The 2025 NBA Draft is finally at hand. We still have to wait until Wednesday night for the selections to get underway (any guesses as to who will go first?) but the betting markets are already heating up. There are not typically many futures bets to play in the draft, but we have come up with a few that we believe are worth your while, not to mention your money.
Here are our recommended plays in advance of the draft. For more NBA Draft betting content, be sure to check out our show “Wanna Bet?”
Kon Knueppel Top 5 (-130 DraftKings)
Knueppel played in the backyard of the Charlotte Hornets, who would be naturally attracted to him with the fourth overall selection. They went risky last year in drafting French native Tidjane Dalaun with the sixth pick and it didn’t provide immediate benefits. The smarter move is to go safe here and find a player with a higher floor. That means staying away from Rutgers freshman forward Ace Bailey, who has turned people off with his pre-draft antics (more on that in a minute). That should open the door for Knueppel, the the Duke star whose game continued to shine as the season went on. Knueppel especially excelled (and made a lot of money) when Cooper Flagg missed time in the ACC Tournament. He would be a great compliment to the Hornets’ backcourt given that they already have size (especially after the Mark Williams trade the Lakers was rescinded). Knueppel himself with the athleticism he displayed at the combine. His arrow is pointing up and he has clearly gained steam with evaluators.
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Asa Newell Top 20 (-150 FanDuel)
Newell has been predicted to go top 20 and there isn’t any reason (on court or off) to fear a slide. This is priced as a fairly safe play. Newell is a long power forward that teams covet. He knocked down enough long-range attempts in college to warrant a high selection and he has a solid frame and brings elite shot blocking qualities that any team would covet. Newell is switchable defensively, which is also essential in the modern game. Would he really get past the Wizards at No. 18 if they keep that pick?
Ace Bailey 6th overall (+240)
Remind us if there was story after story about this kid being such a huge problem at Rutgers? Oh, wait, we’re being told in fact there wasn’t really any of that. It’s clear that Bailey has been getting bad advice from his representatives and has done himself no favors in this entire process, but he is still arguably the second-best talent in this draft. Bailey was seen as a can’t-miss top-3 pick in the betting markets up until about two weeks ago. If you monitored the odds weekly since the Final Four (like we did), there was nothing to bet on: Flagg was going first, Dylan Harper was going second and his Rutgers teammate was going third. Yes, players slide when they try to control the process and turn teams off, but only one picking in the top six needs to be turned on. Why would the Wizards pass on this talent? To let Jordan Poole throw up 20 erratic shots a night again? We wouldn’t be shocked if someone trades up into the top four to grab Bailey (you can explore those markets, too). This will not be Shedeur Sanders 2.0.
