The 2025 NBA Draft is underway, with the first round taking place last night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. While the top four picks went as expected, led by Cooper Flagg going to the Dallas Mavericks with the No. 1 overall selection, there were some surprises, as usual, in a deep draft.
7 Big Surprises Of 2025 NBA Draft’s First Round
Things started to get interesting with Utah selecting Ace Bailey at No. 5. Bailey was considered a top-3 talent in this year’s draft, but angered NBA executives by refusing to work out with teams. As a result, he was projected to fall to the Washington Wizards at No. 6. So, it wasn’t a total shock that the Jazz jumped at a chance to draft one of the most talented players available despite the belief he wanted to play on the East Coast.
With Utah shaking things up, the Wizards had to change plans on the fly and went with Tre Johnson at No. 6. The New Orleans Pelicans went with Jeremiah Fears at No. 7. The eighth pick is the first selection that was a little bit of surprise and that is where I start my most surprising things of the NBA draft.
Egor Demin Goes To Brooklyn Nets at No. 8
Since Brooklyn needed to add talent all over the court and major help in the backcourt, though their acquisition of Terrence Mann was a good start, it isn’t shocking that the Nets went with Egor Demin. The Nets are also expected to re-sign restricted free agent Cam Thomas.
Demin was highly regarded, having come from Real Madrid, via Russia, to BYU this past season. Demin is highly skilled but has had his ups and downs in his lone season at BYU. The 6-9 guard finished the year with 10.6 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.9 rebounds with shooting splits of 41.2/27.3/69.5.
Demin could prove he was worth being selected with the No. 8 selection, but he does have lots of work to do, especially with his shot. He was projected to be a late lottery pick, going between No. 11 and No. 14, so it wasn’t a giant leap.
“Demin is the best passer in this draft, which served him well as a creative force for BYU,” ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said. “His talent is undeniable, as his combination of size and passing ability is rare. He’s far away from reaching his physical potential, but his upside has obvious appeal, and time is on his side.”
Phoenix Acquires Mark Williams From Charlotte For A Package That Included The No. 29 Pick
The most shocking occurrence last night was the Phoenix Suns, desperately needing size, trading for Charlotte’s Mark Williams. The Suns had just selected 7-footer Khaman Malauch with the No. 10 selection when ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news about the deal.
It is no surprise that the Hornets traded Williams, as they had previously traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers at the February trade deadline, only for the trade to be rescinded. The surprise is that there was no word that a deal was going to occur and the Suns were interested, especially after selecting Malauch, though it was readily known that they needed to add size.
In exchange for Williams, Charlotte got the No. 29 pick (Liam McNeeley), Vasilije Micic, and the least favorable 2029 first-round pick (Cleveland, Utah, and Minnesota). The Minnesota pick is top-5 protected.
Micic, who wasn’t in the Suns’ plans, gets his $8.1 million option picked up and goes back to Charlotte. Micic spent one and a half seasons with the Hornets before heading to the Suns as part of the Jusuf Nurkic trade deadline deal.
Portland Trades the No. 11 To Memphis For the No. 16 Pick
In one of the first trades of the evening, Portland traded the No. 11 pick (Cedrick Coward) in the draft to the Memphis Grizzlies. Coward was the 21st-rated player in the draft by Givony, although most mock drafts had him going between No. 10 and No. 18. Coward is a late bloomer as a prospect and played just six games at Washington State this past season.
Here is what Givony said about the 6-5 wing:
“Coward ticks several boxes NBA scouts are actively seeking on the wing, with a sweet shooting stroke to go along with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and more upside than most 21-year-olds. Coward is on a very unique trajectory. He put up big numbers in a few games against low-major competition before missing the rest of the season. Coward has been elevated in the draft process thanks to his length and shooting potential, with some scouts considering him among the most intriguing swings in this class despite his “mystery man” status.”
Portland Selects Chinese Center No. 16 Choice
Memphis sent a pretty good haul to move up five spots. The Trail Blazers received the No. 16 pick ( Yang Hansen) in this year’s draft from the Grizzlies and a 2028 first-rounder (via Orlando). The Blazers also get two second-round selections from the Grizzlies.
The biggest surprise of the trade was that the Trail Blazers selected Hansen. Hansen wasn’t considered a first-round pick, with his best ranking being No. 33.
The 7-foot-2, 19-year-old struggled with turnovers while playing for Team China last year during the summer league. However, he showed improvement during the regular season in China and at the NBA Combine. The most curious aspect of the Blazers’ choice, aside from Hansen being selected too high, is that they already have four centers on their roster for the 2025-26 season.
Atlanta trades No. 13 pick to New Orleans
It was no secret that New Orleans needed to add depth to its center position after the Pelicans traded Kelly Olynyk. And Derik Queen was the second-best big man in the draft. The surprise of the trade is that the Pelicans moved up 10 spots to do so after passing on Malauch at No. 7.
For moving down, Atlanta received the No. 23 pick in this year’s draft and a first-round pick next year, the more favorable of the two between New Orleans and Milwaukee. The No. 23 pick ended up being Asa Newell.
Utah Moves Up To No. 18 To Take Walter Clayton Jr.
Utah moved up three slots from No. 21 to No. 18, with Walter Clayton Jr. solidifying his status as a first-round prospect through an outstanding NCAA Tournament performance, in which he was named NCAA Final Four MVP. It is not shocking that the Jazz selected Clayton; it is more surprising that Washington moved down. However, Clayton was probably taken a little too high at No. 18, as he was slotted to go in the mid-20s, with Givony ranking Clayton as his 28th-best prospect.
Here is more from Givony about Clayton:
“His shotmaking, scoring instincts, and confidence give him significant appeal as a combo guard, but his ability to become a more reliable playmaker and decision-maker to help compensate for a lack of defensive impact will be important in carving out a role long term.”
The Wizards needed backcourt help, and Clayton would have fit nicely with Washington’s other youngsters. But they moved back and selected 6-8 wing Will Riley, considered an upside pick, with the No. 21 selection. The Wizards also bolstered their future assets with the No. 43 pick in this year’s draft, as well as second-round selections in 2031 and 2032.
“The Wizards traded back from No. 18 with the Jazz to select Riley, who is a strong upside pick in this part of the draft, said ESPN’s Jeremy Woo. “He offers a nice mix of size, smarts, and shooting potential on the wing, all traits Washington has consistently valued under the direction of Michael Winger and Will Dawkins. ”
Yanic Konan Niederhauser Selected With Last Pick of First Round by Los Angeles Clippers
Again, this pick is not an overreach, as he was projected to be a late first-round or early second-round selection. However, Yanic Konan Niederhauser didn’t put up even average numbers for a potential first-round pick throughout his three collegiate seasons. His best season was last year at Penn State, where he averaged 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks a game.
Niederhauser wasn’t on the NBA radar until breaking out at the NBA G-League Elite Camp and then the NBA Draft Combine.
“Niederhauser was one of the breakout stars from this year’s combine, playing his way from the G League Elite camp into the main event and ultimately solidifying first-round status,” Woo stated. “Teams have been drawn to his physical tools and flashes, offering some untapped upside as a rim-running center and a late-blooming prospect who flew somewhat under the radar in college. He started his career at Northern Illinois before transferring to Penn State and ultimately winding up in the draft.”
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