After the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft held on Thursday, a new group of winners and losers suddenly emerged in the league.

On the one hand, the Dallas Mavericks got a potential cornerstone of the team building Cooper Flag. On the other hand, Es Bailey fell out of the Tanhua position he occupied for most of the 2024-25 season.

The following will list the most popular players and teams on the winners and losers list.

Winner: The Mavericks

After a possible most turbulent season in the history of the Mavericks (and one of the most turbulent seasons in the history of the league), the Mavericks received a wonderful and far-reaching hope in the draft lottery draw.

The Mavericks have a 1.8% chance to win the No. 1 pick, and the lottery draw also favors them. Now, they get Flag, a forward who is expected to be the number one scorer, with excellent organizational skills and potential to be selected for the best defensive team.

Flag has almost no shortcomings.

The vacancy that Flag needs to fill is huge (or perhaps almost impossible to complete) after the catastrophic deal about Luka Doncic. Moreover, the current lineup fit is somewhat unsatisfactory. Although the Mavericks may have made some statements in pre-draft communication, Flag is almost certainly a forward player, and the team is currently crowded in frontcourt positions.

But this is a talented player who can overcome these two obstacles. And once the Mavericks have time to build a lineup around Flag that will suit him more, they may return to the championship ranks.

Loser: Es Bailey

After an unusual pre-draft practice process - Bailey rejected individual and group trials from teams who could have given him a higher pick - the winger who might have been well-projected at Rutgers, slipped to the fifth pick on Thursday by the Utah Jazz.

For many rookies, this was nothing wrong. But Bailey was the second-ranked high school student in the United States and for most of the 2024-25 season, he was recognized as the third pick in the mock draft. More importantly, as ESPN reporter Jonathan Givony reported on the live broadcast, Bailey has made it clear that he doesn't want to go to the Jazz (and the Jazz knows that too).

The first report about Pele was this negative news, which was far from ideal. And it sounds like Pele might take some time to accept the team that picked him.

But what Bailey is going to be one of the most stable teams in the past 30-40 years, and this young team will give him a lot of mobile phones.

This may not be what Bailey wants, but it is probably what suits him best.

Winner: Dylan Harper

There is no big suspense about the second pick. It became clear shortly after the lottery draw, with the San Antonio Spurs retaining the draft pick and choosing Dylan Harper.

and it is not difficult to see the reason.

Harper is a smooth and explosive playmaker who can rely on his personal abilities or pick-and-roll to tear the defense. And in Rutgers' basketball team, which does not have much talent except him and Bailey, he averages 19.4 points and 4.0 assists per game.

Now, Harper will have the opportunity to use these skills on a team with Victor Vinbanyama and De Aaron Fox. The receiver Harper is going to work with is a type he has never partnered with before.

And if Vinban Yama can stay healthy in the new season, Harper will have a chance to enter the playoffs in his rookie season.

is certainly worth celebrating to become the No. 1 pick, but Harper is probably the best place to go among all the top five rookies.

Loser: The Wizards

The Washington Wizards look ready to take advantage of Pele's pick before the draft. Judging from the weeks leading up to the draft, the sixth pick the Wizards have seemed to be Pele's lower limit.

And if Pele ends up at the sixth pick, he will be an extremely reasonable choice as a productive scorer to come to the Wizards with high-level defensive stars (Bilal Coolibali and Alex Saar).

But, just before the Wizards were about to make a choice, they heard the Jazz call Bailey's name (although he refused to try out for the Jazz).

Now, we have no way of knowing what the Wizards’ internal draft plan is. And Trey Johnson himself looks like a potentially dynamic offensive player. He averaged 19.9 points and hit 2.7 three-pointers, while shooting 39.7% from three-pointers and 87.1% from free throws. But it is certainly difficult for some people in the Wizards management to be so close to a player like Pele, who has outstanding resumes.

Winner: The Trail Blazers

Every year, many teams trade draft picks up or down in the draft, but not many teams can get such a huge reward as the Portland Trail Blazers.

Just before Sidrick Coward was selected with the 11th overall pick, ESPN reporter Shams Charania reported that the Trail Blazers will send him to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for a 16th overall pick, a 2028 first-round pick and two second-round picks.

Again, this is definitely a huge gain for a player who is not the top ten. And despite its strong performance in the end of the 2024-25 season, the Trail Blazers are unlikely to compete at a high level in the short term. It would be a very wise choice to collect more assets (whether in the draft or trade) for operation in the future, even if Coward has the potential to become a reliable winger.

However, shortly after that deal, the Trail Blazers' approach caused a lot of doubt and was puzzled. Yang Hansen is usually regarded as a second round pick, but the Trail Blazers picked him at the 16th pick.

