With the No. 1 pick, the Dallas Mavericks did not botch the 2025 NBA draft, taking Cooper Flagg No. 1, and the Brooklyn Nets were active with five first-round picks.
Several teams did not have a first-round pick, trading it in moves that helped produce a championship. There’s also teams like Houston and Golden State that gave up first-round picks recently in hopes of winning a title soon.
There was only one real surprise – Portland using the No. 16 pick to take Yang Hansen.
Who fared well in the draft? Who is set up for the present and the future?
Here are USA TODAY Sports’ 2025 NBA draft grades:
2025 NBA draft grades
Atlanta Hawks: B+
Boston Celtics: B
At No. 28, Boston landed Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez, who is one of Europe’s top prospects. But he may not be ready to contribute immediately.
Brooklyn Nets: A
The Nets accumulated five first-round draft picks ahead of the draft and got: BYU’s Egor Demin at No. 8, France’s Nolan Traore at No. 19, North Carolina’s Drake Powell at No. 22, Israel’s Ben Saraf at No. 26 and Michigan’s Danny Wolf at No. 27.
Charlotte Hornets: B
The Hornets need shooting. They were 28th in 3-point shooting percentage, 30th in field goal percentage and 30th in effective field goal percentage. Duke’s Kon Knueppel can help a massive shortcoming on Charlotte’s roster.
Chicago Bulls: B
France is in a nice run of producing NBA players, and Noa Essengue, the No. 12 pick, will give the Bulls another interior option.
Cleveland Cavaliers: B
Did not have a first-round pick; traded to Utah as part of the Donovan Mitchell deal, which has worked out for the Cavs. They signed him to a three-year, $150.3 million contract that keeps him with the Cavs through at least 2026-27.
Dallas Mavericks: A
The Mavericks needed luck to get the No. 1 pick – just a 1.8% chance to win the lottery and that’s what happened, allowing them to select Cooper Flagg, who brings talent, maturity and an NBA-ready game to a team looking to compete for a title.
Denver Nuggets: A
Did not have a first-round pick. The Nuggets traded it to Orlando in 2021 in a deal that sent Aaron Gordon to the Nuggets. It helped Denver win a title in 2023.
Detroit Pistons: Incomplete
Detroit’s selection was sent away as part of the 2020 trade that brought Isaiah Stewart to the Pistons.
Golden State Warriors: Incomplete
As part of the trade that sent Jimmy Butler to Golden State, the Warriors shipped the No. 20 selection to Miami that became Kasparas Jakucionis. While Butler infused defense, veteran experience and more competitiveness to the Warriors, they were eventually eliminated in the second round.
Houston Rockets: A-
The Rockets did not have a first-round pick … because they traded the No. 10 pick to Phoenix for Kevin Durant, putting them in position to contend for a title after going 52-30 last season and earning the No. 2 seed in the West.
Indiana Pacers: Incomplete
The Pacers did not have a first-round pick, trading the No. 23 overall selection to the Pelicans, as well as the rights to guard Mojave King. In exchange, the Pacers received their own 2026 first-round selection, which they had originally shipped to Toronto in the deal that brought Pascal Siakam to Indiana.
Los Angeles Clippers: B
With the final pick of the night, the Clippers bolstered their interior presence, taking forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser out of Penn State. He’s still a bit raw, but he should be an excellent developmental backup to center Ivica Zubac. Niederhauser should get plenty of burn as a low block defender — he ranked 12th in the country in blocks per game (2.31) — and should be a lob threat as a finisher.
Los Angeles Lakers: Incomplete
The No. 22 overall selection was part of the package the Lakers sent the Pelicans in the deal that brought center Anthony Davis to Los Angeles.
Memphis Grizzlies: B+
This was all about replacing Desmond Bane, whom Memphis just shipped to the Orlando Magic, but on a budget. Bane had been signed to a max extension in July 2023, so he was going to become pricey. Guard Cedric Coward, a late riser in the draft process, was picked at No. 11. He has ample experience and should play right away. Memphis has a pretty solid track record in recent years of drafting. His size and shooting ability should translate instantly.
Miami Heat: B
Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis was projected as a lottery pick in several mock drafts, and the Heat got him at No. 20.
