Should You Be Worried? | Part Two

Stephen continues to look an NBA past, present, and future to answer one question for fans of NBA teams: Should You Be Worried?

May 29, 2025

Welcome back! We’ll be continuing and completing this mini-series, where we will look at the past, present, and future to see how nervous you should be based on where your team will be picking. As you saw from Part One, we will also be taking into consideration how these teams are currently constructed and which players could be available at these different picks.

We won’t spend any more time belaboring the structure of the piece; let’s get right into the post-lottery picks!

Pick #15: Oklahoma City Thunder

Previous Picks at #15: Gary Grant (1988)

Let me just start out by saying: Bring back the Seattle Supersonics! Until this team returns, you bet your sweet bippy that I will include the history of the Supersonics with the Thunder’s history. Gary Grant was the only player in this combined history who was taken with the 15th pick in the 1988 NBA Draft. The thing is, he didn’t even play for the team. In a three-team trade, the Supersonics send the rights to Gary Grant to the Los Angeles Clippers, and got Michael Cage—who led the NBA in rebounding the year prior. This trade also including Hersey Hawkins—who we mentioned in Part One of this mini-series. Grant played for the Clippers for seven seasons, averaging about 9 PPG and 6 APG. Michael Cage played in Seattle for six years, averaging about 11 PPG and 9 RPG. It’s close enough to call this trade a wash. Too bad for Seattle that Sam Presti was only around 11 years old at this time—about five years before he started writing to the Boston Globe to attempt to convince the Celtics to draft Jason Kidd.

The way things worked out for Oklahoma City regarding the draft this season was somewhat comical—depending on the team you root for. If the Philadelphia pick was outside the Top 6, the pick would have gone to the Thunder. Instead, the Thunder are “only” left with the 15th and 24th picks in this year’s draft.

There is going to be continued speculation as to how OKC will manage their picks moving forward. There will be those who expect them to consolidate their picks to either move up or trade for a player. There are others who feel like they will trade back into future picks—similar to what we saw them do with the Denver Nuggets. “Draft-and-Stash” will be a phrase we’ll hear with this team for years because they can only roster so many players. The thing is, no one knows what OKC is going to do. Presti moves in a way that you can’t really predict what he will do next.

However, there is a certain “Dribble-Pass-Shoot” philosophy you see attached to the team. Defense has become a trait we have seen shine through in these NBA Playoffs. We also keep hearing how “no one can score outside of SGA”. Truly, the team can pick almost anyone here, and we would have to give the Thunder the benefit of the doubt. Danny Wolf could make some sense here to add to their big man rotation. Asa Newell could be a fun frontcourt player. If Cedric Coward were to fall outside the lottery, it would be hard to imagine the Thunder passing on him. Adou Thiero has the athleticism and defense that could prove valuable to the team. Walter Clayton Jr. can certainly dribble, pass, and shoot. There is almost no pick they could make that would raise much concern regarding the future of this team.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? No way!

Pick #16: Orlando Magic

Previous Picks at #16: Chuma Okeke (2019)

Since 1989—the year Orlando was granted an expansion team—the Magic have had the 16th pick only once. In the 2019 season, the Magic drafted Chuma Okeke out of Auburn University. Okeke has showed some impressive defensive chops—averaging a Steal and Block Percentage of 2 throughout his young career. Okeke did not play in the 2019-2020 season due to a knee injury he suffered in the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, injuries have continued to plague Okeke throughout his young NBA career. The highest number of games he has played since his second year with the Magic was the 2023-2024 season—playing just 47 games with Orlando.

The Magic aren’t necessarily looked at among the better teams in the NBA, but they have worked their way into the Eastern Conference Playoff picture for consecutive seasons. The defense from their team has been elite and has become their identity in a lot of ways. With Paolo Banchero being the primary source of offense, many consider floor spacing to be the Magic’s most immediate need. Orlando has tried to remedy this by taking Jett Howard in the 2023 NBA Draft, but he has shot under 30% in his two seasons with the team. Caleb Houstan was taken 32nd overall the season prior, and he has shot the ball well. However, he played under 14 MPG on average the last two seasons. To simply say the Magic need shooting doesn’t seem to mesh with their approach.

Their profile has been to take length, and defense seems to be the way to get a sizeable role on the team. Adou Thiero would fit this team’s affinity for length, athleticism, and defense. He has not shown signs of a reliable jumper to this point, so hoping for one would be a major hope. Will Riley out of Illinois does have good length and has the potential to do many things on the floor. His primary skill for now is being lengthy with good feel as a supplemental playmaker. If Orlando were to completely throw out the profile of players they have been targeting, Walter Clayton Jr. could bring some big-time shot-making and floor spacing to the team. Their defense should be able to cover up whatever defensive blemishes his game may give.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? Probably a little.

