RealGM Basketball Wiretap

01 July 2025

• Steven Ashworth, RJ Felton, Samson Johnson Agree To Exhibit 10 Contracts With Pacers

  Steven Ashworth, RJ Felton, and Samson Johnson agreed to Exhibit 10 contracts with the Indiana Pacers.

  Ashworth, from Creighton, lead the Big East with 6.8 assists per game.

  Felton averaged 18.8 points and 6.4 rebounds at East Carolina.

  Johnson is the all-time winningest player in UConn history and won two national titles.

• 2025 NBA Draft Second Round Results: Rasheer Fleming Goes No. 31 To Suns

  The Phoenix Suns acquired the No. 31 overall pick and selected Rasheer Fleming out of Saint Joseph's to begin the second round of the 2025 NBA draft.

  2025 NBA Draft, Round 1 Results
  31. Phoenix Suns: Rasheer Fleming, F, Saint Joseph's
  32. Orlando Magic: Noah Penda, F, France
  33. Charlotte Hornets: Sion James, SF, Duke
  34. Charlotte Hornets: Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Creighton
  35. Philadelphia 76ers: Johni Broome, C, Auburn
  36. Los Angeles Lakers: Adou Thiero, PF, Arkansas
  37. Detroit Pistons: Chaz Lanier, SG, Tennessee
  38. Indiana Pacers: Kam Jones, PG/SG, Marquette
  39. Toronto Raptors: Alijah Martin, SG, Florida
  40. New Orleans Pelicans: Micah Peavy, SG/SF, Georgetown
  41. Phoenix Suns: Koby Brea, SG/SF, Kentucky
  42. Sacramento Kings: Maxime Raynaud, C, Stanford
  43. Washington Wizards: Jamir Watkins, SG/SF, Florida State
  44. Oklahoma City Thunder: Brooks Barnhizer, SF, Northwestern
  45. Minnesota Timberwolves: Rocco Zikarsky, C, Brisbane
  46. Boston Celtics: Amari Williams, C, Kentucky
  47. Milwaukee Bucks: Bogoljub Markovic, PF/C, Mega Superbet
  48. Memphis Grizzlies: Javon Small, PG, West Virginia
  49. Cleveland Cavaliers: Tyrese Proctor, G, Duke
  50. LA Clippers: Kobe Sanders, SG/SF, Nevada
  51. New York Knicks: Mohamed Diawara, F, France
  52. Golden State Warriors: Alex Toohey, SF/PF, Sydney
  53. Utah Jazz: John Tonje, SF, Wisconsin
  54. Indiana Pacers: Taelon Peter, G, Liberty
  55. Chicago Bulls: Lachlan Olbrich, PF/C, Illawarra
  56. Golden State Warriors: Will Richard, SG, Florida
  57. Boston Celtics: Max Shulga, G, VCU
  58. Cleveland Cavaliers: Saliou Niang, SG/SF, Trento
  59. Houston Rockets: Jahmai Mashack, G, Tennessee

• 2025 NBA Draft First Round: Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe Picked Top-3

  The Dallas Mavericks have opened up the 2025 NBA draft by selecting Cooper Flagg out of Duke with the first overall pick. Flagg will wear No. 32 for the Mavericks after wearing No. 2 at Duke The Mavericks won the lottery with just a 1.8 percent change, which is the fourth lowest in NBA history.

  The San Antonio Spurs selected Dylan Harper out of Rutgers with the No. 2 pick. San Antonio has the two most recent Rookies of the Year in Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle.

  The Philadelphia 76ers then selected V.J. Edgecombe out of Baylor at No. 3 followed by Kon Knueppel to the Charlotte Hornets at No. 4.

  The first real surprise of the draft came when the Utah Jazz selected Ace Bailey. Bailey had an unorthodox lead up to the draft in which he didn't work out for any teams. Bailey had hoped to be selected by the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans or Brooklyn Nets.

