Cooper Flagg selected No. 1 by the Dallas Mavericks
Bryan Kalbrosky talks about the highly anticipated prospect in the NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg, and what he brings to the game.
Sports Pulse
The 2025 NBA Draft continues Thursday with the second round at the Barclays Center. The first round of the draft took place on Wednesday, with Cooper Flagg being the first overall player selected by the Dallas Mavericks.
While the Flagg selection was one of the more predictable picks in the first round, the Memphis Grizzlies drafting Chinese center Yang Hansen with the 16th overall pick was among the biggest surprises of the night. Hansen is expected to play for the Portland Trail Blazers after receiving the pick from the Grizzlies.
Teams will have the opportunity to bolster their depth for the future with the remaining talent left available. There are several notable players still on the board, including Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier and Saint Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming.
USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest updates, analysis and more throughout the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Follow along.
NBA Draft second-round picks, grades
Here’s every player that was drafted in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft, including the player’s alma mater and their draft grade:
31. Minnesota Timberwolves: F Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’sTrade: Fleming is reportedly heading to the Suns.2024-25 stats: 14.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 1.4 spg, 1.3 apg, 53.1% FG, 39% 3PT, 74.3% FTGrade: A-32. Boston Celtics: F Noah Penda, Le Mans Sarthe (France)Trade: Penda is reportedly heading to the Magic.2024-25 stats: 10.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.3 spg, 45.8% FG, 34.7% 3PT, 67.9% FTGrade: A33. Charlotte Hornets: G Sion James, Duke2024-25 stats: 8.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.9 apg, 0.8 spg, 51.6% FG, 41.3% 3PT, 81.0% FTGrade: B-34. Charlotte Hornets: C Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton2024-25 stats: 19.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 2.7 bpg, 0.5 spg, 65.3% FG, 34.4% 3PT, 68.1% FTGrade: B+35. Philadelphia 76ers: C Johni Broome, Auburn2024-25 stats: 18.6 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.1 bpg, 51.0% FG, 27.8% 3PT, 58.7% FTGrade: B36. Brooklyn Nets: G Adou ThieroTrade: Thiero is reportedly heading to the Lakers.2024-25 stats: 15.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.6 spg, 54.5% FG, 25.6% 3PT, 68.6% FTGrade: A-37. Detroit Pistons, Chaz Lanier, Tennessee2024-25 stats: 18 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 43.1% FG, 39.5% 3PTGrade: BWhat time does the NBA Draft second round start tonight
The second round of the 2025 NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday, June 26 at 8 p.m. ET, and will be broadcast on ESPN. You can also stream the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft with Fubo.
Where to watch NBA Draft tonightTime: 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT)Location: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, New York)TV: ESPNStream: Fubo, Sling TV
Who has first pick in 2025 NBA Draft second round?
The Minnesota Timberwolves (via the Utah Jazz) own the No. 31 pick and will be selecting first on Thursday evening. But the Timberwolves have appeared to move down not he draft board. According to ESPN, Minnesota has traded away the first pick of the second round to the Suns in exchange for the No. 36 pick and two future second-round picks.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are trading the first pick in tonight’s NBA draft — No. 31 — to the Phoenix Suns for No. 36 and two future second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. Suns continue rebuild by moving up to 31 and 41 in draft — send out 36, 52, 59 and two future seconds.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 26, 2025Second-round NBA draft picks on the move
The second round of the 2025 NBA Draft is quickly approaching on Thursday and some picks are already on the move. Here’s how the second-round draft order has shaken up, according to ESPN:
NBA Draft order: Round 2What channel is the NBA Draft on tonight?
ESPN will be televising the entirety of the draft’s second roun
How to stream the NBA Draft
The 2025 NBA Draft will be available to stream across Fubo, which offers a free trial to new users, as well as Sling TV.
2025 NBA Draft: Best remaining players
USA TODAY Sports staff compiled a list of the best remaining players in the second round. Here is a full list broken down by position. Several are listed below:
Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’sJunior, forward, 6-8¼, 232 pounds, 20 years old2024-25 stats: 14.7 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 1.4 spg, 1.3 apg, 53.1% FG, 39% 3PT, 74.3% FT
Fleming is a mobile forward who plays a physical game and has strong footwork to finesse his way around defenders. He likes to get easy buckets in transition, his 3-point percentage in nearly five attempts per game is encouraging and he is valuable in pick-and-rolls as the screener. Defensively, he deflects passes and can protect the rim. Fleming averaged 18.8 points and 7.7 rebounds and shot 58.9% in the last six regular-season Atlantic 10 Conference contests.