Pick #17: Minnesota Timberwolves

Previous Picks at #17: Rasho Nesterovic (1998), Aleksej Pokusevski (2020)

The Minnesota Timberwolves made their debut in the 1989-1990 NBA season, and have only had the 17th overall pick twice. They took Rasho Nesterovic in the 1998 NBA Draft. After playing in just two games in his rookie season, Nesterovic would play more more seasons for the Wolves—even starting his last two years with the team. He would ultimately play seven more seasons in the NBA for the Spurs, Raptors, and Pacers. A long-time role player isn’t a bad outcome for a pick outside the lottery. Aleksej Pokusevski was taken 17th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, but he would ultimately be moved via trade. The trade took place between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New York Knicks, which resulted in the Wolves acquiring Ricky Rubio and Jaden McDaniels—who was taken 28th in the 2020 NBA Draft. This move was easily a win for Minnesota, as “Poku” is no longer playing in the NBA, whereas McDaniels is one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA.

The Wolves have made it to the Western Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons. They have done a great job of capitalizing on both trades and shrewd selections in the NBA Draft. The front office has done some minor tinkering—adding Wolves legend Kevin Garnett to the staff—and the ownership group has changed out. Still, we should expect the same sort of to the draft. Since adding Anthony Edwards in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Wolves have added players like Jaylen Clark in the second round, and Terrence Shannon Jr. in the late first round. Let’s not forget the move they made in adding Rob Dillingham, where they traded a 2031 first round pick, and a pick-swap in 2030 to the San Antonio Spurs to select Dillingham.

That shows that Minnesota values a level of creation and the ability to score with Dillingham and Shannon Jr. in the first round. It’s also worth noting that the Timberwolves will have Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s contract expiring this season, and Naz Reid is expected to decline his player option to sign a larger deal upon the completion of this season. If one or both of those two leave, the Wolves would need to shore up their depth.

Thomas Sorber, Danny Wolf, Ryan Kalkbrenner, or Maxime Raynaud could be viable big man options to add quality depth behind Rudy Gobert. Liam McNeeley could be added as a potential floor spacer to complement Anthony Edwards. Noah Penda could be a quality wing/forward option to add. The list of possibilities seems endless with the talent already on the team.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? I don’t think so

Pick #18: Washington Wizards

Previous Picks at #18: Dave Corzine (1978), Oleksiy Pecherov (2006), JaVale McGee (2008), Chris Singleton (2011)

We’re back again to take a look at the Washington Wizards/Bullets draft history. It makes a lot of sense for the Wiz to have had the 18th pick quite a bit over the past few decades. It seems like they aren’t really good enough to be taken too seriously, but too good to have the top pick. Dave Corzine came out of DePaul University in the 1978 NBA Draft and played for the Bullets for two seasons. Playing a very minimal role for the team, he was dealt to the San Antonio Spurs. Dave ultimately played in the NBA for 13 years, seven of which were with the Chicago Bulls. Oleksiy Pecherov was taken in the 2006 NBA Draft, but wouldn’t come to play for the Washington Wizards until the 2007-2008 season. Once he came over, he would only play for the Wiz for two seasons—averaging about 4 PPG and 2 RPG. The Minnesota Timberwolves gave him another opportunity to play in the league, but he would only last one more season in the NBA.

JAVALE MCGEE: Washington legend! McGee came to the NBA from Nevada, and he took a long while to develop into the NBA Champion he would become with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. JaVale played for the Wizards for four seasons, averaging about 9 PPG, 6 RPG, and 2 BPG. His athleticism and length made him a solid rim protector, but Washington dealt him to the Denver Nuggets in a three-team deal that sent Nene to the Wizards. Chris Singleton had a lot of promise coming out of Florida State—in large part due to his defense. On a team that had established offensive players, this pick seemed to make sense. Singleton only played three seasons in the NBA—all with the Wizards. The lack of an offensive game drastically outweighed the defensive upside.

We covered the youth on that already exists on this team, along with the recent drafting track record, in Part One of this mini-series, as well as the type of players this team seems to value. Noah Penda would make some sense to add depth in the frontcourt. If you wanted to get real French here, Nolan Traore could be a prospect to look for to add promising guard depth to the Wizards. Drake Powell brings a ton of athleticism and defensive promise to this team, and could very well be worth a developmental investment from Washington. Jase Richardson could also add a scoring punch. Nailing this pick—as well as the sixth overall pick—could make this a foundational draft for Washington’s quest for Eastern Conference relevancy.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? Still no

Pick #19: Brooklyn Nets

Previous Picks at #19: Saddiq Bey (2020)

This is the second consecutive pick that features a team in this piece and Part One of this mini-series. The Brooklyn Nets have had the 19th pick once in their history—and it falls within the history of the Brooklyn Nets—not New Jersey. The Nets ended up selecting Saddiq Bey from Villanova, and they moved him in a three-team trade that involved the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers. The Nets shipped out Bey, the rights to Jaylen Hands, and Dzanan Musa, and received Bruce Brown in the deal. Bey made the All-Rookie First Team but was dealt during his third season with the Pistons to Atlanta. Bey averaged over 14 PPG with Detroit and shot just under 36% from deep. Bruce Brown was a solid rotational player for the Nets, averaging about 9 PPG, 5 RPG, 2 APG, and 1 SPG—while shooting about 36% from deep. Brown playing the role he did on a Nets team that had high hopes really solidified his reputation as a high-end bench contributor, which led to teams like Denver, Indiana, and Toronto looking to add him to solidify their teams.

