2025 NBA Draft Odds and Predictions: Cooper Flagg expected to go first overall; Raptors picking No. 9

Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper are heavy favourites on the NBA odds to be chosen first and second, respectively, so the intrigue will start with the No. 3 overall pick. And who might the Raptors take at No. 9?

Top three picks set Wednesday?

There was a fairly significant talent gap between the Western Conference and East this just-completed NBA season, and it’s only going to get bigger next season for two main reasons. First, three Eastern Conference superstars suffered major knee/leg injuries in the 2025 playoffs in Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton. They may all miss next season.

Haliburton was the breakout star of the playoffs and might have led Indiana past Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday if not going doing on a non-contact play. The Pacers are not title contenders next year without Haliburton just like the Celtics aren’t without Tatum nor the Bucks without Lillard.

In addition, the two clear top prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft are headed to the West. Duke’s Cooper Flagg will be chosen first overall by Dallas on Wednesday and is priced -10000. The Mavericks, traded superstar Luka Doncic last season to the Lakers, had just a 1.8 per cent shot of winning the lottery and never had previously. The Mavs’ only previous No. 1 pick was pre-lottery in 1981 and was Mark Aguirre.

Rutgers’ Dylan Harper is -5000 to go second to the Spurs and play alongside rising superstar Victor Wembanyama. And Harper is going to be the pick barring something completely shocking. He averaged 19.4 points last season, the most by a Big Ten freshman since Eric Gordon in 2007-08.

Thus, the fun starts Wednesday in Round 1 at No. 3 overall and the Philadelphia 76ers. They expected to be NBA title contenders this past season but were ravaged by injury and then moved up a few spots in the draft lottery. Early in the draft process, Rutgers’ Ace Bailey was largely considered the third-best prospect, but he strangely has ghosted all clubs in terms of having private workouts/meetings and is reportedly sliding down the board. Bailey is now +425 to go third behind Baylor freshman guard VJ Edgecombe at -285.

Many mock drafts then have Duke freshman swingman Kon Knueppel going fourth overall to Charlotte (+150) or fifth to Utah (+350). We’ll simply recommend Knueppel under his 5.5 draft position at -130.

Maluach could slide to Raptors

Duke will be a big story line of Round 1 as it should have three lottery picks for the third time in school history. Freshman 7-footer Khaman Maluach should be the third, and that’s where the Toronto Raptors may get involved picking ninth. Maluach, from the South Sudan, is 18 and has been playing basketball since only age 13.

Maluach averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in just 21.3 minutes per game but really shined during Duke’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight victories in the NCAA Tournament, raising his stock. He’s very raw offensively – most of buckets last year were dunks; overall he shot 21-for-25 from the field in the Big Dance — and needs to add bulk but could be a dominant defender from the get-go.

Some scouts give him a highest ceiling of four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, who was very raw himself out of France when chosen 27th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft. Another comparison is Donovan Clingan, who was chosen No. 7 overall last year out of UConn by Portland and had a solid rookie season.

Muluach is the +400 favourite to go eighth to Brooklyn but also +240 leader to go ninth to Toronto. The Raptors have a pretty deep roster except at centre. Veteran Jakob Poeltl is under contract only through next season. The Nets have a good young centre in Nic Claxton, who is under contract through the 2027-28 season, but rebuilding Brooklyn surely will take the best player on its board regardless of position.

If Mulauch is off the board at No. 9 and the Dinos insist on a centre, Maryland’s Derik Queen is considered the second-best prospect at the position. He’s already a gifted offensive player who can handle the ball like a guard (16.9 points, 9.0 rebounds last season as a freshman) but isn’t super athletic and not close to Maluach as a defender. Queen is +600 to land at No. 9, but we’d simply recommend him as a top-10 pick at +110 as Phoenix at No. 10 needs a centre in a big way and Queen likely does not slide past the Suns, who traded Kevin Durant on Sunday.