NBA Draft Weekend Roundup: Declarations, Wildcards, and Tiebreaker Drama
Edgecombe, Knox, González, and Ament Highlight a Busy Easter Weekend
2025 NBA Draft News Roundup: Easter Weekend Headlines
Easter weekend brought with it a fresh wave of clarity in the 2025 NBA Draft landscape. While several top prospects remain undecided, key declarations and draft movement continued to reshape a class that remains wide open—particularly beyond the top three picks. With a broad range of players in play from picks 4 through 14, and several top-tier talents still weighing the benefits of returning to school, this draft cycle is shaping up to be one of the more unique we’ve seen. Thanks to the rise of lucrative NIL deals, the gap between staying in college and turning pro has narrowed, forcing front offices to navigate a more fluid and unpredictable pre-draft process.
From high-profile freshman decisions to rising international buzz, the past few days brought no shortage of movement or intrigue.
Draft Tiebreakers Set to Clarify 2025 Order
Monday marks a key day on the NBA Draft calendar, as the league will conduct its annual tiebreakers at 3 p.m. ET to help finalize the 2025 draft order. While the regular season wrapped up last week, and the play-in games gave us a sharper outline of how things are shaking out, there are still several unresolved ties that will be broken today—giving front offices a much clearer picture ahead of May’s lottery.
Right now, what we do know is this: three teams share the best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick and the chance to select projected top prospect Cooper Flagg. Those teams are the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, and Charlotte Hornets, each holding equal odds atop the lottery.
Based on record alone, the Jazz would hold the top pick, followed by the Wizards at No. 2 and the Hornets at No. 3.
Here’s how the rest of the current order looks prior to tiebreakers:
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
Charlotte Hornets
New Orleans Pelicans
Philadelphia 76ers (Note: this pick only conveys to OKC if it falls outside the top six)
Brooklyn Nets
Toronto Raptors
San Antonio Spurs
Houston Rockets
Portland Trail Blazers
Dallas Mavericks
Chicago Bulls
Note: The Bulls and Mavericks will split lottery odds between picks 11 and 12
Atlanta Hawks
San Antonio Spurs (via Hawks)
Important: The Spurs now hold two lottery picks—No. 8 and No. 14—after Atlanta missed the playoffs and Sacramento’s pick conveyed
The rest of the first round as of now:
Oklahoma City Thunder (via Miami)
Orlando Magic
Minnesota Timberwolves
Miami Heat
Washington Wizards (via Memphis; protected pick now conveys)
Brooklyn Nets
Utah Jazz
Atlanta Hawks (via Sacramento)
Indiana Pacers
Orlando Magic (via Denver)
Oklahoma City Thunder (via Philadelphia)
Brooklyn Nets (via Phoenix)
Brooklyn Nets (via Milwaukee)
Boston Celtics
Phoenix Suns (via Brooklyn)
Los Angeles Clippers
VJ Edgecombe Declares for the Draft
The biggest news of the weekend came out of Waco: Baylor freshman VJ Edgecombe officially declared for the 2025 NBA Draft, forgoing his sophomore season. A projected lottery pick with real top-five upside, Edgecombe could go as high as No. 3 in June’s draft. He averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game while earning Big 12 Freshman of the Year and a spot on the All-Big 12 Second Team.
His best stretch came in January, where he averaged 18.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 45% from the field and 47% from three.
Edgecombe initially broke out last summer representing the Bahamas at the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, averaging 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists across four games. While he wasn’t able to fully replicate that level of production over the course of his freshman year, his blend of elite athleticism, defensive versatility, and improved outside shooting gives him one of the more stable draft profiles in this class.
Edgecombe has a chance to become the highest Baylor player selected in the draft since Ekpe Udoh went sixth overall in 2010. With Edgecombe officially in the draft pool, the focus now turns to the three biggest names yet to declare: Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, and Rutgers’ Ace Bailey—each still weighing their next move.
Karter Knox Declares While Keeping Options Open
Arkansas freshman Karter Knox announced his intentions to declare for the 2025 NBA Draft, while opting to maintain his college eligibility—leaving the door open for a potential return to Fayetteville or even a move via the transfer portal. The 6'6" wing started 24 games for the Razorbacks this season, averaging 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per game while shooting 46% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc.
Knox came into the season as a projected first-rounder on my personal board, but got off to a slow start adjusting to the pace and physicality of the college game. That said, he quietly pieced together a strong finish. Over his final 10 games, he averaged 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 50% from the floor and 37% from deep. He hit double figures in scoring in 10 of his last 15 games and had a pair of standout performances in the NCAA Tournament—a 20-point outing against Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 and a 15-point, 9-rebound, 4-block showing in the Round of 32 against St. John’s.
Now the question becomes: has he done enough to lock in a spot in the first round? That remains up for debate. If Knox does opt to return to college, the situation at Arkansas is complicated. The incoming freshman class, headlined by five-star guards Darius Acuff Jr. and Maleek Thomas, plus the return of wing Billy Richmond, could make for a crowded perimeter rotation.
