Green Room Omissions, Ace Bailey’s Draft Mystery, Khaman Maluach’s Stock, and Memphis’ Multiyear Blueprint
How Green Room invites could reveal more than mock drafts—and why Memphis is betting on the future
The Green Room Gets More Crowded—But Some Names Are Still Missing
Yesterday, the NBA released its second wave of Green Room invitations for the 2025 NBA Draft, adding six new names to the original 13 already invited to Brooklyn's Barclays Center. The first wave included the expected headliners—Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, Tre Johnson, Jeremiah Fears, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, Derik Queen, Kasparas Jakucionis, Egor Demin, Asa Newell, and Carter Bryant.
Now joining that crew are Noa Essengue, Collin Murray-Boyles, Thomas Sorber, Nolan Traore, Liam McNeeley, and Will Riley. That brings the total to 19 invites, with reportedly five more to be added to round out the final group at around 24.
The first thing that stood out? The absences. No Jase Richardson. No Cedric Coward. No Nique Clifford. And while every Green Room list sparks its fair share of debates, I was particularly surprised that Liam McNeeley made the cut ahead of all three.