To no one’s surprise, the Dallas Mavericks selected their new franchise player Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick in Wednesday night’s NBA Draft. But how did the rest of the draft shake out? We take a look at the biggest winners and losers of the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Winner: Cooper Flagg and Dallas Mavericks
The night’s biggest winners are Flagg and the Mavericks. Flagg doesn’t have to go to a rebuilding team as the No. 1 overall pick, and the Mavericks have their new face of the franchise after shockingly trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks now have a core of Flagg, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Kyrie Irving — when he returns from injury. They will be a potential championship-caliber team for years to come.
Winner: San Antonio Spurs
Selecting versatile Rutgers guard Dylan Harper with the second pick, the San Antonio Spurs now have two franchise cornerstones with him and Victor Wembanyama. Even though the backcourt might be crowded with Harper, Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox, the Spurs can go positionless at times to work all three into the lineup. Harper is a bigger guard who handles the ball well and plays strong defense.
Winner: Philadelphia 76ers
After a disastrous season that saw the “Big 3” of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey miss 134 games due to injury, the Philadelphia 76ers were rewarded with Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, taking him with the No. 3 pick. He’s athletic and can slash to the basket and knock down jumpers. He also plays strong defense and still has room to grow. Daryl Morey said he wanted the 76ers to get younger and more athletic, and they did that with Edgecombe.
Loser: Ace Bailey
It was a nightmare scenario for Ace Bailey as he was selected by a team he didn’t want to play for. Bailey, who was once predicted to go top-three, refused to meet with any teams before the draft and canceled a visit with the 76ers last week. He reportedly hoped to go to the Washington Wizards at No. 6, but instead, the Utah Jazz took Bailey fifth overall, where he didn’t want to go. Now Bailey goes to Utah, coming off a 17-win season and far outside his preferred destination.
Winner: Utah Jazz
Despite Bailey not wanting to be drafted by the Jazz, Utah took a swing and selected the player with possibly the highest upside in the draft. Despite the distractions about Bailey not meeting with any team pre-draft, he’s a talented player who makes difficult shots. He’s a raw talent, but if he can put it all together, the Jazz got themselves a potential superstar.
Loser: Washington Wizards
Bailey wanted the Wizards and the Wizards wanted Bailey. But that didn’t happen as the Jazz selected the Rutgers product at No. 5 instead. With the sixth pick, Washington took Texas guard Tre Johnson, who many considered the top shooter in the draft, but he needs to improve his defense. Despite missing out on Bailey, the Wizards could turn out winners with Johnson as a cornerstone.
Loser: Brooklyn Nets
In the first surprise of the night, the Brooklyn Nets took BYU guard Egor Demin, of Russia, with the eighth overall pick. ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony had him going at No. 13 to the Atlanta Hawks. Demin shot only 27% from three while at BYU and has trouble creating his own shot. The other top-ten draft picks coming out of BYU: Shawn Bradley in 1993 and Rafael Araujo in 2004. Yikes.
Loser: New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are getting criticized for trading up to select Maryland center Derik Queen at No. 13. The Pelicans gave up the No. 23 pick and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to move up ten spots with the Hawks to take Queen. Queen is a good player, but that unprotected 2026 pick — the most favorable of New Orleans or the Milwaukee Bucks, per ESPN’s Shams Charania — could prove valuable, considering the Pelicans are coming off a 21-61 season and are rebuilding. They better hope Queen turns into a star.
Winner: Phoenix Suns and Khaman Maluach
The Phoenix Suns have upgraded their frontcourt, taking Duke center Khaman Maluach with the 10th overall pick they received from the Houston Rockets as part of the Kevin Durant trade. Maluach, who was born in South Sudan but moved to Uganda, joined the NBA Academy Africa when he was 14 and became a freshman standout at Duke last year, averaging 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while being a dominant defender in the paint. The Suns also traded for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams as Phoenix looks to remake its roster.
Winner: Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies might have gotten the steal of the draft, trading up with the Portland Trail Blazers to take Washington State shooting guard Cedric Coward. He shot 55% from the field while averaging 17.7 points, seven rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. The 21-year-old can fill the three-and-D void left by Desmond Bane, who was traded to the Orlando Magic. The Grizzlies gave up the No. 16 pick, a future first-round pick and two second-round selections.
Loser: Collin Murray-Boyles’ reaction getting drafted by Raptors
Collin Murray-Boyles became an unexpected loser when his reaction to getting drafted by the Toronto Raptors immediately went viral. Murray-Boyles shook his head and said “f***” before hugging his family and going up to the stage. While it might not be as significant as people are making it out to be, it wasn’t the ideal way to start his NBA career.
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