And then there’s the NIL factor. Knox is the type of player who could command north of $3 million in NIL earnings if he returns to college—a number that would require him to land in the lottery range to match in the NBA, which feels unlikely at this stage.
Whether it’s staying in the draft, returning to Arkansas, or testing the waters elsewhere via the portal, Knox has one of the more intriguing decisions of any prospect in this class.
Hugo González Declares Amid Evaluation Concerns
Spanish wing Hugo González, long regarded as Europe’s top prospect in this class, officially declared for the 2025 NBA Draft over the weekend. A projected first-round pick, González enters as one of the draft’s biggest wildcards. His physical tools and reputation precede him, but getting a full read on his game remains a challenge.
The 6'7" Real Madrid product has had a tough time carving out minutes with the senior team this season, which complicates his eval. While his talent is well-documented—highlighted by his performances at the junior level—Real Madrid’s deep rotation and expected playoff run likely means NBA teams won’t get to see him in the States for pre-draft workouts. That puts added weight on his body of work against peers in youth competitions, where he's consistently impressed with his defensive motor and athleticism.
González brings value as a high-energy, two-way wing who defends, competes, and plays hard every possession. He’s a transition threat, a solid connective passer, and offers the type of intangibles that NBA teams covet in role wings. He’s the kind of guy who does the dirty work and embraces tough matchups. But the major concern remains his outside shooting, which has been a swing skill throughout his development.
Ultimately, teams will have to weigh the raw tools, the defensive effort, and flashes of upside against the limited senior-level reps. That context makes González one of the tougher evaluations in the draft and a name that could swing wildly up or down boards depending on how teams view his long-term trajectory.
Nate Ament Commits to Tennessee, Shakes Up 2026 Draft Landscape
One of the biggest NBA draft stories of the weekend didn’t even involve the 2025 class. On Sunday, top-five 2025 high school recruit and projected top-five 2026 NBA Draft pick Nate Ament committed to Tennessee, choosing the Vols over Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, and Arkansas. For a while, Louisville and Duke appeared to be the frontrunners, but over the past few days, momentum quietly shifted toward Tennessee. Ament now becomes arguably the highest-ranked recruit to ever commit to the program.
Ament, a 6'10" wing with ball skills and perimeter shooting touch, skyrocketed up the rankings last summer—jumping from a fringe top-50 prospect into the top five. He brings rare positional size and fluidity at the wing, thriving with the ball in his hands in open space. He can break down defenders off the bounce, create his own shot, and knock down jumpers with ease. His smooth mechanics and pretty release make him a legitimate perimeter threat, and his offensive polish at his size has drawn early comparisons to Kevin Durant—though those expectations feel overly ambitious. A more realistic comp might be Zaccharie Risacher with more offensive creation off the dribble.
The big concern right now is his frame. Ament is rail-thin and still struggles to absorb contact or play through physicality. The SEC will be a serious test for him from a strength standpoint, and adding muscle will be a major development priority next season.
Still, Ament is the type of long, skilled forward that NBA teams are willing to bet on—tools over stats. Even if his freshman year numbers are modest, his upside is substantial enough to keep him firmly in the top tier of the 2026 draft.
Some evaluators believe he has a legitimate, if longshot, case to challenge for the No. 1 pick in what’s shaping up to be a stacked class featuring Cameron Boozer, A.J. Dybantsa, and Darryn Peterson. At minimum, Ament’s commitment just put Tennessee firmly on the draft map for next season.
Portsmouth Invitational Wraps with Standout Senior Performances
Another important milestone on the draft calendar wrapped up this past weekend, as the 2025 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament came to a close. I broke it all down on the pod with Richard Stayman, who was live on the ground in Portsmouth to get eyes on the action and share his takeaways from one of the most scout-heavy events of the pre-draft cycle.
The Portsmouth Invitational has long served as a proving ground for college seniors—many of whom are undervalued or under-the-radar prospects looking to leave an impression in front of a gym full of NBA executives and decision-makers. It’s one of the few events on the calendar that focuses exclusively on seniors and serves as a prelude to the G League Elite Camp and NBA Combine in May.
This year’s event had extra significance given the thinning nature of the 2025 draft class, as a wave of projected mid-to-late second-rounders have opted to return to school. That opens the door for a few seniors to possibly hear their names called in the back end of the second round—something we haven’t consistently seen from Portsmouth participants in recent years.
Among the standouts:
R.J. Felton (East Carolina) turned heads as a late addition and made the most of his opportunity. He averaged 21.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while shooting 65% from the field and an eye-popping 59% from three. His performance earned him a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Another name that popped was Nelly Junior Joseph, an athletic rim runner out of Mexico who’s been on my radar for a while. He averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 block per game while converting 68% of his shots from the field. Joseph led his team to a perfect 3-0 record and was named Tournament MVP.
Those are just a couple of the names that made noise, but Richard Stayman and I covered several more prospects on the latest episode, breaking down who helped themselves and who might carry that momentum into Chicago next month. If you’re looking for names that could sneak onto boards as late risers, this is a class to keep a close eye on.