  2025 NBA Draft, Round 1 Results
  1. Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, SF/PF, Duke
  2. San Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper, PG, Rutgers
  3. Philadelphia 76ers: V.J. Edgecombe, SG, Baylor
  4. Charlotte Hornets: Kon Knueppel, SF, Duke
  5. Utah Jazz: Ace Bailey, SF, Rutgers
  6. Washington Wizards: Tre Johnson, SG, Texas
  7. New Orleans Pelicans: Jeremiah Fears, PG, Oklahoma
  8. Brooklyn Nets: Egor Demin, PG, BYU
  9. Toronto Raptors: Collin Murray-Boyles, PF/C, South Carolina
  10. Phoenix Suns (via PHX/BKN/HOU): Khaman Maluach, C, Duke
  11. Memphis Grizzlies (via POR): Cedric Coward, SF, Washington State
  12. Chicago Bulls: Noa Essengue, PF, Ratiopharm Ulm
  13. New Orleans Pelicans (via SAC/ATL): Derik Queen, C, Maryland
  14. San Antonio Spurs: (via ATL): Carter Bryant, SF, Arizona
  15. Oklahoma City Thunder (via MIA/LAC): Thomas Sorber, C, Georgetown
  16. Portland Trail Blazers (via ORL/MEM): Yang Hansen, C, China
  17. Minnesota Timberwolves (via DET/NYK): Joan Beringer, C, Cedevita Olimpija
  18. Utah Jazz (via MEM/WAS): Walter Clayton Jr., PG, Florida
  19. Brooklyn Nets (via MIL/NYK): Nolan Traore, PG, Saint-Quentin
  20. Miami Heat (via GSW): Kasparas Jakucionis, PG, Illinois
  21. Washington Wizards (via MIN/UTA): Will Riley, SF, Illinois
  22. Brooklyn Nets (via LAL/NOP/ATL): Drake Powell, SG/SF, North Carolina
  23. Atlanta Hawks (via IND/NOP): Asa Newell, PF/C, Georgia
  24. Sacramento Kings (via LAC/OKC): Nique Clifford, SG, Colorado State
  25. Orlando Magic (via DEN): Jase Richardson, PG/SG, Michigan State
  26. Brooklyn Nets (via NYK): Ben Saraf, PG/SG, Ratiopharm Ulm
  27. Brooklyn Nets (via HOU): Danny Wolf, PF, Michigan
  28. Boston Celtics: Hugo Gonzalez, SG/SF, Real Madrid
  29. Charlotte Hornets (via CLE/UTA/PHX): Liam McNeeley, SG/SF, UConn
  30. LA Clippers (via OKC): Yanic Konan Niederhauser, C, Penn State

• Pacers Acquire No. 38 From Spurs For Future 2nd Rounder, Cash

  The San Antonio Spurs have agreed to trade the No. 38 pick in the 2025 NBA draft to the Indiana Pacers for a future second round pick and cash. The future pick is a 2030 second rounder originating with the Sacramento Kings.

  The Spurs also own the No. 14 pick in the first round originating with the Atlanta Hawks.

  The Pacers recently traded the No. 23 pick in the draft to the New Orleans Pelicans to reacquire their own 2026 first round pick. The Pacers also own the No. 54 pick in the second round.

• Game 7 Averages 16.36M Viewers, Most-Watched NBA Game Since 2019

  Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals averaged 16,353,000 viewers on ABC, making it the most-watched game in six years since 2019. The seven-game series won by the Oklahoma City Thunder over the Indiana Pacers averaged 10,266,000 viewers and delivered the seven most-watched broadcasts on all of television since the first week of May.

  The game peaked with 19,281,000 viewers between 9:45 and 10 PM ET.

  ESPN and ABC averaged 6.12 million viewers across 36 games, representing an increase of 10 percent over 2024.

• Tyrese Haliburton Suffers Torn Right Achilles Tendon

  Tyrese Haliburton has been diagnosed with a torn right Achilles tendon. Haliburton suffered the injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals which the Indiana Pacers went on to lose to the Oklahoma City Thunder by a final score of 103-91. Haliburton will soon undergo surgery on the Achilles with Dr. Martin O'Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and will likely miss the entire 2025-26 season as he rehabilitates.

  Haliburton played through a calf strain in the same leg during Games 5, 6 and 7 of the Finals. Haliburton made three of his first four three-point attempts in Game 7 before suffering the injury.

  Haliburton is the third All-Star to have suffered an Achilles tear in these playoffs alone after Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum.

  The day before Game 7, Haliburton acknowledged after practice his leg was "still stiff, still sore," but he said he planned to play through it.

• Rick Carlisle On Tyrese Haliburton Injury: 'All Of Our Hearts Dropped'

  Indiana Pacers players and Rick Carlisle addressed the impact of losing Tyrese Haliburton early in their 103-91 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

  Haliburton, who suffered an Achilles injury, stood on crutches outside the locker room and embraced his teammates following the loss.

  "All of our hearts dropped," said Carlisle when he first saw Haliburton on the ground.

  Haliburton, who had nine points at the time of the injury, acknowledged on Saturday that his leg was "still stiff, still sore" from Thursday's Game 6.

  Haliburton watched the rest of the game from the locker room and remained a vocal presence at halftime with the Pacers leading 48-47.

  "That's just who Ty is," T.J. McConnell said. "To go down like that, be selfless and just continuing to cheer for us. Even though he can't play, I think that just speaks volumes to who Tyrese Haliburton is, one of the greatest human beings I've come in contact with."

  Obi Toppin, who shot 0-4 from the field, admitted that he was "thinking about it the whole game."

  The Pacers did not provide any other information about Haliburton's status on Sunday night.

  Haliburton averaged 17.7 points and 9.0 assists throughout the playoffs, while setting a franchise record with 197 postseason assists.

  "He authored one of the great individual playoff runs in the history of the NBA with dramatic play after dramatic play," Carlisle added. "It was something that no one's ever seen and did it as one of 17. You know, that's the beautiful thing about him: As great a player as he is, it's always a team thing."

• Thunder Win 2025 NBA Championship, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Named Finals MVP

  The Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA championship in franchise history, defeating the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to cap a historically dominant 68-win season.

  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned Finals MVP honors with 29 points and 12 assists in the decisive game. The victory completed a rare quadruple for the league MVP, who also claimed scoring champion and NBA champion honors in the same season. Gilgeous-Alexander's co-stars also played well in Game 7 as Chet Holmgren dominated defensively and scored an efficient 18 points. Jalen Williams struggled in the first half, but settled in to finish with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.

  Game 7 was overshadowed by Tyrese Haliburton's devastating left Achilles injury suffered with 4:55 remaining in the first quarter. Haliburton was ruled out for the game with a suspected Achilles injury. Haliburton converted three of his four three-point attempts before suffering the injury.

  Indiana managed to take a 48-47 halftime lead despite losing their best player. Oklahoma City seized control in the third quarter, outscoring the Pacers 34-20 to build a 13-point advantage they never surrendered.

  The Pacers mounted a late comeback attempt, cutting a 22-point deficit to 10 on Andrew Nembhard's three-pointer with under two minutes remaining.

  "It doesn't feel real," Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game. "So many hours. So many moments. So many emotions. This group worked for it. This group put in the hours and we deserve this."

• Tyrese Haliburton Leaves Game 7 With Achilles Injury

  Tyrese Haliburton suffered a non-contact injury when driving to the basket with 4:55 remaining in the first quarter of Game 7. The Indiana Pacers quickly ruled out Haliburton for the remainder of the game. Haliburton's father, John Haliburton, confirmed to ESPN's Lisa Salters that it was an Achilles injury.

  Haliburton was unable to put any weight on his leg as he was taken back to the Pacers' locker room. Haliburton appeared to recognize the severity of the injury as he fell face down onto the floor.

  Halliburton has been dealing with a calf strain since Game 5 of the Finals. Haliburton was surprisingly effective in the Pacers' Game 6 win.

  Haliburton went 3-for-4 from three before his injury.

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Following Game 6 Loss: 'We Need To Learn The Lessons'

  The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Indiana Pacers 108-91 in Game 6 on Thursday night, marking the most lopsided loss by either team in the series.

  "We need to learn the lessons, and we have one game for everything we worked for, and so do they," said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander about the upcoming Game 7. "The better team Sunday will win."

  Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 21 points and two assists, but also had eight turnovers. The eight turnovers represent the most in a Finals game in at least 40 years.

  The Thunder committed 21 turnovers in the game.

  "Some of them I just think was carelessness and not being focused and not being engaged," added Gilgeous-Alexander about the turnovers.

  The Thunder starters sat for the entire fourth quarter with the team down by as much as 30 points.

  Mark Daigneault said the entire rotation came out flat.

  "From our standpoint, it was uncharacteristic," Daigneault said. "It was disappointing. It was collective. It wasn't one guy."

  The Thunder shot 38.2% through the first three quarters while going 3 for 20 from three.

  Jalen Williams also finished with a -40 point differential in 27 minutes, the worst plus-minus for any player since 1997-98.

  Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged that the team got distracted by the possibility of winning a title on Thursday.

  "That's why the night went the way that it did. We got exactly what we deserved, what we earned. We have to own that."