also reportedly "made a strong impression in interviews and meetings, something the front office values more highly."
It's always to important to consider the potential leverage factors in any reporting this time of year. And if the Sixers let it leak that they care about how a prospect presents themselves in interviews and meetings, maybe that's a last-ditch effort to convince Bailey to come to town.
Or maybe Edgecome was just really convincing with the messages he sent. Given the way he defends and competes, it wouldn't be surprising if he expressed a willingness to do whatever is needed to help his team win and managed to communicate his high effort level.
Suns Eyeing Frontcourt Prospects with the No. 10 Pick?
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During Sunday's Durant deal, the Suns leaped into the lottery by adding the No. 10 pick. With all due respect to Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, there's a very good chance that pick means more to Phoenix's future than anything else it brought back for Durant.
That's assuming, of course, the Suns manage to maximize the value of that selection. Doing that probably means paying some attention to the frontcourt, which is clearly the weak spot on this backcourt-heavy roster.
With that in mind, ESPN's Jonathan Givony highlighted South Carolina combo big Collin Murray-Boyles as someone they would likely "consider heavily if they keep the pick" and also mentioned "a more traditional big man such as Derik Queen" out of Maryland.
The "if they keep the pick" portion of that quote feels like a caveat worth filing away—remember, they're still operating on Devin Booker's timeline—but if they stay in that spot, they probably do need to target a big. Duke rim-runner Khaman Maluach might be a dream get, but he seldom reaches that spot on mock drafts. In Wasserman's, for instance, Maluach was snatched up by the Hornets at the No. 4 spot.
