NBA Draft’s 5 biggest winners and 3 losers in 2025 class

The biggest intrigue in the 2025 NBA Draft was settled with the lottery drawing. Cooper Flagg was the wire-to-wire No. 1 overall player in this class, and the only question was who would land him. The Dallas Mavericks were the lucky winners of the lottery, and on Wednesday night they finally welcomed Flagg to Texas in an official capacity.

It’s impossible to know who the best draft picks are until several years after they’re taken, at the earliest. That won’t stop us from trying. We already handed out instant grades for every first-round pick, and listed our six favorite fits between players and teams. Now it’s time to wrap-up our coverage with one more piece on the draft’s biggest winners and losers.

Winner: Dallas Mavericks

This one is easy. Flagg is one of the best prospects I’ve evaluated in my decade-plus covering the NBA Draft, and he immediately takes over for Luka Doncic as Dallas’ franchise player. This is simply an incredible stroke of luck for the Mavericks to fumble one generational talent and land ass-backwards into another. Flagg has a chance to be every bit as impact as Doncic was, and you know his defense will quickly win over Nico Harrison. The Mavs should absolutely prioritize their future over the present with Flagg preparing to be the youngest player in the league next year. The team doesn’t control its first-round pick from 2027-2030, so some trades will be needed for future assets. Flagg should be in an on-ball role early next season with Kyrie Irving out all year with a torn ACL. I’d expect a big rookie season, but it’s going to take a lot more talent around him for the Mavs to eventually breakthrough in the loaded West.

Winner: San Antonio Spurs

I was initially a little worried about Dylan Harper’s fit alongside two other shaky shooters in San Antonio’s backcourt in Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox. Who cares. Everything with the Spurs revolves around Victor Wembanyama, and Harper is a wonderful long-term complement to the 7’5 French alien with his downhill scoring, live dribble passing, on-ball defense, and developing spot-up three-pointer. If they need to eventually trade Castle or Fox to maximize their spacing, so be it. The Mavs’ lottery win was so wild that it overshadowed the fact that the Spurs jumping up to No. 2 is just as stunning. Wemby and Harper can be the foundation of a championship contender as they grow together over the years. If some others get their feelings hurt along the way, well, that’s just business. The Spurs also added another talented prospect in the lottery in Carter Bryant who feels like a perfect fit for their core. Bryant is a monster athlete on the wing with big-time defensive potential and some spot-up shooting ability. The Spurs aren’t ready to compete for titles yet, but they should be in just a few years.

Loser: Brooklyn Nets

The Nets had five picks in the first-round, and immediately started off on the wrong foot by reaching for Egor Demin at No. 8. I thought Demin was more of a late first-rounder than a top-10 pick, and I worry he’s too far away with his physicality and shooting to meaningfully impact an NBA game any time soon. French guard Nolan Traore was Brooklyn’s next pick, and he’s another talented passer who needs the ball in his hands to make plays but doesn’t threaten the defense off the ball because he can’t shoot either. Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf — Brooklyn’s picks at No. 26 and No. 27 — are also ball-dominant players who struggle to shoot with volume from three. Hey, I like Drake Powell as a 3-and-D wing prospect, but the rest of this class was really disappointing in my eyes.

Winner: Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks somehow landed one of the most valuable future assets in the NBA just by trading down from the No. 13 overall pick. Atlanta picked up an unprotected first-round pick in 2026 that’s the more favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s pick so the Pelicans could move up to take Derik Queen. I already liked the Hawks in the weakened East next year with Kristaps Porzingis joining the team, Jalen Johnson getting back healthy, and Zaccharie Risacher hopefully improving in year two. The Hawks can compete for the East in a best case scenario and still have a bite at landing an elite prospect in a loaded 2026 class because of New Orleans’ terrible trade. Atlanta also got a nice prospect in Asa Newell at No. 23 who should fit right in as a play-finisher around Trae Young.

Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images

Loser: New Orleans Pelicans

Keen NBA observers expected Joe Dumars would be bad when the Pelicans hired him as GM after a long stint in the league office. He’s already deeply compromised New Orleans’ future just weeks into the job. Trading the unprotected 2026 pick amounts to reckless malpractice for a team that’s not going to be any good in the loaded Western Conference next year. I like the Pelicans’ two picks in a vacuum in Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, but I’m skeptical how they fit together and with Zion Williamson. Neither Fears or Queen is a reliable floor spacer or shooter at this stage, both need the ball to be at their best as creators, and both are terrible defenders. I have no idea how Williamson fits in around these two and with the franchise going forward. Rival GMs should be trying to rip off Dumars for all his best players and assets moving forward.

Winner: Orlando Magic

The Magic got the No. 13 player on my board with the No. 25 overall pick, and he just so happens to be exactly what the team needed. Jase Richardson is tiny after measuring at 6-foot barefoot, and he also has a scary injury history, but he’s a perfect fit for the Magic’s biggest weakness, and Orlando is uniquely suited to cover him on defense. Richardson is an elite off-ball shooter who excels at finding soft pockets in the defense to rip threes. He would have been a good pick for Orlando at No. 16 before they traded that pick to Memphis as part of the Desmond Bane deal. To get him at No. 25 is an incredible stroke of luck. The Magic also hit the jackpot in the second round by getting French wing Noah Penda, a long-and-strong two-way playmaker, at No. 32. I had Penda at No. 23 on my board. The Magic have already aced the offseason before free agency even begins. Can this team win the East next year? With Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Damian Lillard out for the year, I don’t see why not.

Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images

Winner: Phoenix Suns

The Suns got the No. 3 player on my board with the No. 10 pick. Khaman Maluach should be an effective player just with his length (7’6 wingspan), mobility, and interior finishing. If his three-point shot comes around, and I think it will, watch out. This is the type of high-upside swing Phoenix needed to save the Devin Booker era. The Suns also acquired Mark Williams, the super long Duke center who reached the Final Four before Maluach did it, and they really didn’t give up much with a protected 2029 pick that’s the least favorite of three teams. Williams can soak up minutes early while Maluach develops, and I’m intrigued with potential lineups featuring both of them. Phoenix also landed a gem in the second round in Rasheer Flemming out of St. Joe’s. Flemming is long, strong, and can hit spot-up threes. I’m a bit worried about his feet for the game and lack of athleticism, but it’s a great value in early round two. I thought the Suns were staring down a dead-end after the Kevin Durant trade. Maybe not anymore.

Loser: Trail Blazers

Listen, Mike Schmitz is a lot smarter than me. If the former ESPN draft analyst turned Blazers assistant GM believes Yang Hansen is worth the No. 16 overall pick, fans should trust him. I viewed Hansen as more of an early second rounder, and his pairing with Donovan Clingan feels very odd to me. Clingan struggles with conditioning and can’t really even play 30 minutes per game, so maybe Hansen can soak up the minutes when he’s on the bench with a totally different skill set that includes some killer passing flashes and silky interior scoring. Portland also picked up an unprotected first-round pick from Orlando in the deal, and that is a valuable asset even if the Magic seem like they will be good for a while. Ultimately, there were other players on the board I preferred for Portland. They need shooting and passed on Jase Richardson and Walter Clayton Jr. After the bizarre Jrue Holiday trade, it feels like the Blazers are accelerating the rebuild a little too early for my liking.