Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer
In a whirlwind couple of days, the NBA went from crowning the Oklahoma City Thunder as champions to welcoming its next group of young men into the league with the NBA Draft.
The results of the draft won’t be known for years to come. Top picks can flame out and late picks can be viewed as stunning steals. (Read: three-time MVP Nikola Jokic being selected by Denver as the 41st overall pick in the 2014 draft during a Taco Bell commercial.)
Still, it’s fun to take an educated guess at who are the biggest winners and losers of this year’s class.
Winner: Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks went from being labeled as having made the dumbest trade in NBA history (Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis) to unbelievably winning the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery despite having just a 1.8 percent chance of doing so.
They, of course, selected Cooper Flagg, who was the consensus best player in college basketball. Flagg is a two-way star who could make an immediate impact on a Mavericks team that justified the Doncic trade by saying they wanted to be a defense-first ball club.
Flagg is the type of player who could help carry a roster on both ends of the court, something the Mavericks need with injury-prone stars Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks went from reaching the NBA Finals in 2024 to missing the playoffs altogether in 2025 amid Irving suffering a season-ending ACL tear in March and Davis sustaining a left adductor strain during his Mavericks debut that sidelined him for six weeks.
Flagg completely changes the Mavericks’ trajectory for next season and the future. If he can quickly live up to his potential — or exceed it — the Mavericks could be contenders with a young star and a roster that includes Davis, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, Klay Thompson — and Irving, whenever he returns.
Loser: Ace Bailey
Was Ace Bailey the right pick for the Jazz? (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Bailey apparently tried to skirt the unwritten rules of the draft process and take his future into his own hands by reportedly not working out for teams picking in the top five, including canceling a meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers last week.
That immediately raised questions about his maturity. And apparently it backfired because Bailey landed on a Utah team that had the No. 5 pick in the draft. Danny Ainge drafted him sight unseen despite Bailey’s preferred destinations reportedly being Washington, New Orleans or Brooklyn.
Bailey acknowledged at the draft that he had “no idea” Utah was interested in him.
Even though this wasn’t Bailey’s plan, it could be a blessing in disguise for both parties. Bailey will get his wish of being a high-usage player his rookie season. And the Jazz, who have missed the playoffs three straight years, now have a wing who has the potential to turn into a star, something they’ve lacked since Gordon Hayward left in 2017.
Winner: San Antonio Spurs
After the Mavericks, the Spurs were the big winners of the draft lottery, securing the No. 2 pick while having a roster that includes Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. San Antonio selected Dylan Harper, a talented guard who’s known to be a strong defender and a great rim protector.
The Spurs have gotten incredibly lucky with the draft, having a top-four pick in three straight years. They selected Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick in 2023 and Stephon Castle with the No. 4 pick last year. (Castle went on to win the Rookie of the Year award this season.)
The Spurs have made it clear that their strategy — at least so far now – is to bolster their roster by adding talented youth instead of taking big swings. They reportedly didn’t make Phoenix an enticing enough offer with the Kevin Durant sweepstakes despite Durant listing the Spurs as one of his top destinations.
As for Harper, he could have an immediate impact on the Spurs, who missed the postseason the last six years following a streak of 22 straight playoff appearances. Harper is a high-character guy with a huge amount of upside who could develop into a franchise player.
Loser: New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans traded into the lottery to select Derik Queen. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
For the Pelicans’ sake, let’s hope they see something we’re missing here.
Sure, Derik Queen may be a gifted undersized center, but is he worth the Pelicans trading their No. 23 pick and an unprotected 2026 first round pick to Atlanta to select Queen with the No. 13 pick?
That’s a big gamble. After all, who knows, the Pelicans could’ve gotten the top pick in the draft lottery next year with their first-round pick.
It’s a big risk for a guy who can score around the rim and has incredible hands, but is also a liability on the defensive end and needs to develop his shooting.
Winner: Hansen Yang
One of the biggest surprises in the draft was Yang being selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the No. 16 pick. Yang was projected to be a mid-to-late second round pick, but was selected 10-20 spots higher than anticipated.
We’ve grown accustomed to witnessing a player’s deep disappointment with slipping lower in the draft than expected.
It was fun watching the opposite happen.
Yang, who didn’t even get invited into the Green Room and was seated in the stands, joins a team with a slate of centers, including Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III.
The 7-foot-2 Yang, who is 20, is the first Chinese-born player to be drafted in the first round since Yi Jianlian in 2007.
Loser: Brooklyn Nets
The Nets had five first-round picks — and they shockingly kept them all.
Most people assumed they’d trade up or wheel and deal some of them to secure current or future assets. Instead, they selected Egor Demin (No. 8), Nolan Traore (No. 19), Drake Powell (No. 22), Ben Saraf (No. 26) and Danny Wolf (No. 27).
The Nets are clearly banking on the fact that they’ll strike goal on at least a few of those picks.
It’s a different strategy than the franchise took a few years ago when they went all in on a superteam with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. That team was projected to be perennial championship contenders, but they never made it past the second round of the playoffs before being dismantled.
Now, the Nets are taking the opposite approach, putting all of their chips on the table for young talent who they can develop.
Perhaps a compromise could’ve been struck?
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
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