The 2025 NBA draft began just as everyone expected, with Cooper Flagg's name being called first.

And while there were a number of trades, they came well after Flagg shook NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's hand.

The Dallas Mavericks opened Wednesday's draft by selecting Flagg at No. 1 – a decision that was widely projected after the 18-year-old forward was named the top collegiate player in the United States after a sensational freshman season at Duke.

Flagg joins a Mavericks team that is coming off a tumultuous last few months after trading away superstar and fan favourite Luka Doncic in February, less than one year after he led Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals.

Flagg did it all in his lone collegiate season, leading Duke in all five major statistical categories – scoring (19.2), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), steals (1.8) and blocks (1.4).

He led the Blue Devils to the Final Four and became just the fourth freshman to win the Wooden Award as the top men's college basketball player in the United States.

Cooper Flagg is selected 1st overall by the @dallasmavs in the 2025 #NBADraft presented by State Farm!

Watch on ABC & ESPN. pic.twitter.com/mY7n1IM8Oo

— NBA (@NBA) June 26, 2025

The second pick also offered little drama, with the San Antonio Spurs drafting Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper – a selection that had been predicted by most prognosticators.

The two-way star guard is an adept scorer – he led Rutgers in scoring at 19.4 points per game – and is an excellent ball-handler and passer.

Harper, the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, is now teamed with Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle – the last two NBA Rookie of the Year winners.

While there was little suspense with the first two picks, it was uncertain who the Philadelphia 76ers would take at No. 3.

They ended up selecting VJ Edgecombe – a high-flying explosive guard out of Baylor.

The Charlotte Hornets then made it two Duke players selected in the top four picks when they drafted Flagg's teammate, Kon Knueppel.

One of the top sharpshooters in the draft class, Knueppel made 40.6 per cent of his 3-point attempts in his only collegiate season and ranked sixth in the United States in foul shooting at 91.4 per cent.

One of the biggest questions in the days leading up to the draft was when would Ace Bailey be picked.

The answer became at No. 5, by the Utah Jazz.

Long projected to be the third pick in the draft, Bailey had been the most polarising prospect in recent weeks.

He cancelled a scheduled workout with the 76ers, and then declined to meet with the Hornets and Jazz.

There was speculation that his agent wanted him to be drafted by either the Washington Wizards – the owners of the sixth pick – the New Orleans Pelicans – who picked seventh – or the Brooklyn Nets at No. 8.

While his pre-draft decisions were questioned by many, there were little questions about his on-court abilities, and Utah ultimately decided to draft the talented 18-year-old power forward.

A versatile scorer, the 6-foot-8 Bailey averaged 17.6 points as a freshman at Rutgers this past season. He can score off the dribble and is prolific from beyond the arc, draining 34.6 per cent of his 3-point tries.

He is also strong near the basket, putting up averages of 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 30 games as a Scarlet Knight.

With Bailey off the board, the Wizards selected guard Tre Johnson out of Texas, the Pelicans followed with Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears and the Nets then drafted BYU point guard Egor Demin – the first of five first-round picks going to Brooklyn.

The Toronto Raptors took power forward Collin Murray-Boyles out of South Carolina at No. 9, and big man Khaman Maluach became the third player drafted out of Duke when the Houston Rockets selected him tenth overall. He will be headed to the Phoenix Suns, however, as part of the Kevin Durant trade.

The Portland Trail Blazers then selected Washington State shooting guard Cedric Coward, but are trading him to Memphis for the draft rights of China centre Hansen Yan, who was picked at No. 16 by the Grizzlies.

The first international player to get drafted came at No. 12, with the Chicago Bulls selecting power forward Noa Essengue from France.

The Atlanta Hawks owned the 13th pick and took Derik Queen, but are trading the former Maryland centre to the Pelicans.

Three days after winning the NBA championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder drafted Georgetown centre Thomas Sorber at No. 15. Nine picks later, the Thunder drafted Colorado State forward Nique Clifford, who was then dealt to the Sacramento Kings.

Walter Clayton Jr. - the star of Florida's NCAA national championship team - was selected 18th by the Wizards, but will play for the Jazz after Utah traded Washington the draft rights of the No. 21 pick and a second-round selection. Illinois wing Will Riley was drafted at No. 21.

In addition to Demin, the Nets also drafted point guard Nolan Traore from France at No. 19, Israeli point guard Ben Saraf at No. 26 and Michigan power forward Danny Wolf one pick later. They also acquired the 22nd pick, small forward Drake Powell out of North Carolina, in a trade with the Hawks.

The Hornets drafted UConn wing Liam McNeeley at No. 29 after acquiring that pick from the Suns in exchange for centre Mark Williams. Williams averaged 15.3 points and 10.2 rebounds last season for Charlotte, who also received a 2029 first-rounder as part of the trade.

The Los Angeles Clippers concluded the first round when they drafted Penn State centre Yanic Konan Niederhauser at No. 30.