Maxime Raynaud, StanfordSenior, center, 7-0¼, 237, 22 years old2024-25 stats: 20.2 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.4 bpg, 46.7% FG, 34.7% 3PT, 77% FT
Born in Paris, Raynaud spent four seasons at Stanford and was first-team All-ACC his senior season. He can make 3s, rebound, protect the rim – the easy comparison is Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren. Raynaud works well in the pick-and-roll, runs the floor well, sees the court and can play in the low post.
NBA Draft odds
Odds for No. 31, first pick in the second round. *All odds provided via FanDuel (odds as of Thursday, June 26):
Rasheer Fleming (+115)Noah Penda (+500)Adou Thiero (+500)Kam Jones (+550)2025 NBA Draft mock drafts: Second round
USA TODAY Sports’ Mark Giannotto compiled a list of several mock drafts heading into the second round. Here is a full breakdown. The top potential picks are listed below:
31. Minnesota Timberwolves32. Boston Celtics33. Charlotte HornetsNBA draft grades 2025: Who earned an A for their first round picks?
With the No. 1 pick, the Dallas Mavericks (A) did not botch the 2025 NBA draft, taking Cooper Flagg first overall, and the Brooklyn Nets (A) were active with five first-round picks. There was only one real surprise – Portland (C) 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? Check out USA TODAY Sports’ 2025 NBA draft grades here.
NBA Draft winners and losers: Duke hits lottery
Night 1 of the 2025 NBA Draft had a bevy of winners and losers. USA TODAY’s Lorenzo Reyes and Jeff Zillgitt break down the best and not-so-great from the first round. Here is one of the list’s winners.
Winners: Duke and Blue Devils coach Scheyer
The Blue Devils had three lottery picks – Cooper Flagg No. 1, Kon Knueppel No. 4, Khaman Maluach No. 10 – making it the third time in school history that Duke has had three lottery pick in the same draft. It also happened in 1999 (Elton Brand, Trajan Langdon, Corey Maggette) and 2019 (Zion Willamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish).
NBA Draft first-round picks
Here is how the first round played out on Wednesday:
Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, forward, DukeSan Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper, guard, RutgersPhiladelphia 76ers: VJ Edgecombe, wing, BaylorCharlotte Hornets: Kon Knueppel, wing, DukeUtah Jazz: Ace Bailey, forward, RutgersWashington Wizards: Tre Johnson, guard, TexasNew Orleans Pelicans: Jeremiah Fears, guard, OklahomaBrooklyn Nets: Egor Demin, guard, BYUToronto Raptors: Collin Murray-Boyles, forward, South CarolinaPhoenix Suns (from Houston Rockets): Khaman Maluach, big, DukeMemphis Grizzlies (from Portland Trail Blazers): Cedric Coward, wing, Washington StateChicago Bulls: Noa Essengue, forward, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)New Orleans Pelicans (from Atlanta Hawks): Derik Queen, big, MarylandSan Antonio Spurs (from Atlanta Hawks): Carter Bryant, forward, ArizonaOklahoma City Thunder (from Miami Heat): Thomas Sorber, big, GeorgetownPortland Trail Blazers (from Memphis Grizzlies): Hansen Yang, big, Qingdao Eagles (China)Minnesota Timberwolves (from Detroit Pistons): Joan Beringer, big, Cedevita Olímpija (Slovenia)Utah Jazz (from Washington Wizards): Walter Clayton Jr., guard, FloridaBrooklyn Nets (from Milwaukee Bucks): Nolan Traoré, guard, Saint Quentin (France)Miami Heat (from Golden State Warriors): Kasparas Jakučionis, guard, IllinoisWashington Wizards (from Utah Jazz): Will Riley, forward, IllinoisBrooklyn Nets (from Atlanta Hawks): Drake Powell, wing, North CarolinaAtlanta Hawks (New Orleans Pelicans): Asa Newell, big, GeorgiaSacramento Kings (from Oklahoma City Thunder): Nique Clifford, forward, Colorado StateOrlando Magic (from Denver Nuggets): Jase Richardson, guard, Michigan StateBrooklyn Nets (from New York Knicks): Ben Saraf, guard, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)Brooklyn Nets (from Houston Rockets): Danny Wolf, big, MichiganBoston Celtics: Hugo González, wing, Real Madrid (Spain)Charlotte Hornets (from Phoenix Suns): Liam McNeeley, wing, ConnecticutLos Angeles Clippers (from Oklahoma City Thunder): Yanic Konan Niederhauser, center, Penn StateNBA Odds: 2026 NBA Rookie of the Year
*All odds provided via BetMGM (odds as of Thursday, June 26):
Cooper Flagg (-225)Tre Johnson (+700)Ace Bailey (+800)Dylan Harper (+1100)ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt sounds off on NBA draft’s ‘hat situation’
One of the iconic moments of any pro sport’s draft is when a just-picked youngster steps up on stage with the commissioner to pose for a photo with a jersey and hat from his or her new team. It’s a symbolic start to a new career, one the players can look back on later with a sense of pride. Except when they know they’ll never play a single game for the team that drafted them.
