Biggest Winners and Losers from the 2025 NBA Draft
From the first round of the 2025 NBA draft on Wednesday, the league suddenly has a wave of new winners and losers.
On the one hand, the Dallas Mavericks got a potential franchise cornerstone in Cooper Flagg. On the other, Ace Bailey slid out of the third spot that he occupied for most of the 2024-25 campaign.
Those and the rest of the biggest names and teams on either side of the winners-and-losers ledger can be found below.
Winner: Dallas Mavericks
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After what was likely the most tumultuous season in Mavericks history (and one of the most tumultuous in league history), Dallas was tossed a massive and seemingly durable lifeline in the draft lottery.
The Mavs had a 1.8 percent chance to land the top pick, and the lottery balls went their way. Now, they have Flagg, a forward who profiles as a potential No. 1 scorer with plus playmaking and All-Defense potential.
There really isn't a box he doesn't check.
Following the cataclysmic Luka Dončić trade, Flagg has huge (and perhaps impossible) shoes to fill. And the roster fit is kind of weird right now. Despite what Dallas may have said in the pre-draft process, Flagg is almost certainly a forward, and the frontcourt is packed right now.
But this is the kind of talent who can overcome both of those hurdles. And once the Mavericks have a little time to surround Flagg with a roster that complements him a bit better, they could be back in the title hunt.
Loser: Ace Bailey
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After an unusual pre-draft process that saw Bailey rebuffing individual and group workouts with teams that could've taken him higher, the potentially sweet-shooting wing from Rutgers slid to the Utah Jazz and the No. 5 pick on Wednesday.
Now, for plenty of prospects, that would've been fine. But he was the No. 2 recruit in his high school class and spent most of 2024-25 as the consensus third pick in mock drafts. More importantly, as reported by ESPN's Jonathan Givony during the broadcast, Bailey had made it known that he didn't want to go to Utah (and that Utah knew about that).
That being the subject of the first report on Bailey as a pro is far from ideal. And it sounds like it may take a little time for him to embrace the team that took him.
But he's headed to one of the most stable organizations of the last 30-40 years, with a young team that will have plenty of shots for him.
This may not have been what Bailey wanted, but it may well have been the best fit.
Winner: Dylan Harper
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There wasn't much suspense over the No. 2 pick. Shortly after the lottery, it started to become clear that the San Antonio Spurs would keep the selection and take Dylan Harper.
And it's not hard to see why.
Harper is a smooth and explosive playmaker who can break down defenses on his own or in the pick-and-roll. And he put up 19.4 points and 4.0 assists on a team that didn't boast a ton of talent after he and Bailey.
Now, he gets to put those skills to use on a team with Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox. He'll be playing with receivers unlike any he's ever set up.
And if Wemby can remain healthy this season, Harper has a chance to be in the playoffs as a rookie.
There's plenty of prestige in being the first overall pick, but Harper probably landed in the best spot of any top-five pick.
Loser: Washington Wizards
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The Washington Wizards look poised to take advantage of Bailey's pre-draft slide. In the weeks leading up to the big night, they started to look like his floor at No. 6.
And had he wound up there, Bailey would've made plenty of sense as a volume scorer between Washington's high-end defensive prospects (Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr).
But the Wizards heard Bailey's name called for the Jazz (despite the fact that he declined to work out for them), one pick before Washington made its own selection.
Now, we have no idea what the Wizards' internal board looked like. And Tre Johnson looks like a potentially dynamic offensive player himself. He averaged 19.9 points and 2.7 threes while shooting 39.7 percent from three and 87.1 percent from the line. But being that close to Bailey's pedigree had to be tough for some in that front office.
Winner (and Potential Loser): Portland Trail Blazers
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Plenty of teams move up or down in the draft every year, but not many of them score the kind of packages the Portland Trail Blazers did.
Just before Cedric Coward was selected with the No. 11 pick, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Portland would be sending him to the Memphis Grizzlies for the 16th pick, a 2028 first-rounder and two second-rounders.
Again, that's an absolute haul for a non-top-10 player. And the Blazers, despite finishing 2024-25 strong, aren't likely to contend at a high level any time soon. Collecting more assets to use (either in the draft or in trades) later makes a ton of sense, even if Coward has the potential to be a solid wing.
Not long after that deal, though, Portland caused an awful lot of head-scratching. Hansen Yang has generally been looked at as a second-round pick, but the Blazers took him at No. 16.
Given the level of competition he faced and how raw Yang is, this is a heck of a gamble, though Yang himself is surely happy it's being made.