In Part One, we touched on the possibilities of directions the Brooklyn Nets could go with having four first round picks in this year’s draft—so we don’t have to dive in too much on that again. With this pick, there is the possibility that Brooklyn feels confident that the guard depth could result in a solid option being available here. One of Fears, Jakucionis, or Demin would likely be the dream, but Jase Richardson and Walter Clayton Jr. would be in that next crop of guards that could contribute. Let’s say that the Nets did go down the path of lead initiator with the eighth pick, and now want to round out their roster. Liam McNeeley could be the floor spacer of the future on this team. The international cluster of Essengue, Traore, Saraf, Penda, or Hugo Gonzalez could be enticing as some long-term plays. If the Nets wanted to go big man, they probably wouldn’t have Maluach or Wolf by this point. There is a chance Sorber is still available. Joan Beringer could be a high upside swing here. Hansen Yang could be a surprise. Johni Broome and Ryan Kalkbrenner don’t feel like their ceilings are high enough for what a team like Brooklyn should be valuing at this point in their rebuild.

Unless the player they select here just doesn’t play, it’s going to be hard to imagine that this pick doesn’t yield positive returns, considering the depth of this class in the Top 20.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? Nah

Pick #20: Miami Heat

Previous Picks at #20: Kevin Edwards (1988), Jason Smith (2007), Precious Achiuwa (2020)

The Miami Heat have done quite a bit of picking outside the NBA Draft Lottery since their inception in 1988. So it’s no surprise that this team has been in this exact position in the draft on three separate occasions. DePaul has had some hoopers come through that program—and Kevin Edwards was no different. What’s interesting about Kevin is that he is actually still involved with DePaul’s men’s team, serving as their director of community, corporate, and professional relations. Edwards spent five seasons with the Miami Heat, averaging over 12 PPG and 3 RPG, while recording 1.6 SPG while playing for their team. Edwards was traded to the New Jersey Nets, where he played five more seasons. Drafting a player who played 11 seasons in the NBA (would have played more had it not been for injury) with the 20th pick is pretty solid. Jason Smith was drafted by the Miami Heat, but never played for the team. In fact, immediately after Smith was drafted, the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Daequan Cook—who the Sixers traded to Miami (with a 2009 second round pick and cash) for Jason Smith. Cook had three middling seasons with the Heat, while Smith had two middling seasons with Philly.

The Miami Heat drafted Precious Achiuwa in the 2020 NBA draft. Achiuwa appeared in 61 games for Miami and showed some real promise—so much promise, in fact, the Toronto Raptors wanted Precious to be included in the deal that sent Goran Dragic to the Raptors, and Kyle Lowry to the Heat. Precious has averaged about 8 PPG, 6 RPG, and 1 APG over the course of his career with three different teams. The Lowry addition was okay in totality, as he averaged around 11 PPG, 6 APG, and 1 SPG throughout his time with the team—but his decline as a upper-echelon player in the NBA happened drastically during that time. Taking two players who played 11 seasons apiece, and another player who has played five years as a pro, is not a bad draft history at this spot. That is not what this version of the Heat needs, though.

This Miami franchise is likely too proud to admit it, but they are in dire straits—severely lacking a clear direction or path to prominence. Tyler Herro is now an All-Star player in the NBA, and Bam Adebayo is still considered a top-shelf big man by many, but he has shown that he cannot be the engine of a team. Kel’el Ware had a solid rookie season, but still has to take more steps to be considered a pillar for this team’s future. With little financial flexibility, along with only a few decent young players, this draft pick carries more weight than it ought to. A Nique Clifford or Cedric Coward would be huge for them but according to consensus, they aren’t likely to be available here. Adou Thiero, Asa Newell, and Rasheer Fleming would probably impress in a Miami Heat type of environment—and maybe one of them might be available. Drake Powell meets a lot of the athletic prerequisites the Heat typically demand.

That is a lot of pressure for a pick that will likely yield a player who needs the right sort of developmental timeline. Luckily, the Heat have been one of the better developmental teams in recent history.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? Sort of. “Yes” to the team’s direction; “No” to the development of whoever is selected.

