There is no mystery of who will go No. 1 in the 2025 NBA Draft. Duke forward Cooper Flagg is a lock to become a member of the Dallas Mavericks later in June. There’s also a consensus that the No. 2 prospect in the draft class is Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, who is separating himself from the pack.
When the San Antonio Spurs landed the No. 2 overall pick, some wondered if they might be willing to trade back given they just added De’Aaron Fox at the deadline and already have Devin Vassell and last year’s top pick Stephon Castle making up a crowded backcourt rotation. Early indications were the Spurs planned on sticking at No. 2 and taking Harper, opting for the best player available and figuring it out as they go.
Part of that is the Spurs wouldn’t want to drop too far back in this year’s draft because they still want to add high-end young talent around Victor Wembanyama. That leaves few options for a trade back, but Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on Thursday (with Jake Fischer confirming) that the Philadelphia 76ers have engaged the Spurs in discussions about the No. 2 pick (the Sixers sit at No. 3 overall).
Moving back just one spot would give San Antonio their pick of that next tier of player and might net them some more draft assets if they decide they don’t see a long-term fit for Harper and their current roster. For the Sixers, moving up would be an aggressive move to land a co-star in the backcourt for Tyrese Maxey, who has emerged as an All-Star talent for them, but they’ve lacked secondary playmaking behind him in the rotation. The challenge would be meeting the Spurs’ asking price. They don’t have much in the way of immediate future draft assets to trade but could unload another first years down the road.
This could just be the Sixers and Spurs doing their due diligence and exploring all of their options before draft night, but Philadelphia is unquestionably the wild card at the top of this year’s draft. We’ve never seen Daryl Morey picking this high in the lottery and no one is quite sure what Philly’s main priorities are, so just about anything is in play. That could include looking to trade up to nab Harper, with the Spurs dropping back to pick up their choice of the top wings in the draft and adding more assets from there.