Winner: Hansen Yang
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Just five picks after the Coward trade went down, the Blazers shocked the league by taking Chinese big man Hansen Yang some 10-20 spots higher than expected.
For much of the year, Yang was forecast as a second-rounder. Wednesday, he heard his name called at No. 16.
Now, the 7'2" Yang, whose nickname "Chinese Jokić" started trending right after he was picked, goes to an up-and-coming Portland team where he'll have plenty of time to develop alongside Donovan Clingan.
Winner: Philadelphia 76ers
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The Philadelphia 76ers were winners the moment they jumped up to the third pick on lottery night, but that was reinforced on Wednesday when they landed V.J. Edgecombe.
He's one of the most dynamic athletes in this class and can impact the game in a variety of ways, which is pretty important in the specific situation he's headed to.
Philadelphia has Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, all of whom need lots of touches and shots to be effective.
Edgecombe playing various positions on his way to this point and averaging 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals as a freshman suggest he can work alongside those ball-dominant stars right now.
Winner (and Potential Loser): Brooklyn Nets
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The Brooklyn Nets were in a world of team-building hurt just a few years ago, with much of their draft capital spoken for and tons of money committed to a powder keg of a Big Three with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
But their wheeling and dealing, particularly over the last 12 months, put them in position to do something no team in league history has ever done.
The Nets entered this draft with a whopping five first-round draft picks, and they made them all. They're the first organization to ever do that.
And now, they're entering the 2025-26 campaign with five chances at a hit. If even two of Egor Demin, Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf look like solid NBA players, this draft will be pretty easy to look at as a success. Any more than that, and it'll be a smashing one.
Of course, having that much ammunition to make a trade and not actually using it could feel like a missed opportunity. More aggressive front offices may have combined some of those picks to move up and take someone higher.
But even without moving up, Brooklyn may well have gotten the players it wanted or expected. And given where the Nets are in their rebuild, it's reasonable to add a number of young players and let them develop together.
Winner: Phoenix Suns
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The Phoenix Suns had a hard time filling the center spot throughout 2024-25. They entered this draft without a starting-caliber 5 on the books for 2025-26.
And after getting a pretty uninspiring return in the Kevin Durant trade, it was starting to feel like things could get dire for Phoenix next season.
But at least one concern was addressed in aggressive fashion during the draft. First, the Suns acquired Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets for Wednesday's 29th pick and another first in 2029.
Williams has had a hard time staying on the floor, but he produced like a fringe All-Star when available this season. He averaged 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks in just 26.6 minutes.
But that's not all. Phoenix also used the No. 10 pick, acquired in the KD trade, to add Khaman Maluach, who can back up Williams for now and has the potential to be a bona fide defensive anchor down the road.
Winner: Chicago Bulls
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Entering the draft, Bleacher Report's final big board had 18-year-old French forward Noa Essengue at No. 4.
"When it's all said and done, Essengue's ceiling could prove to look more like that of a top-five player," Wasserman wrote. "He consistently finds ways to score by running the floor, timing his cuts, putting back misses and attacking defenders in space."
And to get that kind of ceiling at No. 12, where the Chicago Bulls took Essengue, is a bit of a coup.
If he develops some of the more technical aspects of his game, he and Matas Buzelis can play together as sort of a hyper-lengthy, athletic and philosophically positionless duo at the forward spots.
Winner (or Eventual Loser): Utah Jazz
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When you just look at the talent the Jazz added on Wednesday, it's easy to bill them as winners.
Again, Bailey spent part of this season as many analyst's No. 2 pick and most of it as almost everyone's No. 3. Prior to 2024-25, some were even arguing he might be the top pick.
To get a forward with length and the potential for tough shotmaking that Bailey has with the fifth pick is huge, but the Jazz weren't done there.
Later in the first round, they moved up to draft Walter Clayton Jr., one of the most clutch players in the country this past season and a dynamic playmaker.
There is some risk, though. Bailey may not want to be there. Using a top-five pick on someone who could be running out the clock till he can leave isn't ideal.
And Clayton is headed to a backcourt that already includes Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier and Collin Sexton. It may be tough for him to carve out a role there.
Loser: New Orleans Pelicans
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Maybe the New Orleans Pelicans are right about Derik Queen. Maybe they moved up 10 spots, paid a hefty price to do so and landed a future star.
But, sheesh, it's a heck of a gamble.
On Wednesday, New Orleans traded its No. 23 pick and an unprotected 2026 first to the Atlanta Hawks for that 13th pick, where they selected Queen.
After a season as dreadful as 2024-25, and with a star player who's injured as often as Zion Williamson, it's hard to justify giving up a selection that could very well be first overall in just 12 months.
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