Milwaukee Bucks: A
Did not have a first-round pick; the Bucks traded this pick to New Orleans in 2020, acquiring Jrue Holiday, who helped the Bucks win a title in 2021. Yes, the Bucks are trying to stay competitive with Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it’s hard to complain about a title.
Minnesota Timberwolves: C
The issue with Rudy Gobert is that his offensive game can be inconsistent. And Minnesota’s consecutive trips to the Western Conference finals proved that the Timberwolves need more scoring, particularly when teams game plan to take Anthony Edwards out of rhythm. Joan Beringer is only 18, so he’s a project and doesn’t necessarily help Minnesota get over the hump in the short term. He’s explosive and full of potential. Minnesota’s window to win, however, is now, and plenty of plug-and-play prospects were available at 17.
New Orleans Pelicans: B-
In a vacuum, both Jeremiah Fears (guard, No. 7) and Derik Queen (center, No. 13) are solid players. But they’re also both at positions where the Pelicans have established players, which could mean New Orleans will be looking to sell off veterans like point guard Dejounte Murray and power forward Zion Williamson. Queen’s skill set — his ball handling, vision, passing and touch — should make him too valuable to sit. The same, frankly, goes for Fears. The Pelicans have very nice pieces; the fit is a little cumbersome.
New York Knicks: B-
Did not have a first-round pick; the Knicks have traded significant draft capital (no first-round picks in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031) to build this team. Back-to-back 50-win seasons and an Eastern Conference finals appearance this season are the results so far.
Oklahoma City Thunder: B
Given it’s the Thunder front office led by executive VP/GM Sam Presti and the track record of the Thunder acing the draft, it’s a safe bet to say the Thunder found value with the No. 15 pick (Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber).
Orlando Magic: B
At one point during the draft process, Michigan State’s Jase Richardson was a projected lottery pick and the Magic got him at No. 25.
Philadelphia 76ers: B
The Sixers passed on Ace Bailey and took defensive-minded guard VJ Edgecombe at No. 3. He will be able to guard multiple positions.
Phoenix Suns: C-
There’s no question: the Suns have wanted a center for a long time. They traded Jusuf Nurkić to the Hornets in the middle of the season and struggled to find a presence down low. Duke’s Khaman Maluach at No. 10 — part of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to Houston — is actually great value. But, minutes prior, the Suns also reportedly completed a trade to get another former Duke center, Mark Williams, from the Hornets. This reeks of a team that didn’t think Maluach would be available, got impatient, and fired off a trade. Now, Phoenix has the opposite issue: it has one big too many.
Portland Trail Blazers: C
This is another curious move. Clearly, Portland loved Yang Hansen, a 7-foot-1 center from China with fluid athleticism and superb passing ability. But the Trail Blazers now have three centers: Hansen, Robert Williams (who is entering the final year of his contract) and Donovan Clingan (last year’s No. 7 overall selection). Even if Portland packages Williams in a salary-shedding move, Hansen, who turned 20 on Thursday, June 26, is only one year younger than Clingan. Despite his impressive skill set, he also might need time to assimilate from the Chinese Basketball Association.
Sacramento Kings: B
The Kings did not have a first round pick to start the night but traded into the first round, acquiring the No. 24 pick from Oklahoma City and drafting Nique Clifford from Colorado State.
San Antonio Spurs: A
The Spurs have the past two rookies of the year (Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle) and just picked Rutgers’ Dylan Harper at No. 2 and Arizona’s Carter Bryant at No. 14. The Spurs are on their way.
Toronto Raptors: B
The Raptors are close to making a move in the East, and Collin Murray-Boyles at No. 9 is the kind of player who fits Toronto’s system.
Utah Jazz: A
Danny Ainge struck again. Utah got excellent value at No. 5 with Ace Bailey, an electric player who is built exactly the way teams want their wings. He has effortless athleticism and is a hyper-competitive player who should find easy buckets. And then, in a trade with the Wizards, the Jazz nabbed an experienced guard in Walter Clayton Jr., who has range and the clutch gene.
Washington Wizards: B
The Wizards targeted guards as part of their extensive rebuild and selected Texas’ Tre Johnson sixth and acquired Illinois’ Will Riley at No. 21.
