NBA Draft First-Round Stock Report: Liking Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey Selections

Taking stock of things I liked and didn’t like (non–Cooper Flagg edition) in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft …

I liked that San Antonio stood pat and drafted Dylan Harper with the second overall pick. There had to have been some temptation within the Spurs to take a big swing. I had heard some rumblings of interest in Jaylen Brown, who was kinda, sorta available in Boston if someone was willing to blow the Celtics away. Instead, San Antonio takes Harper, a potential franchise guard who the Spurs could still flip if, say, a certain two-time MVP becomes available.

I didn’t like Philadelphia taking VJ Edgecombe at No. 3. I’ve been lukewarm on Edgecombe. He’s athletic and an aggressive defender. But I don’t see a super high offensive upside. He was kind of a meh shooter at Baylor (43.6% from the floor, 34% from three) who didn’t show much in the way of shot creation. And for Philly, he doesn’t really fill a position of need. A little surprised Sixers team president Daryl Morey didn’t flip that pick for more NBA-ready talent.

I liked Utah taking Ace Bailey at No. 5. Bizarre few weeks for Bailey. Zero draft workouts, per ESPN. Supposedly Bailey was hoping to slip to Washington (No. 6) or Brooklyn (No. 8). No dice. The Jazz, desperate for high-end talent, picked him, sight unseen. This move screamed Danny Ainge. Remember, in 2017 Jayson Tatum wasn’t keen on coming to Boston. Ainge took him anyway. Look how that worked out.

I don’t like anything Phoenix did. Literally, anything. They drafted Khaman Maluach at No. 10. Fine. I’m not as high as others are on Maluach, but whatever. But I heard from one rival team source that the Suns were dangling him in trades after drafting him.

The Suns then cut a deal with Charlotte for Mark Williams, surrendering the 29th overall pick in this draft and a 2029 first. Huh? Why invest in Maluach and then acquire Williams? If you’re keeping score at home, Phoenix now has a center rotation that includes Williams, Maluach, Nick Richards and Oso Ighodaro.

There is a disconnect between what the Suns are and what they think they are. They seem to think they are a playoff contender that can retool around Devin Booker with Jalen Green and a couple of athletic centers and make the playoffs. What they are is an odd-fitting roster that will struggle to make the backside of the play-in bracket.

I like that the Blazers took Yang Hansen, the Chinese 7-footer. O.K., maybe I don’t like it. But I love the sight of Yang buttoning up his cream white suit and lumbering down from the stands for his handshake with Adam Silver. Wild.

What is Portland doing? A year after drafting Donovan Clingan—and already having Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III—the Blazers used a mid-first-round pick on Yang, a soon-to-be 20-year-old with a raw offensive game. This is a big swing by the Blazers. Mike Schmitz, Portland’s assistant general manager, is one of the smartest scouting minds I know. Schmitz must see something in Yang. Maybe he develops into a modern version of Yao Ming. The flip side is he becomes a Chinese Bruno Caboclo.

I don’t like some of the moves New Orleans has made. The draft week deal with Washington—flipping CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk for Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey—was a head scratcher. Poole has a fat contract and an inefficient game. Bey missed all of last season with a knee injury. The Pelicans appeared to sacrifice financial flexibility on the chance Poole can be a reliable complement to Zion Williamson.

On draft night, the Pels drafted Jeremiah Fears. Good pick. Fears is 18, but I’ve heard execs rave about his potential. New Orleans then traded a 2026 first to move up 10 spots to draft Maryland big man Derik Queen, at No. 13. I’m not a Queen guy. There’s more variance with him than any player in the lottery. He’s got great hands and good footwork, but he’s a limited athlete and a poor shooter (53% from the floor/20% from three) with a slow release. Not sure how he fits alongside Williamson, either. Some risky decisions from the Joe Dumars–led front office.

I like Boston’s deals this week. The Celtics got Portland to take on the final three years of Jrue Holiday’s contract and Atlanta to absorb the last year of Kristaps Porzingis’s. They shaved $180 million in tax penalties off the books, ducked under the second apron and could get out of the tax entirely with another deal or two (look out, Sam Hauser).

Even in a weak Eastern Conference, the revamped Celtics will struggle next season. But the sliding under the tax will open up options next summer and Boston will go into the 2026–27 season with Brown, Jayson Tatum and Derrick White under contract. That’s a pretty good core to build around.

I don’t like Brooklyn using all five of its first- round picks on Wednesday, becoming the first team in NBA history to draft that many players in one round. If you’re scoring at home: Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf are all headed to New York. This can’t have been the plan. Do the Nets bring all five guys to training camp? Or is there another deal on the horizon?

I like Miami getting Kasparas Jakucionis at No. 20. I really like Jakucionis. I think he has top-five talent. He’s got great size (6' 6") and playmaking instincts. Kind of a bigger version of Ricky Rubio. He was a turnover machine last season, but his talent is undeniable. I’m shocked that he fell to No. 20. I think he will turn out to be the steal of the draft.

I didn’t like ESPN’s draft coverage. In the aftermath of Bailey getting drafted by Utah, ESPN went to Jonathan Givony, its wired-in draft expert, who reported that the Jazz were not among Bailey’s preferred destinations. They then pivoted to Bobby Marks, the ex-Nets exec who offered perspective on a team drafting a guy who seemed to be actively trying to avoid going there.

It was great. There just wasn’t enough of it. ESPN has a weird habit of underutilizing its experts. An ideal draft panel would have been Givony (who eats, drinks and breathes this stuff year-round), Marks (whose understanding of team needs and cap structure is unrivaled) and Bob Myers (who knows a few things about hitting on picks), with Malika Andrews steering the conversation. By not doing that, the Mothership opens itself up to criticism. Justifiable criticism, I’d say.