Pick #21: Utah Jazz

Previous Picks at #21: Blue Edwards (1989), Eric Murdock (1991), Pavel Podkolzin (2004), Gorgui Dieng (2013), Grayson Allen (2018)

We get to cover some more NBA Draft history here with the Utah Jazz. We covered how they performed with the #5 pick—a pick that they have only had once since 1978. Now that we’re covering their history with the 21st pick, we have a longer list. Blue Edwards is up first—a player who was drafted out of East Carolina University. Edwards played for the Jazz for three seasons, averaging almost 13 PPG, 4 RPG, and 2 APG. Blue was dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1992 offseason, when Utah packaged him and Eric Murdock—who was the 21st pick in the 1991 NBA Draft. The Jazz got back Jay Humphries and Larry Krystkowiak. Jay was fine for the Jazz as a backup to John Stockton, but he only played three seasons for Utah—and was traded to Boston during that third season. Edwards, by the way, came back to Utah in the 1994-1995 season for a single-season run.

Eric Murdock played in just one season with the Jazz before being shipped out in that aforementioned deal, where he played less than 10 MPG. Murdock would play in the NBA for nine seasons, averaging about 10 PPG and 5 APG—proving to be a serviceable guard throughout the course of his career. Pavel Podkolzin was drafted in the 2004 NBA Draft by the Jazz, but was sent to the Dallas Mavericks for a 2005 first round draft pick. Pavel only played in six NBA games, as he suffered from Acromegaly—a disease that results in rapid growth within certain parts of the body. Podkolzin had surgery in an attempt to help his disorder, but his lack of conditioning (and apparent feel for the game) resulted in a fruitless trade for the Mavs. Gorgui Dieng was drafted by Utah, but never suited up for the team, as he was traded to Minnesota with Shabazz Muhammad for Trey Burke. Dieng played seven years for the Timberwolves and was a reliable role player throughout the majority of his run with the franchise. Burke was the ninth pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, and he was named to the All-Rookie First Team. The Jazz only kept him for three seasons, then moved him to the Washington Wizards for a 2021 second round pick. Grayson Allen was taken by the Utah Jazz in the 2018 NBA Draft, and played for the team for just his rookie season. Allen appeared in just 38 games, and averaged under 11 MPG.

In a move that was an all-in move at the time, Utah traded Grayson Allen—along with Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver, and the draft rights for Darius Bazley—for Memphis Grizzly legend Mike Conley. In his four years in Utah, Mike averaged about 14 PPG, 6 APG, 3 RPG, and 1 SPG—while shooting about 43% from deep.

The Utah Jazz suffered a slip in the Draft Lottery, but they still have the opportunity to land a good player with the #5 pick. It was mentioned in Part One of this mini-series that the Jazz typically go for swings on talent, and will consider players that are highly regarded coming into college. At this point of the draft, that could include any of the aforementioned international players like Essengue, Saraf, Penda, Traore (who was a consensus Top 5 player during the preseason), or Beringer. Will Riley and Drake Powell could also be in play here. Liam McNeeley—should he slide—would be a player to monitor here if he is still on the board.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? Still nah.

Pick #22: Atlanta Hawks

Previous Picks at #22: Ed Gray (1997)

We learned that the Hawks didn’t have any history of drafting with the 13th overall pick in Part One. Today, we get to discuss the player Atlanta took with the 22nd pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. Gray played for two college teams, the University of Tennessee and California, and then went on to play two seasons in the NBA. Both seasons were with the Atlanta Hawks, where he averaged about 6 PPG on shooting splits of 34/34/81. Gray was charged with drug possession (marijuana) and driving under the influence in 1999. The Hawks would deal Gray in a package with Steve Smith to the Portland Trail Blazers for Isaiah Rider and Jim Jackson. Gray would later be moved again—to Houston—in a move that sent Scottie Pippen from Houston to the Blazers. Gray wouldn’t play for either Portland or Houston—nor for any other team following the move.

Atlanta is one of seven teams that will have multiple picks in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. We spoke about the many directions that the Hawks could go with the 13th pick in the draft. One of the more difficult conversations to have with this team revolves around Trae Young. We’ve seen what it looks like when there is another ball-dominant guard to serve as a running mate with Young, when Atlanta acquired Dejounte Murray. If the Hawks did desire to add some guard depth, it would probably be better received with this pick—as doing so with the 13th pick could be perceived moreso as a replacement, rather than a depth play. Jase Richardson could make some sense as a complementary player due to his floor spacing. Walter Clayton Jr. could also make some sense, as well as Nolan Traore.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? Probably not with this pick.

