Inside the 2025 NBA Draft and how it works

• Five Australian men's basketball players are eligible for the 2025 NBA Draft
• The 2025 NBA Draft is on Friday June 27, 2025 (AEST)
• How to watch every 2025 NBL1 game live and free with Bounce Pass

The 2025 “Cooper Flagg” NBA draft is just days away and anticipation is building across the basketball world.

The Draft, on Friday, June 27, 2025 (AEST) is one of the most exciting events on the NBA calendar. It attracts millions of viewers every year and is a showcase for the next generation of rising stars and fresh talent.

The annual event introduced us to now household names such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James.

This year, rising stars such as Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper are projected to the top two picks.

Five Australians have declared for the 2025 NBA Draft.

• Alex Toohey (NBL)
• Rocco Zikarsky (NBL)
• Lachlan Olbrich (NBL)
• Tyrese Proctor (NCAA)
• Reyne Smith (NCAA)

These exceptional athletes are trying to join the ever-growing list of Aussies in the NBA. They are projected to go late in the first round and in the second round.

How the Draft Works

The draft consists of two rounds, with each of the 30 teams across America receiving one pick per round, depending on already agreed trades. This allows 60 players from around the globe a chance to join an NBA team.

Most players enter the draft from US Colleges or international leagues such as the NBL or EuroLeague.  

Players who declare for the draft must be 19 or older and must have graduated from high school at least one year before the Draft.

The Draft Lottery Explained

The draft order is determined by the teams’ performance and record from the previous regular season. Teams with the worst records have the highest chance of winning the No1 pick.

The NBA lottery draft ensures fair and equal opportunities across the NBA. The lottery assigns the first 14 picks to the 14 teams who did not reach the playoffs. During the Draft Lottery, 14 ping-pong balls, labelled 1 through 14, are put into a machine, totalling 1001 possible combinations.

Each team is assigned a specific number of combinations based on its performance in the previous season. Teams with the lowest records are given more combinations, while better-performing teams receive fewer, reducing their chances of securing a high draft pick. The goal is to create balance across the league.

Four balls are drawn from the machine, determining which teams get the first pick. The team assigned the matching 4-number combination is awarded the No.1 overall pick. The rest of the draft order is based on the reverse standings from the previous season.

The ping-pong balls are returned to the machine and repeated for the second, third, and fourth picks. If a team is selected more than once, the result is discarded, and a new combination is drawn.

2025 Draft Lottery

The 2025 draft was one that beat incredible odds with only a 1.8% chance, the Dallas Mavericks (39-43) won the first pick in the draft.

The Spurs (34-48) won the No. 2 pick, once again with odds on the lower side at just 6%.

Utah Jazz (17-65), Washington Wizards (18-64), and the Charlotte Hornets (19-63) were all top contenders in the 2025 draft, all sharing 14% odds for the 1-4 draft pick.

However, despite being tied with the best odds, the Jazz and Wizards fell to the No.5 and No.6 picks.

Duke Blue Devils star Flagg, who has been labelled a generational talent, will be the first pick in the NBA Draft. Rutgers Scarlet Knights' Harper is a projected lottery pick. The Mavs winning the lottery is an amazing twist of fate after the Mavericks stunningly traded All-NBA superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers before the 2025 trade deadline in February.

2025 NBA Draft Order of Teams

1. Dallas Mavericks
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Philadelphia 76ers
4. Charlotte Hornets
5. Utah Jazz
6. Washington Wizards
7. New Orleans Pelicans
8. Brooklyn Nets
9. Toronto Raptors
10. Phoenix Suns (via Houston in the Kevin Durant trade via Phoenix via Brooklyn)
11. Portland Trailblazers
12. Chicago Bulls
13. Atlanta Hawks (from Sacramento)
14. San Antonio Spurs (from Atlanta)
15. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Miami via the LA Clippers)
16. Memphis Grizzlies (from Orlando)
17. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Detroit via New York, Oklahoma City, and Houston)
18. Washington Wizards (from Memphis)
19. Brooklyn Nets (From Milwaukee via New York, Detroit, Portland, and New Orleans)
20. Miami Heat (from Golden State)
21. Utah Jazz (from Minnesota)
22. Atlanta Hawks (from Los Angeles Lakers via New Orleans)
23. New Orleans Pelicans (from Indiana)
24. Oklahoma City Thunder (from LA Clippers)
25. Orlando Magic (from Denver)
26. Brooklyn Nets (from New York)
27. Brooklyn Nets (from Houston)
28. Boston Celtics
29. Phoenix Suns (from Cleveland via Utah)
30. LA Clippers (from Oklahoma City)
    
    Second Round
    ‍
31. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Utah)
32. Boston Celtics (from Washington via Detroit and Brooklyn)
33. Charlotte Hornets
34. Charlotte Hornets (from New Orleans via San Antonio, Phoenix, and Memphis)
35. Philadelphia 76ers
36. Brooklyn Nets
37. Detroit Pistons (from Toronto via Dallas and San Antonio)
38. San Antonio Spurs
39. Toronto Raptors (from Portland via Sacramento)
40. Washington Wizards (from Phoenix)
41. Golden State Warriors (from Miami via Brooklyn and Indiana)
42. Sacramento Kings (from Chicago via San Antonio)
43. Utah Jazz (from Dallas)
44. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Atlanta)
45. Chicago Bulls (from Sacramento)
46. Orlando Magic
47. Milwaukee Bucks (from Detroit via Washington)
48. Memphis Grizzlies (from Golden State via Washington and Brooklyn)
49. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Milwaukee)
50. New York Knicks (from Memphis via Oklahoma City and Boston)
51. LA Clippers (from Minnesota via Atlanta and Houston)
52. Phoenix Suns (from Denver via Charlotte and Minnesota)
53. Utah Jazz (from the LA Clippers via Los Angeles Lakers)
54. Indiana Pacers
55. Los Angeles Lakers
56. Memphis Grizzlies (from Houston)
57. Orlando Magic (from Boston)
58. Cleveland Cavalier
59. Houston Rockets (from Oklahoma City via Atlanta)

The New York Knicks were penalised and their second-round selection in the 2025 draft was forfeited due to free agency discussions that took place before the approved date.