There will be no rest for basketball bettors with the 2025 NBA Draft quickly approaching on Wednesday night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder just closed out the 2024-25 season on Sunday by claiming their second championship in franchise history and first since relocating to Oklahoma City from Seattle, so it’s understandable if you want to keep your wagers away from the hardcourt for a little while. But the draft awaits those who can’t get enough of betting on hoops, albeit in a much different fashion than your typical game wagers.
Duke’s Cooper Flagg is the consensus top prospect in this year’s draft, and he has around -50000 odds (99.8% implied odds) to be selected first overall by the Dallas Mavericks depending on the online sportsbook. Although Flagg is as close to a lock as there is at No. 1, there are several intriguing possibilities for NBA bettors to consider when browsing through the different betting markets available.
Let’s take a look at the draft order and the specific betting market for the No. 9 pick, which belongs to the Toronto Raptors:
NBA Draft Lottery Order
| Team | Pick | Consensus Mock Draft Pick (NBA.com) |
| Dallas Mavericks | 1 | Cooper Flagg (Duke) |
| San Antonio Spurs | 2 | Dylan Harper (Rutgers) |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 3 | VJ Edgecombe (Baylor) |
| Charlotte Hornets | 4 | Ace Bailey (Rutgers) |
| Utah Jazz | 5 | Tre Johnson (Texas) |
| Washington Wizards | 6 | Kon Knueppel (Duke) |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 7 | Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma) |
| Brooklyn Nets | 8 | Khaman Maluach (Duke) |
| Toronto Raptors | 9 | Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois) |
| Houston Rockets | 10 | Derik Queen (Maryland) |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 11 | Carter Bryant (Arizona) |
| Atlanta Hawks | 12 | Collin Murray-Boyles (South Carolina) |
| Chicago Bulls | 13 | Noa Essengue (Germany) |
| San Antonio Spurs | 14 | Egor Demin (Brigham Young) |
Flagg (-50000 to go No. 1), Dylan Harper (-5000 to go No. 2), and VJ Edgecombe (-275 to go No. 3) are incredibly likely to round out the first three picks in that order, according to oddsmakers.
Things really get interesting at No. 4, though, as Ace Bailey’s draft stock has reportedly plummeted since he measured out at 6-foot-7 at the combine after Rutgers listed him as 6-foot-10. Bailey, who is just 18 years old, reportedly also came off as “unpolished” in team interviews and showed a lack of maturity.
Kon Knueppel is listed as the favourite, with around -175 odds, at most online sportsbooks, to be selected at No. 4 ahead of Bailey. Tre Johnson, a pure shooter, could also hold some value with +500 odds to be drafted at that position.
Tre Johnson to be selected fourth overall
No. 9 pick odds – Toronto Raptors
| Khaman Maluach | +220 |
| Noa Essengue | +500 |
| Derik Queen | +550 |
| Carter Bryant | +600 |
| Kasparas Jakucionis | +600 |
| Jeremiah Fears | +1200 |
| Collin Murray-Boyles | +1600 |
| Egor Demin | +1600 |
| Cedric Coward | +2200 |
| Danny Wolf | +2500 |
It’s not surprising to see Maluach, who stands at 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-6 wingspan, with the shortest odds on this list. The Raptors have a glaring need at the centre position behind Jakob Poeltl, who could be a free agent after next season if he declines his player option, which is very likely. Secondly, Maluach hails from Africa (South Sudan), connecting him to Raptors GM Masai Ujiri and his Giants of Africa foundation. Ujiri has vested long-term interests in the development of basketball across Africa, and the Raptors have an extensive history of African-born players suiting up for the franchise under Ujiri’s watch, including Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwa, and Christian Koloko, to name a few. However, it’s very possible Maluach is off the board before Toronto selects at No. 9, assuming the Raptors even elect to keep the pick.
It’s also no surprise that several other forwards/centres have the shortest odds on this list to further solidify Toronto’s need for a big man. Noa Essengue, Derik Queen, Carter Bryant, Collin Murray-Boyles, and Danny Wolf could all fill that obvious void. Our friends over at Raptors Republic have the Raptors selecting Bryant in their official mock draft.
Yahoo! Sports has Toronto going slightly off the board with Asa Newell (+3300 to be selected at No. 9), another forward with high upside, in its latest mock draft.
Pick: Maluach (+220). This pick just makes too much sense if he’s still on the board at No. 9. He’s a natural fit with the Raptors and fills an obvious need with the uncertainty surrounding Poeltl’s future with the team beyond next season. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Toronto trade back a little bit in the draft with so many other intriguing options at the forward/centre position, like Essengue, Bryant, and Queen likely still on the board.