Pick #23: Indiana Pacers

Previous Picks at #23: Mitchell Wiggins (1983), Travis Best (1995), Solomon Hill (2013), Aaron Holiday (2018)

After not having a first round pick in last year’s draft, the Indiana Pacers are picking at a relatively familiar spot in the 2025 NBA Draft. In the 1983 NBA Draft, the ‘Cers (I don’t think they were called that, then) drafted Andrew Wiggins’s father, Mitchell Wiggins. On draft night, Indiana traded the rights to Wiggins to the Chicago Bulls for Sidney Lowe and a 1984 second round pick. Mitchell played just one season for the Bulls and was then shipped to the Houston Rockets. Wiggins was a solid role player for the Rockets, but he was suspended for two seasons due to testing positive for cocaine. He returned to the team during the 1989-1990 season, and he averaged a career-high 15.5 PPG and 4.3 RPG. He went unsigned during the 1990-1991 season, and then played one more season with the Philadelphia 76ers. Sidney Lowe played just one season with the Pacers—averaging under 16 MPG. Lowe would be waived by the team after his rookie season, and played three seasons in the league—and three years playing overseas. Lowe actually had a longer coaching career in the NBA, serving as the head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Vancouver/Minnesota Grizzlies. He’s been an assistant coach for 24 seasons, and he just finished up a successful season with the Detroit Pistons. Travis Best was taken with the 23rd pick in the 1995 NBA Draft by Indiana, and spent seven years with the team. Almost every season, Travis grew more as a scorer with the club and finished the 2020-2021 season as a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. The following season, the ‘Cers traded Best to the Chicago Bulls in a deal that included teammates Jalen Rose and Norm Richardson, for Ron Artest, Ron Mercer, Brad Miller, and Kevin Ollie.

Solomon Hill was in the 2013 NBA Draft class, and was taken by the Pacers—where he spent three seasons with the team. The combo-forward averaged around 6 PPG and 3 RPG during that time. Hill’s team option was declined by Indiana in 2015, which led to him signing with the New Orleans Pelicans. He had similar production with New Orleans with about the same amount of time spent with the team. Hill saw stints with the Grizzlies, Heat, and Hawks—where he played his last season during the 2021-2022 campaign. Aaron Holiday has been in the NBA for seven consecutive years, and spent his first three with the Pacers. In that time, Aaron put up around 8 PPG and 2 APG, while shooting just over 37%. Since his time in Indiana, Holiday has played for Washington, Phoenix, Atlanta, and—more recently—Houston.

The Pacers have shown an interesting history in the draft, showing a mix of moving their picks and having some success with their late-round picks. Bennedict Mathurin was taken #6 overall, and has been a fine contributor—just not typically what you want in a player drafted that high. Fellow 2022 NBA Draft peer, Andrew Nembhard, was taken by the team with the 31st overall pick, and he has been a bigger cog in the machine. Ben Sheppard was taken 26th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, and he has been a fine player.

The stability of this organization has quietly been one of their biggest strengths. Should the Pacers keep this pick, the players that they have recently coveted in the draft carry positive intangibles, and can either space the floor or hold up defensively. All of the players on the roster should be able to run the floor and make snappy decisions with their shot or ball movement. Liam McNeeley, Ben Saraf, Joan Beringer, and Kam Jones all seem like potential candidates that fit that criteria. I wouldn’t rule out Drake Powell or Adou Thiero, either. Either way, the Pacers have made consecutive Eastern Conference Finals and have solid roster continuity to allow this pick time to develop.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? Nope

Pick #24: Oklahoma City Thunder

Previous Picks at #24: Serge Ibaka (2008), Reggie Jackson (2011)

The team that kicked off Part Two is back on the board here, drafting in a position they have performed well with in the 24th overall pick. In the 2008 NBA Draft, OKC took Serge Ibaka. Ibaka didn’t play in the 2008-2009 season, as he played out his time with Manresa in the Liga ACB. Ibaka debuted in the NBA the following season, averaging 18.1 MPG—putting up about 6 RPG, 5 RPG, and 1 BPG. By his third season with the Thunder, Segre would block about three shots per game—an absolutely insane number. He had also grown into a solid three-point shooter, which gave Oklahoma City a unique player to rely upon on both ends of the floor. At this point in Thunder history, they were beginning to decline, and Serge Ibaka would be the next piece OKC would move from (following the James Harden deal) to retool the roster. Serge was traded to the Orlando Magic on draft night. In return, OKC received Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and the 11th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, Domantas Sabonis. The Magic moved on from Ibaka in the 2016-2017 season to the Toronto Raptors, and he would play a big role in Toronto’s lone NBA Championship in 2019. Domantas Sabonis wasn’t the All-Star for OKC that he would turn into with the Kings, but he (along with Victor Oladipo) was traded to the Indiana Pacers for Paul George. Paul George was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deal that turned into this:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (The 2024-2025 MVP)
Danilo Gallinari
The pick that turned into Tre Mann
The pick that turned into Jalen “J-Dub” Williams
The pick that turned into Dillon Jones
This pick
2026 first round pick

That’s a pretty good haul for what started with this pick in 2008. Reggie Jackson didn’t ultimately result in an MVP, but he has done well for a 24th overall pick. Jackson was taken with the 24th overall pick in 2011 out of Boston College. Jackson spent a little more than three seasons with OKC—where he averaged close to 9 PPG, 3 APG, 3 RPG, and 1 SPG. During the 2014-2015 season, Jackson was involved in a three-team trade with the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons. That brought in Enes Kanter, DJ Augustin, Kyle Singler, Steve Novak, and a second round pick. OKC sent out Kendrick Perkins, Grant Jerrett, the rights to Tibor Pleiss, and a protected 2017 first round pick. Reggie has played in the NBA for 14 years, including stints with the Clippers, Sixers, and Nuggets—where he contributed to the 2023 NBA Championship.

At the top of this piece, we covered a ton of prospects that could make some sense for OKC based on the type of players they value. At this point in the draft, any of the international prospects could make sense as a “Draft-and-Stash” candidate. Ryan Kalkbrenner could make sense to give this team more lineup versatility. Again, the possibilities are endless with this team—who could even trade out of this pick for more future picks as their cap situation will get tighter as the years pass.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? Not even a little bit.

Pick #25: Orlando Magic

Previous Picks at #25: David Vaughn (1995), Anzejs Pasecniks (2017)

For the second time in today’s piece, the Orlando Magic follow up the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Magic have had some historical experience drafting in this position before, where they selected David Vaughn out of the University of Memphis in the 1995 NBA Draft. The forward spent two full seasons with Orlando, averaging just over 2 PPG and 2 RPG. Vaughn’s time in was short-lived, as he (and Brian Shaw) were dealt to the Golden State Warriors for Mark Price. Price would finish his 12-year career with Orlando, where he averaged almost 10 PPG and 5 APG. Vaughn only played for four seasons in the NBA. His life after the league is a wild story, as he actually became homeless for some time, nearly having his foot amputated. After care and help, Vaughn was reunited his his wife and children, and has been on the path to redemption since having his friends and supporters rally around him.

Orlando drafted Anzejs Pasecniks in the 2017 NBA draft, but moved him to the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2020 Top-20 protected first round pick that came from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Pasecniks didn’t come over to the NBA until the 2019-2020 season, where he played in 27 games for the Washington Wizards. This came after the Sixers renounced his rights. Anzejs averaged around 6 PPG and 4 RPG during that time. He would only play in one game the following season for the Wizards.

We touched on what the Magic have valued in their draft picks earlier in this piece—specifically, length and defense. A position Orlando could look to invest in at this point in the draft is their guard play. Walter Clayton Jr. was specifically called out when we discussed Orlando’s options at 15. Clayton Jr.’s stock is actually more in line with this pick, according to most reputable draft outlets. Jase Richardson’s measurements could result in him falling to this spot in the 2025 NBA Draft. Egor Demin falling to this point would have some people screaming at their TVs/Phones/PEDs.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? Still just a little.

Picks #26 & #27: Brooklyn Nets

Previous Picks at #26: None (Sorry)

Previous Picks at #27: Jordan Crawford (2010), JaJuan Johnson (2011), Kyle Kuzma (2017), Mfiondu Kabengele (2019), Cam Thomas (2021)

We’re talking Brooklyn basketball again! This time will be the last time. Since they have consecutive picks at 26 and 27, we’re just going to lump them together in one segment. Interestingly enough, the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets have never had the 26th pick, but they have had five picks at 27 that we’ll look at. Jordan Crawford was drafted with the 27th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, but was quickly moved with Tibor Pleiss to the Atlanta Hawks for Damion James. Crawford was traded, again, to the Washington Wizards during his rookie year. With Washington, Jordan scored over 14 PPG, dished out more than 3 APG, grabbed about 3 RPG, and got around 1 SPG. Atlanta traded Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans, and a 2011 first round pick with Crawford in exchange for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong. Damion James didn’t last long in the NBA, as his offense never rose to a level that made the defense worth it. The Nets kept James for three seasons. He would play for the Spurs for one more season, and not play in the league during the NBA regular season since that 2013-2014 run. JaJuan Johnson was another player drafted by the Nets at this spot in the NBA Draft who never played for the team. The Nets traded Johnson and a 2014 second round pick to the Boston Celtics for MarShon Brooks—who was taken 25th in the 2011 NBA Draft. JaJuan played just 36 games for the Boston Celtics and the NBA at large. He was later traded to the Houston Rockets and waived—yet to play for an NBA team again. The Celtics moved Johnson in a three-team deal that sent Johnson, E’Twaun Moore, Sean Williams, and a second round pick to Houston to land Courtney Lee.

