With the 2025 NBA Draft over and free agency starting, several teams—especially in the East—have decided to revamp their rosters to have a chance at representing their conference at the NBA Finals next year. The West, well, has remained pretty crowded.
But before we move on with the latest free agency buzz, let’s take a moment and look at the five biggest winners at the 2025 NBA Draft and the five biggest losers.
Who are the winners and losers at the 2025 NBA Draft?
Winner: Dallas Mavericks
Mavs fans may hate Harrison, but no doubt that he and Dallas came out as winners after the 2025 NBA Draft. Despite dealing with some extreme negativity after Harrison traded Luka Doncic in February, Dallas was extremely lucky with how the ping-pong balls turned out in their favor.
Fans may not want to hear him say that this was Harrison’s ‘vision’ all along, but they have no choice but to support the team anyway since they still have a roster that’s bound to compete for a championship for years to come.
And for that, even though “Fire Nico” chants may continue to erupt in their home arena, Harrison won’t lose sleep about it because he knows that the trio of Irving, Flagg, and Davis is something to fear out in the West.
Loser: Brooklyn Nets
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Brian Windhorst, a well-known NBA media analyst, has spoken live on air that other front offices in the league laughed at all of Brooklyn’s selections in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
The Nets had five first-round selections, and they went with three point guards, a project wing, and a center who prefers to play like a point guard. How well it will go for them next season is anybody’s guess right now. There’s no way that Brooklyn could possibly play all three floor generals and find them consistent minutes on a nightly basis.
We understand that some weird choices are necessary for a complete rebuild, but they could have selected other players who could’ve rounded out their roster instead of stockpiling on three primary ball handlers.
Winner: Charlotte Hornets
With the Eastern Conference suddenly wide open with Boston and Indiana dealing with some lengthy injuries to their franchise players, the Hornets decided to pounce hard in the 2025 NBA Draft, and surprisingly, it looks like they did not take any shortcuts in the process and ended with decent additions to their roster.
Duke’s Kon Knueppel is arguably their most significant addition. The 6-foot-6 guard/forward’s game fits on any offensive scheme and should be starting in their backcourt alongside LaMelo Anthony. McNeeley, James, and Kalkbrenner are worthy additions as well, and everybody is expected to have a role with the team next season.
This may be premature, but if all goes right, the Hornets have a good chance of finishing in the top six in the East in 2026.
Loser: Chicago Bulls
As currently constructed, the Bulls are still a fringe play-in team next season. They could’ve drafted a big man who can be a force in the middle and be a future cornerstone, but instead they opted to select another project player in Noa Essengue.
Essengue’s game is extremely raw, but he may blossom into a star if given the right opportunity. The huge problem is that they also have Matas Buzelis, their prized rookie in 2024, who has already shown that he could become a vital cog for this team in the future. Both Buzelis and Essengue have similar games, yet neither of them is too keen on passing the ball to their teammates.
Plus, they elected to trade deep down in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft to select a draft-and-stash player in Lachlan Olbrich. There could have been gems in their original position, yet they decided to be lazy about the process.
Winner: Miami Heat
Several teams were wary about selecting Kasparas Jakucionis so high in the draft because of his poor decision-making as a floor general. Still, the Heat only saw potential from the Illinois standout.
Sure, he’s a bit turnover-prone, but when given the right opportunity in a world-class environment, those little imperfections are bound to be corrected. Jakucionis, as unpolished as he may be, has the potential to become a steady floor general for Miami as soon as next season.
At 6-foot-6, he elevates well to get his shots off from taller opponents on the floor. He has a step-back game that could translate well at the pros. If we’re being honest about it, there’s more to like than hate, and the Heat knows that they have a special talent in their hands.
Loser: Milwaukee Bucks
It’s kinda weird that the Bucks, despite facing some uncertainties next season, have elected not to be active in the 2025 NBA Draft. While they did draft Bogoljub Markovic at the 47th spot in the second round, it’s not guaranteed he’ll get to play for the team in 2026.
Damian Lillard will probably sit out the 2025-2026 season to rehabilitate his Achilles injury. That basically means that Giannis Antetokounmpo will be on his own again when it comes to leading this team to a playoff berth.
They had a chance to unload several assets to either enter a full rebuild or at least crack inside the top 20 to acquire more heralded players, but they opted to stay eerily silent in the background as other teams got better.
Winner: Orlando Magic
What a good draft day for the Magic. First, they scooped up Jase Richardson from Michigan at the 25th spot and added Noa Penda at 32 in the second round.
There were some serious discussions that Richardson may end up as a lottery pick months before the 2025 NBA Draft. Due to his small stature and his preference to play the shooting guard spot, he fell on draft night at 25. But make no mistake, Richardson is a baller and could score at all three levels.
Penda was also an intriguing prospect heading into the draft and was widely seen to be selected somewhere in the 20s. Again, Orlando lucked out and selected a first-round talent early in the second round.
Loser: Sacramento Kings
Despite desperately needing a point guard, the Kings selected 23-year-old forward Nique Clifford at the 24th spot in the 2025 NBA Draft.
They now have a surplus of wings on the roster. How they’ll spread those minutes will be intriguing to watch next season. We fully understand that Sacramento wants to compete for a playoff spot next year. However, selecting a soon to be 24 year old limits their capability to rebuild once they realize that their team isn’t good enough to be in title contention.
Arguably, their most underrated selection on draft night was Stanford’s Maxime Raynauld. The 22-year-old looks like he’s ready to contribute right from the get-go.
Again, they brought this nonsense all to themselves. A few years ago, they had Haliburton and Fox, but they decided to trade both all-stars away.
Oh Kings. You continually refuse to learn.
Winner: Utah Jazz
We can criticize Ace Bailey’s camp all we want, but the Jazz showed him that the league doesn’t bow down to weird pre-draft antics from any prospects. If you are deemed good enough, then an NBA team won’t hesitate to draft you, whether you like it or not.
Utah was the winner here because Bailey is a bona fide top-three prospect leading into the 2025 NBA Draft, but fell to 5th. He reportedly did not want to land in either Charlotte or Utah, but Jazz GM Danny Ainge apparently saw through his poker face and called out his bluff.
In addition, the Jazz got Walter Clayton Jr. at 18, which is a steal by the way. The Florida Gator guard was the best player for the team during their national title run in March Madness.
John Tonje, selected 54th in the second round, should be able to contribute to them as soon as next season. He played six years in college and is not your typical rookie.
Loser: Portland Trail Blazers
Due to the recent developments about Deandre Ayton being bought out on his final year of his contract, suddenly, the Blazers’ crowded frontcourt isn’t too crowded anymore.
There were mixed reactions about the Blazers selecting China’s Yang Hansen too high at 16, but the team has been scouting his progress in the CBA and FIBA Asia for the last couple of years. Two years’ worth of scouting is not a joke, and Portland knew Yang’s value and potential before surprising everybody in the 2025 NBA Draft.
When you look at the Chinese big man’s highlights, one thing that stands out is his high basketball IQ and his ability to make the right plays whenever he has the ball. He isn’t super athletic but has elite footwork down the block.
Chinese Jokic? Well, there are certainly similarities to their games. Would not be surprised if he balls out in his rookie season. In addition, the Blazers gained a billion fans by going with Yang. Not a bad move at all.