Considering the level of the game Yang Hansen faced and his skills were still very rough, this was undoubtedly a big gamble, although Yang Hansen himself was definitely happy that the team was willing to gamble for him.

Winner: Yang Hansen

Just after Koward's trade reached only five picks, the Trail Blazers shocked the league, and they selected Chinese inside player Yang Hansen, with a pick of about 10 to 20 places higher than expected.

For most of this year, Yang Hansen was predicted as a second round pick. But in the draft, his name was called at the 16th pick.

Now, 2.16 meters tall, Yang Hansen (his nickname "China Jokic" immediately became a hot topic after he was selected) will join a rising Trail Blazers, where he will have plenty of time to grow with Donovan Klingen.

Winner: The 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers were the winners from the moment they jumped to third pick at the lottery night, and this was even more confirmed when they got VJ Edgecom on Thursday.

Edgecomb is one of the most dynamic players of this rookie and can influence the game in many ways, which is very important for the specific circumstances he is about to face. The

6ers have Joel Embiid, Paul George and Terrys Maxi, who all need a lot of ball and a phone out to play.

Edgecome has been able to play multiple positions in his previous career and averaged 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game in his freshman season, indicating that he can play with the stars who need a lot of ball rights now.

Winners (and potential losers): The Nets

Just a few years ago, the Brooklyn Nets were in extreme difficulties in team building. Most of their draft assets have been given out, and huge funds have been invested in the Big Three, a group of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

But the Nets have made a series of strategies—especially in the past 12 months, giving themselves the opportunity to do things that have never happened in league history.

The Nets entered the draft with as many as five first-round picks, and they all used them. They are the first team in history to do this.

And now, they will be bringing five players who may succeed into the 2025-26 season. If even two of Yegor Jamin, Norran Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Salav and Daniel Wolf look like reliable NBA players, this draft will easily be seen as a success. If this number is exceeded, it will be a huge success.

Of course, having so many trading chips but failing to use them in the end may make people feel like they have missed the opportunity. More active management may pack up some draft picks to choose players with higher picks.

But even without an upward trade, the Nets are likely to have already got the players they want or expect. And considering the stage they are currently in reconstruction, it is reasonable to introduce some young players to let them grow together.

Winner: The Suns

Phoenix Suns failed to fill the gap in the center position well throughout the 2024-25 season. When they entered this draft, there were no starting-level centers in the lineup prepared for the 2025-26 season.

And after getting a rather dull return in Kevin Durant's trade, people began to think that things might get bad for the Suns next season.

But at least one concern was addressed in a positive way during the draft. First, the Suns got Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets, for which they paid the 29th overall pick and a 2029 first-round pick.

Williams has been having a hard time staying healthy, but he played at a quasi-All-star level when he was able to play this season. In just 26.6 minutes of playing time, he averaged 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.

But that's not all. The Suns also used the 10th overall pick in Durant's trade to pick Carman Maluach, who currently serves as Williams' substitute and has the potential to be a true defensive backbone in the future.

Winner: The Bulls

Before the draft began, the final rookie rankings of "Open-Airport" put 18-year-old French forward Noah Essange in fourth place.

"After the dust settles, Essanger's upper limit may prove to be more like a top five player," wrote Jonathan Wasserman, a reporter from The Open-air Stand. "He can always find ways to score, by fast breaks, cutting into the timing, tipping in and attacking defenders in space."

And the player who can get such a ceiling at the 12th pick, the Chicago Bulls can be said to have completed a successful interception.

If Esanger can make more progress on the technical level, then he and Mattis Boozerlis can team up to form a high-arm, high-end, athletic and no positional boundaries in the forward position.

Winners (or ultimate losers): The Jazz

When you only look at the talents the Utah Jazz gained in the draft, it is easy to classify them as winners.

Again, Pele was regarded as the second place by many analysts for part of the season, and was a tanhua show in almost everyone's mind for most of the time. Before the 2024-25 season, some even thought he might be the No. 1 pick.

It is of great significance to be able to use the fifth pick to get a forward like Pele who is tall and long and has high-difficulty shooting potential, but the Jazz's operations are not over yet.

Later, they traded upwards to pick Walter Clayton Jr., one of the most critical players in the nation last season and a dynamic playmaker.

However, there are some risks here. Bailey probably doesn't want to stay there. It is not ideal to pick a player who might kill time until he can leave with a top five pick.

And Clayton is facing a crowded backcourt that already has Kiant George, Isaiah Collier and Colin Sexton, where he may have a hard time winning a role.

Author: Andy Bailey

Translator: GWayNe