NBA Champion Kyle Kuzma was drafted by the Brooklyn Nets with the 27th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He was quickly packaged in a deal with another NBA Champion, Brook Lopez, to be shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers for D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov. Kuzma spent four years with the Lakers, averaging over 15 PPG, 5 RPG, and close to 2 APG. The Lakers dealt Kuzma to the Washington Wizards for Russell Westbrook and two second round picks. The Lakers also shipped out Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, and a first round draft pick. The Wizards would move Kuzma to the Milwaukee Bucks this past season, in return for Khris Middleton and AJ Johnson. D’Angelo Russell has a great stint with Brooklyn from the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons—where he was named an All-Star. The Nets moved Russell to the Golden State Warriors in a move that brought Kevin Durant to the Nets. The Nets essentially turning the 27th pick into KD is a great stream of transactions, but KD’s time with the Nets did not work out for several reasons. Durant (and T.J. Warren) would be sent to the Phoenix Suns in 2023 for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson for 2023, 2025, 2027, and 2029 first round picks—and a 2028 swap. Bridges (and other stuff) was traded to the New York Knicks for the following:

Bojan Bogdanovic
Mamadi Diakite
Shake Milton
A 2025 first rounder
A 2027 first rounder
A 2029 first rounder
A 2031 first rounder
2028 pick swap
2025 Pick from the Bucks (the 19th pick we discussed earlier)
2025 second round pick

That’s a fun string to pull from the Kuzma selection in 2017. Mfiondu Kabengele—the nephew of Dikembe Mutombo—was also taken with this pick in 2019, but it didn’t result in as much as the Kuzma pick. Kabengele was moved on draft night to the Los Angeles Clippers for their 2020 first round pick, and their second-rounder in the 2019 NBA Draft. Since then, Mfiondu has played in three NBA seasons and two seasons internationally. His last year in the NBA was the 2022-2023 season, when he played four games for the Boston Celtics. Cam Thomas was taken 27th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, and he has been one of the league leaders in scoring over the past two seasons. This year, Cam scored 24 PPG on splits of 44/35/88. A lot has been made of Thomas’s style of play and whether or not he is a part of this team’s long-term future. However, nabbing a professional bucket-getter in the latter portion of any draft is great work.

We won’t belabor the sorts of prospects the Nets could pick with these two picks. Moving them has been the historic trend, and it could be a method that could allow more future assets. Some young swings like Drake Powell, Hansen Yang, Will Riley, or Bogoljub Markovic could make some sense here as upside plays. Regardless, the Nets have enough bites to eat a whole apple in this draft, which means some of the guys have to hit…right?

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? How many times do I have to answer this question for this team?!? It should be fine, Nets fans! Have fun.

Pick #28: Boston Celtics

Previous Picks at #28: R.J. Hunter (2015)

The Boston Celtics are probably the team whose future we know the least about. Unfortunately, if we’re looking at what they’ve done at this position as some sort of encouragement, we’re probably in a little bit of trouble. In the 2015 NBA Draft, the Celts took a chance on the mid-major scoring standout R.J. Hunter, coming by way of Georgia State. Hunter found his way into 36 games during his rookie season. In almost 9 MPG, R.J. shot just over 30% on his three-pointers—averaging just under 3 PPG. With the depth the Celtics had at that time, they waived Hunter just after his rookie season. Hunter would play just nine more games for two more teams—while also coming back to the Celtics for one game in the 2018-2019 season. R.J. actually dropped 17 points in that game, but hasn’t come back to the NBA since that one-off with his original team.

The issues facing Boston are now well-known. Jayson Tatum went down with a ruptured Achilles against the New York Knicks in the NBA Playoffs. Tatum quickly underwent surgery, and it has been reported that his recovery has gone well in its early stages. Without their top player, Boston now finds themselves with many expensive players that have specifically been acquired to bring out the best in Jayson—and vice versa. Jaylen Brown now becomes the #1 option many have been wanting to see, but Jrue Holiday is showing signs of humanity on a contract that looks bigger without Jayson. Kristaps Porzingis has been dealing with a virus and has been a player the Celtics essentially cryogenically freeze until the playoffs. Al Horford is getting older, and he may retire very soon. Derrick White is being discussed as the most likely player to be moved to relieve Boston ownership of taxed money. Sam Hauser is getting traded on every podcast and article. Luke Kornet will be a free agent.

This is a lot for any team, and it puts less-than-fair pressure on a pick that historically doesn’t produce a ton of star players. Luckily, this draft is deep by all accounts, and there should be some sort of rotational player available here. Ryan Kalkbrenner and Johni Broome could be good big men to bring in, who are very comfortable being rim protectors and play finishers. Kam Jones and Alijah Martin offer some ready-to-play chops in the backcourt should Boston move Holiday or White. Scouts and evaluators are probably thinking about the sort of prospect Boston should bring in here differently now, which makes this pick a little more difficult to predict.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? Unfortunately, probably. Yeah…

Pick #29: Phoenix Suns

Previous Picks at #29: Alando Tucker (2007), Day’Ron Sharpe (2021)

From a team that has tough decisions to make to stay on top, to a team that has exhausted almost every option: the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have made this pick before in their history—the first time was back in the 2007 NBA Draft. Coming out of the University of Wisconsin, Alando Tucker did play for the Suns for two full seasons. His role did increase in his second year compared to his rookie season—where he played just six games. In his second season, Alando scored almost 5 PPG and grabbed just 1 RPG. During his third season with the team, Tucker was traded (along with a second round pick) to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Suns received Jason Hart in the deal—who they waived. The interesting story behind this move is that Hart was supposed to be dealt to the New Orleans Hornets for Devin Brown. Details of the trade were actually posted on Minnesota’s website prior to the completion of the deal, which nixed the completion of the move.

