Our NBA mock drafts lean heavily on intel to make projections for the players and the 30 teams. This mock draft, with Cooper Flagg as the projected No. 1 pick, isn't like the others. Instead, ESPN draft analysts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo explored the first round of the 2025 NBA draft from two differing perspectives: selecting for team need versus drafting for best available.

South Carolina basketball star Collin Murray-Boyles did not withdraw his name from the NCAA-mandated NBA Draft deadline. That means that next year will be his first as a professional. The draft is less than three weeks away,

Eighteen prospects previously ranked in our top 100 elected to withdraw their names from the 2025 NBA draft and return to college, or not declare for the draft at all at the early-entry deadline, taking a big chunk out of the depth of this draft, mostly in the second round.

USA TODAY Sports released their latest NBA Mock Draft driven by ChatGPT AI, and Richardson landed right about where most human draft experts are predicting. The computer model had Richardson going No. 17 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves.