RealGM Basketball Wiretap

23 June 2025

• Josh Green Undergoes Successful Shoulder Surgery

  Charlotte Hornets forward Josh Green underwent surgery to address left shoulder instability and will be sidelined indefinitely. The team announced Green is expected to make a full recovery but provided no timeline for his return.

  Green averaged 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 27.8 minutes per game during his first season in Charlotte. He appeared in 68 games with 67 starts after joining the Hornets in a trade from the Dallas Mavericks.

  Green shot 39.1 percent from three-point range last season, his second-highest career mark. His shooting percentage ranked second among qualified Hornets players during the 2024-25 campaign.

  Green was originally selected 18th overall by the Mavericks in the 2020 NBA Draft. He holds career averages of 6.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.8 steals across 291 games over five seasons.

• Sixers, Hornets Fielding Trade Offers For No. 3, No. 4 Until They're On Clock At Draft

  The Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets have signaled to teams that they each intend to continue listening to trade offers for No. 3 and No. 4 respectively until they are on the clock during the draft on Wednesday, June 25.

  The Utah Jazz, who pick at No. 5, have not encouraged trade offers for their selection from teams behind them. The Washington Wizards are a potential candidate to trade up from No. 6.

  There is growing skepticism that the Spurs will seriously entertain trading out of No. 2.

  While the exact order of players selected after Cooper Flagg at No. 1 and Dylan Harper at No. 2 is yet to be determined, it is highly likely to consist of VJ Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, Jeremiah Fears, Kon Kneuppel and Khaman Maluach.

  "If it's not those eight [in the top eight], it will be seven of those eight," said one Eastern Conference executive.

  The Toronto Raptors, who own the No. 9 selection, are considered the team most likely to trade out of the top-10. With Maluach having a good chance of being selected before Toronto is on the clock, the Raptors are evaluating center options later in the first round.

• Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe Top Three In Latest ESPN Mock Draft

  There were no surprises at the top of ESPN's latest mock for the 2025 NBA Draft. Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper were the first two players off the board, as most expect. Then things started to get a bit interesting.

  V.J. Edgecombe went third to the Philadelphia 76ers, followed by Kon Knueppel to the Charlotte Hornets with the fourth pick. The Utah Jazz then selected Tre Johnson with the fifth pick.

  That meant that Ace Bailey fell to the sixth overall pick and the Washington Wizards. That's quite the drop for Bailey, who was once considered a contender for the second pick in the draft, behind Flagg.

• Sixers Zeroing In On VJ Edgecombe As Hornets, Wizards Also Interested

  The Philadlephia 76ers are believed to be zeroing in on VJ Edgecombe with the No. 3 overall pick. Edgecombe visited the Sixers last week.

  "Edgecombe is said to have impressed with his work ethic, personality and interviews," writes Jake Fischer.

  Tyrese Maxey also flew in to meet with Edgecombe. The Sixers are bullish on how Edgecombe could help offset Maxey on the defensive end of the floor, while the Baylor product also has upside on offense.

  Edgecombe has yet to meet with any other teams and there's been some speculation that he might not conduct any additional ones. The Charlotte Hornets could select Edgecombe at No. 4 if he's not selected by the Sixers.

  Additionally, league executives believe the Washington Wizards have interest in trading up for Edgecombe. The Wizards own the No. 6 and No. 18 selections in the first round.

  "They're keeping the pick or they're trading down a few slots," said one Eastern Conference executive.

• VJ Edgecombe Had 'Excellent' Interview With Hornets

  VJ Edgecombe reportedly had an "excellent" interview with the Charlotte Hornets, sources told Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo! Sports.

  Executives around the league consider him to be the favorite to get drafted by the Hornets with the fourth pick should he still be on the board.

  Edgecombe averaged 15.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in his freshman year at Baylor.

• Mavericks Win 2025 NBA Draft Lottery; Spurs, Sixers, Hornets In Top-4

  The NBA held its 2025 Draft Lottery in Chicago on Monday with the Dallas Mavericks winning the lottery with a 1.8 percent chance. The San Antonio Spurs moved up to No. 2 ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3, and Charlotte Hornets at No. 4.

  Cooper Flagg is the presumptive No. 1 pick with Dylan Harper expected to be selected at No. 2. The draft is expected to open up considerably after the first two picks of the draft with a number of candidates vying for consideration at No. 3 and beyond.

  The Mavericks were in the lottery after they traded away Luka Doncic and endured a number of injuries issues for the remainder of the season. Dallas won their initial play-in game against the Sacramento Kings, but were defeated in the second play-in by the Memphis Grizzlies to remain in the lottery.

  2025 NBA Draft Lottery Order

  1. Dallas Mavericks
  2. San Antonio Spurs
  3. Philadelphia 76ers
  4. Charlotte Hornets
  5. Utah Jazz
  6. Washington Wizards
  7. New Orleans Pelicans
  8. Brooklyn Nets
  9. Toronto Raptors
  10. Houston Rockets (from Brooklyn via Phoenix)
  11. Portland Trail Blazers
  12. Chicago Bulls
  13. Atlanta Hawks (via Sacramento)
  14. San Antonio Spurs (via Atlanta)

• Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper Widely Expected To Be Top Two Picks At 2025 NBA Draft

  In their latest look at the 2025 NBA Draft, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo broke down who each lottery team could pick, depending on where their pick falls. While things get very interesting depending on who gets the third pick, Cooper Flagg of Duke and Dylan Harper of Rutgers are the consensus first and second picks, respectively.

  The third pick is heavily dependent on which team lands there. Some teams may prefer forward Ace Bailey of Rutgers, while others are higher on guard V.J. Edgecombe of Baylor. Givony and Woo have reached a consensus that Bailey or Edgecombe, in some order, should be the third and fourth players off the board.

  From there, the draft takes a lot of turns. Jeremiah Fears, Tre Johnson, Kasparas Jakucionis, Khaman Maluach, Kon Knuppel and Derik Queen round out the top 10.

• Lakers 'Couldn't Live With What They Saw' On Mark Williams' Physical

  The Los Angeles Lakers rescinded their trade for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams at the deadline after he failed the team's physical examination. "[The Lakers] just couldn't live with what they saw," a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN regarding Williams' physical examination results.

  Williams was specifically requested by Luka Doncic as his preferred lob partner from available trade targets. Doncic had previously found success in the pick-and-roll with centers Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford during his time with the Dallas Mavericks.

  The deal would have sent rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, an unprotected 2031 first round pick and a 2030 pick swap to Charlotte. Lakers executives had finalized the agreement just before the trade deadline after already completing deals for Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith.

  Impact On Both Teams

  The rescinded trade, a rare occurrence in the NBA, left the Lakers thin at the center position for their playoff run. Jaxson Hayes and Alex Len provided minimal contributions, forcing the team to play Maxi Kleber in Game 5 despite his lengthy injury absence since January.

  Williams returned to Charlotte where he played 21 games to finish the season. The 7-foot center averaged 14.9 points on 62.5% shooting during that stretch.

  The failed trade represents a significant missed opportunity for the Lakers, who sought to address their frontcourt needs alongside Doncic's specific request for a vertical threat in the pick-and-roll game. While the Lakers received those assets back on the rescinded trade, they plan on addressing the center position this offseason as their top priority.

• Get Your Latest NBA News From RealGM's Basketball Wiretap
  Get all the latest news and happenings from around the NBA with RealGM's Basketball Wiretap.