With just days until the start of the NBA Draft (Thursday, June 25 at 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN), the top two picks are cemented — Cooper Flagg will be No. 1; Dylan Harper will go No. 2 — but things are quite murky after that.
Rumors are swirling about whether the San Antonio Spurs will make Bailey the pick or trade out, while Ace Bailey’s predraft strategy has thrown a major wrench into the lottery.
We take a look at the latest whispers circulating as we enter Draft week.
What to make of the Ace Bailey situation
ESPN initially reported that Ace Bailey canceled his workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, a storyline that’s created poor optics and negative press. But does this mean he’s now poised for a draft-night slide?
Sources I’ve talked to around the league don’t believe that Bailey is going to dramatically fall because of his agent’s decisions or strategy. He’s still going to be evaluated based on basketball, which they’ve seen him play plenty of dating back to high school. And there is plenty of love for the 18-year-old scorer and shotmaker that just averaged 17.6 points per game at Rutgers.
Bailey’s agent, Omar Cooper, is also working his first real predraft process. He has no current NBA players on his roster. Even if he’s trying to trigger a fall so Bailey can land in one of his preferred destinations, the Charlotte Hornets and Utah Jazz won’t let that happen if they view Bailey as a top-five prospect. And most of the feedback we’ve received throughout the season suggests teams don’t think there are five better prospects in this draft.
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They’re also aware that the freshman isn’t driving these unorthodox predraft decisions.
Maybe Cooper knows something we don’t, like one of his preferred teams having a deal in place to trade up if Bailey is on the board at No. 4. But we’re not ready to start calling out diva behavior or predicting any major slides.
Tre Johnson’s stock
Teams in the late-lottery range aren’t expecting Tre Johnson to be on the board in the second half of the lottery. Some believe he won’t get past the Utah Jazz at No. 5, although that may depend on whether the Sixers and Hornets pass on Ace Bailey.
There is a high level of interest tied to the perceived certainty around Johnson’s self-creation, shotmaking and scoring ability. Even if there are questions about his shot selection, his competitiveness and consistent production remain selling points.
If the Jazz already feel invested and optimistic about Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier, Johnson would be a logical candidate to provide more off-ball offense and shooting.
Noa Essengue has top-10 interest
Playing in the German BBL Finals has prevented Essengue from working out for NBA teams. But we’re hearing there are two mystery teams in the top 10 that have shown significant interest in the draft’s second youngest prospect.
Essengue, who was listed at 6-foot-9” by Ulm, measured at 6-feet, 10-inches barefoot with a 9-foot, 1-inch standing reach last week.
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Despite not turning 19 until December, he’s averaging 10.8 points and 5.0 boards in 22.9 minutes for a Finalist in Germany. And he’s made 7-of-16 threes in June, an encouraging development for a big forward who already finishes, gets to the line at a ridiculous rate, passes well and defends all over.
Though raw, he’s on a promising trajectory, and his physical tools, skillset and age suggest Essengue should have one of the higher ceilings in the class.
Green room analysis
The names left off the green room list were more interesting than the names on it.
Jase Richardson was not one of the 24 prospects invited to the draft. For what it’s worth he’s a top-10 prospect on my personal board. Scouts quickly became hesitant after he measured under 6-feet, 1-inch barefoot. Maxime Raynaud was also left off after a dominant NBA combine. Despite hearing from scouts that thought he was locked into the first round — and even moving closer to the lottery than the fringe at No. 30 — the green room list either suggests he hasn’t sold everyone or teams are being coy about their rankings.
Drake Powell, one of the other perceived big risers of the combine, was also not included in the first 24 players invited. Powell created buzz with his 7-foot wingspan and 43-inch vertical, attractive numbers for a freshman wing defender that shot 37.9 percent from three.
While Hugo Gonzalez being left off was less surprising due to his lack of production, he was a projected lottery pick entering the year who’s played sparingly for European powerhouse Real Madrid.
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Trade talk and uncertainty
Rival teams and agents mention the Sixers and Hornets as teams expected to be active in trade talks.
There’s a perceived drop-off after projected No. 2 pick Dylan Harper, and while the options at No. 3 are all promising, none jump out as franchise players or prospects who’ll help turn Philadelphia back into contenders in 2025-26.
The Hornets have been stuck in place for years, and adding a rookie (who’s not Flagg or Harper) into the mix isn’t expected to significantly move the needle.
“I’m not sure who of San Antonio, Philadelphia, Charlotte or Utah will actually be picking,” said one agent. “You know more than me at this point,” said another agent. “Teams don’t start to expose who they really like until Wednesday morning when we start getting calls.”
