The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery concluded on Monday night, with the Dallas Mavericks jumping to the first-overall pick despite having only the 11th-best odds. As a result, teams like the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards fell outside the top four, despite having the two worst records in the league this past regular season.
Now, while trades could still happen, teams are locked into their selections and can start exploring which prospects they want to target in June’s draft. For some teams, like the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers, some mock drafts think they could get bold with which players they decide to take a chance on.
Starting with the Pelicans, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have them making a bold move with their seventh overall pick, selecting Duke center Khaman Maluach. While the pick isn’t bold in terms of Maluach’s abilities, as he’s viewed as a top 10 pick, it’s bold to assume the new Pelicans regime would give up on Yves Missi after a solid rookie season.
However, Joe Dumars and the front office might see Maluach as a better fit next to Zion Williamson going forward, and the Duke star freshman proved he has the tools to be an elite defensive big in the NBA someday.
As for other teams predicted to make bold moves, ESPN has the Boston Celtics making two low-floor, high-ceiling selections with France’s Noah Penda at 28th overall and North Carolina’s Drake Powell at 32nd overall. With potential for some major shakeup in Boston this summer, the Celtics could look to strike gold in selecting Penda and or Powell.
In a similar situation, ESPN has the Los Angeles Lakers taking a chance with their 55th overall pick, selecting former G League Ignite guard Dink Pate. A former top recruit in the 2023 recruiting class, Pate’s path was changed after the G League Ignite team was disbanded. However, Pate could become a serious piece to a team if the right development team is behind him