The Suns didn’t keep this player, but they did draft now-Brooklyn Net Day’Ron Sharpe with the 29th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. This move brought in Landry Shamet from the Nets. Shamet played for the Suns for two seasons, averaging just over 8 PPG on 37.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Sharpe has quietly grown into one of the better backup big men in the NBA. This past season, Sharpe averaged 7.9 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.8 BPG, and 0.8 SPG playing just over 18 MPG. Looking at the needs of this Phoenix team, it wouldn’t be crazy to think Day’Ron would be an effective rotational big man—if not the outright starter.

Saving money hasn’t been the gameplan for the Suns as of late, as the team has aggressively tried to make moves to bring in star talent, sparing no expense. The trouble has been building around the margins. With a lion share of Phoenix’s draft assets spent to bring in Kevin Durant, most options have been exhausted—with the exception of moving one of (or both?) Kevin Durant or Devin Booker. The word is that Phoenix is unlikely to trade Devin, and they are willing to shop out Kevin. Durant would result in fewer assets, but a move could return some positive value.

It’s not all that unlikely, though, that the Suns could move this pick. If they decide to keep the pick, there might be more recent history to trust the talent they identify. They moved these players, but they did draft Day’Ron Sharpe with the 29th just a few drafts ago. Toumani Camara was taken with the 52nd pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by this team. DaRon Holmes was drafted in last year’s draft and was moved for Ryan Dunn—who was taken 28th in that draft, and started 44 of 74 games played for the team. The talent identification hasn’t been the problem for the Suns—it’s been the mismanagement of assets and short-sightedness.

SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED? For the player taken with this pick: No. For almost everything else: Absolutely

Pick #30: Los Angeles Clippers

Previous Picks at #30: Marko Jaric (2000), Kobe Brown (2023)

Wrapping up this mini-series with the 30th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft are the LA Clippers. The Clips are coming off of a surprisingly good season, finishing 52-30—which tied for the third-best record in the West. They fall to the 30th pick, though, due to the rights OKC has to swap—a result of the aforementioned SGA trade. The Clippers have some experience picking at this spot historically. Their first time they had this pick within our criteria was in the 2000 NBA Draft. Fun fact: In that draft, the 30th pick was within the second round. They used that pick to draft Marko Jaric. Jaric was a jumbo playmaker before it was cool, as the 6’7” guard had a knack for making slick reads and playing stout defense. Though he was drafted in 2000, Jaric wouldn’t make his NBA debut until the 2002-2003 NBA season. After playing for Virtus Bologna, Marko averaged about 7 PPG and 3 APG for Los Angeles. He also averaged 1.5 SPG. For the next three seasons, Jaric would improve in scoring and playmaking. After three seasons in LA, the Clips traded Jaric and Lionel Chalmers to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Sam Cassell and a first round draft pick. Note: that pick would be used in the move that brought Chris Paul to LA from the Hornets. Cassell played well for the Clippers, as he averaged around 15 PPG, 5 APG, and 3 RPG. Jaric would play in Minnesota for three years, performing about the same for them as he did for the Clippers. Jaric would be traded from Minnesota in a move with the Memphis Grizzlies that would alter both franchises. Jaric was moved with Antoine Walker, Greg Buckner, and the draft rights for O.J. Mayo, in exchange for the draft rights to Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, and Jason Collins.

The selection of Kobe Brown hasn’t resulted in the same sort of historical ripple. Brown came to the Clippers after a nice season with the Missouri Tigers in the 2023 NBA Draft. Brown has averaged 2 PPG and almost 2 RPG in his two seasons with Los Angeles. His role with the team actually regressed this past year, so it remains to be seen how he will contribute moving forward.

The Clippers got a lot of juice out of the season. Just when the public discourse on the team counted them out, LA proved formidable. Fans are interested to see if this past season’s results can be replicated. Ben Simmons is the only player who played a sizeable role for the team that is slated to be a free agent. Added depth via the draft has not been this team’s M.O. in recent history, as the last player they added via draft that has a credible role was Terance Mann in 2019—and he was a second-rounder.

It’s likely they could move this pick, especially with the way Kobe Brown has been utilized. If they were to keep the pick, size and defense would be the way to go. Ryan Kalkbrenner or Johni Broome could make sense as reliable depth bigs. Kobe Sanders, Hunter Sallis, and Alijah Martin would fit the mold of experienced players who bring skill that suits a role. Regardless of who they select, this team tends to lean on their vets, so whoever they select will take time to develop.