The NBA has an odd custom where draft-day trades are officially announced by the commissioner after the picks are made. Which can lead to what ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt calls the league’s uncomfortable “hat situation.”
“The league’s too smart to have the moment that they’ve waited their whole life for be a picture in the wrong hat. It just doesn’t make sense,” Van Pelt ranted post-draft on SportsCenter. Read Steve Gardner’s full story on the hat kerfuffle here.
Scott Van Pelt: “I’m gonna scream about the hat situation. The league’s too smart to have the moment that they’ve waited their whole life for be a picture in the wrong hat. It just doesn’t make sense. I don’t know why they can’t fix it.” #NBADraft #NBA pic.twitter.com/BffUpklnVO
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 26, 2025NBA second-generation golden era continues with 2025 NBA Draft
(Jase) Richardson will join a growing NBA trend this week when he becomes the league’s latest second-generation player. He and Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, the son of longtime NBA player Ron Harper, are projected to be first-round picks ahead of the 2025-26 season. It would be the seventh time in eight years multiple players were drafted with a father who played in the NBA.
The rise can be attributed to a variety of reasons, according to experts, from genetics to exposure, access and socioeconomic factors thanks the rising cost of youth sports. The number of NBA alumni is also bigger now with the league more than 75 years old. But the pattern is more distinguishable than ever.
This past season, there were at least 33 second-generation players who appeared in an NBA game (or more than 7% of the league’s players). Of the 30 NBA teams, 21 had at least one second-generation player on their roster at some point.
Read more on second-generation NBA players and their golden era by Mark Giannotto.
Mark Williams trade report: Hornets send center to Suns
Charlotte Hornets starting center Mark Williams is on the move, seemingly for real this time.
The Hornets are trading Williams to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the No. 29 pick of the 2025 NBA Draft and a first-round pick in the 2029 NBA Draft, ESPN reported on Wednesday. The Suns (on behalf of the Hornets) went on to select Liam McNeeley out of UConn with the No. 29 pick.
Williams was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish ahead of the trade deadline in February, but the Lakers announced two days later that the trade had been “rescinded due to failure to satisfy a condition of the trade.”
Cooper Flagg: How will Duke star fare in NBA?
USA TODAY Sports Lorenzo Reyes states: “Given his size and skill set, and given his ability to play multiple positions on the floor, Flagg should be an instant contributor for the Mavericks and will enter the season as the odds-on favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year. He’s a player with an already-polished portfolio that includes ball handling, passing, rebounding and scoring, all of which means he can find different ways to impact games. And it’s not just against college kids; Flagg’s experience scrimmaging against Team USA — when he was just 17 years old — drew praise from LeBron James, Kevin Durant and others.
“With Kyrie Irving (torn anterior cruciate ligament) set to miss most of the season, Flagg could be asked to assist Dallas with distribution and playmaking, but his best fit is as a versatile wing who can blossom into a consistent All-Star, with a potential arc like that of a fellow Blue Devil, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.”
USA TODAY Sports’ Steve Gardner has more on Cooper Flagg and expert predictions around the draft.
Khaman Maluach and navigating Trump’s visa ban
A quirk related to Maluach’s visa situation will play out on Wednesday night at the 2025 NBA Draft. The NBA is preparing for the complicated scenario that would be triggered if Maluach were to be taken by the Toronto Raptors with the No. 9 overall pick.
Given the current Trump administration policy related to South Sudan, Maluach would have to apply for a United States tourism visa and a waiver to South Sudan’s visa ban any time he enters the United States if he plays for the Raptors, according to the NBA. That would also be in addition to having to obtain a Canadian work visa. The Raptors had to cross the United States border from Canada for road games 19 times based on their 2024-25 schedule.
USA TODAY Sports’ Mark Giannotto dives into Khaman Maluach’s situation around the draft and visa bans.
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