Which team has the most picks in the 2025 NBA Draft?
By Ian Levy
![Thunder general manager Sam Presti said \"we ll try to get some more people there for the G League if that s the key.\"
jump](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5184,h_2916,x_0,y_52/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2F229%2F01j5x9tf4zjanezqq278.jpg "Thunder general manager Sam Presti said \\"we ll try to get some more people there for the G League if that s the key.\\"
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The 2025 NBA Draft is still a long way away but it's already starting to take shape. Cooper Flagg started drawing headlines this summer for his strong performance for the USA Select team in a scrimmage against Team USA. He's the presumptive No. 1 pick in early 2025 NBA Mock Draft and a strong season for Duke could change the tanking calculus for a number of NBA teams.
We can already map out who owns the rights to each pick in the 2025 NBA Draft but protections attached to those picks complicate things. For example, the Utah Jazz traded their 2024 first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021 in a deal to dump Derrick Favors and his salary. That pick was protected 1-10 in 2024 which means the Jazz kept it last season and the trade rolls over to this season. The pick is also protected 1-10 for the 2025 draft which means if it lands in that range the Jazz keep it. If the Jazz have a strong season and that pick winds up outside the top-10 it will go to the Thunder.
Because of these protections we won't know how many picks each team has until the final regular-season standings are locked in and the NBA Draft Lottery has conducted.
But the table below shows the maximum number of picks each team could end up with in the 2025 NBA Draft, depending on how the standings shake out. The details for each hypothetical pick are listed as well. For example, the Spurs could end up with four picks — they have their own pick and the Hawks' pick from the Dejounte Murray trade. They will also get the Bulls pick if it lands at No. 11 or lower and the Hornets pick if it lands at No. 15 or lower.
Maximum possible picks for each team in the 2025 NBA Draft
TEAM | MAX POSSIBLE PICKS | DETAIL |
|---|---|---|
Brooklyn Nets | 4 | Own, MIL (5-30), NYC, OKC |
Oklahoma City Thunder | 4 | PHI (7-30), UTA (11-30), MIA (15-30), Swap* |
San Antonio Spurs | 4 | Own, ATL, CHI (11-30), CHA (15-30) |
Utah Jazz | 3 | CLE, MIN, Own (1-10) |
Atlanta Hawks | 2 | LAL, SAC (13-30) |
Chicago Bulls | 2 | Own (1-10), POR (15-30) |
New Orleans Pelicans | 2 | Own, MIL (5-30) |
New York Knicks | 2 | WAS (11-30), DET (14-30) |
Boston Celtics | 1 | Own |
Charlotte Hornets | 1 | Own (1-14) |
Dallas Mavericks | 1 | Own |
Denver Nuggets | 1 | Own (1-5) |
Detroit Pistons | 1 | Own (1-13) |
Golden State Warriors | 1 | Own |
Houston Rockets | 1 | Swap* |
Indiana Pacers | 1 | Own |
Los Angeles Clippers | 1 | Swap* |
Memphis Grizzlies | 1 | Own |
Miami Heat | 1 | Own (1-14) |
Philadelphia 76ers | 1 | Own (7-30) |
Portland Trail Blazers | 1 | Own (15-30) |
Sacramento Kings | 1 | Own (1-12) |
Toronto Raptors | 1 | Own |
Washington Wizards | 1 | Own (1-10) |
Los Angeles Lakers | 0 | to ATL |
Milwaukee Bucks | 0 | to BKN (1-4), to NOP (5-30) |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 0 | to UTA |
Phoenix Suns | 0 | BKN or HOU |
The most complicated scenario here is a possible pick swap that involves the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers. I'll let RealGM explain the scenarios:
Oklahoma City has the right to swap its 2025 1st round pick for Houston's 2025 1st round pick protected for selections 1-10 or the L.A. Clippers' 2025 1st round pick; Houston then has the right to swap its pick or the Oklahoma City pick to Brooklyn for Phoenix's 2025 1st round pick; if the Houston pick falls within its protected range, then Houston's obligation to Oklahoma City will be extinguished and Houston will instead have the right to swap its pick to Brooklyn for the Phoenix pick.
The short version is that Phoenix's pick will ultimately end up with the Nets and that the Thunder will get to choose the most advantageous pick out of that grouping.
If there is anything dramatically important to take away from this list, it's that Thunder GM Sam Presti is a wizard. Oklahoma City is projected to be one of the best teams in the league this season and could still wind up with as many as four first-round picks in the 2025 Draft and a great shot at another transformative prospect like Cooper Flagg. It's a good time to be a Thunder fan.
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