New Orleans Pelicans 2025 NBA Mock Draft Roundup 2.0

This pick has the potential to shake up the draft big time. With Zion Williamson being a possible trade candidate this summer, the Pelicans select one of the best defenders in this draft class to pair with fellow big man Yves Missi.

Knueppel climbed draft boards throughout the year and established himself as a likely lottery pick, with his shooting and ability to facilitate offenses. He is reportedly on the mend from a sprained ankle, preventing him from participating in on-court drills at the combine, though the 19-year-old is hopeful to resume workouts by the end of the week. He'd likely benefit from team workouts and interviews to show his overall game outside of his shooting, but he appears to be a lock to go in the 7-14 range.

The Pelicans have already made substantive changes to their organization, firing David Griffin and hiring Joe Dumars to run basketball operations. The word out of New Orleans is simply not to expect the roster to look the same as it did this year.

They'll be disappointed to fall in the lottery, but I love this slot for them if they can end up with Knueppel, a bigger shooter who is competitive and tough. He has a case as the best shooter in the class along with Johnson, and his overall game was more impactful this season. They're right next to each other on my board. He also has more ball skills than you think, especially in ball screens, and was better defensively than he got credit for being. This works really well regardless of the direction the team decides to go in the future. Knueppel is the kind of big shooter who is almost scheme- and roster-proof.

Pro Comparison: Dereck Lively

Workouts should create a favorable setting for Khaman Maluach to showcase shotmaking touch and on-ball footwork that was mostly hidden by a loaded Duke roster.

At baseline, his 7'2" size, massive wingspan and mobility will draw serious consideration from late lottery teams interested in adding play-finishing and defense. But Maluach pre-Duke tape showed more shooting range and scoring versatility, and flashes of that during the draft process could start to entice teams even further up the board.

Team Fit: The Pels got great mileage out of Yves Missi this past season, but things could go even further with Maluach. He could fill the same rim-running role, ensuring New Orleans always has a bouncy big in the middle, but the hope is Maluach could one day add some element of shot-making to the mix. —Zach Buckley, NBA Analyst

Scouting report: Maluach is the top defensive center prospect in this draft, offering an appealing mix of length, mobility, play finishing and paint protection at a young age. This year's playoffs have served as a reminder for some teams that the ability to rotate size onto the floor still has plenty of value in the postseason, with more traditional centers such as Rudy Gobert and Steven Adams among those turning in big moments.

Maluach's ability to deter opponents around the rim and strong intangibles should give him immediate rotation value with plenty of room to improve. -- Woo

NBA intel and fit: Coming off a difficult, injury riddled-season that led to major changes in the front office, the Pelicans need star power to build around Zion Williamson, who played in just 130 games over the past four seasons because of injuries.

Unfortunately, that task became a lot harder when the Pelicans shockingly dropped four spots to the No. 7 pick, significantly complicating their outlook in this draft. It will be interesting to see whether the Pelicans' shift to a new front office hierarchy gives them a mandate from ownership to pivot toward a true rebuild, with an eye on a loaded 2026 draft class. -- Givony

It's easy to believe Bailey is chock full of long-term upside as an athletic 6'9 forward (okay, he measured 6'7.5 barefoot) with a 7-foot wingspan who flashed some wild shot-making ability throughout his freshman year at Rutgers. When Bailey is hot, he can takeover a game as a scorer with a pure jumper very few players can effectively contest. He's also a skilled mid-range scorer who made 46 percent of his non-rim two-pointers with 73 percent of those looks being self-created. He has the athletic tools to recover defensively, showing solid supplemental rim protection skills and defensive rebounding potential. Bailey is so talented that he can usually get a decent look at the rim, but that doesn't mean he should always take it. He was an inefficient scorer at Rutgers with 53 percent true shooting. His handle is so shaky that he can't always leverage his physical tools near the basket, and to this point he struggles badly with his passing vision. It's hard to envision Bailey as a star when his handle and playmaking remain this much of a work in progress, but he should still have a high floor with his size, explosiveness, and shooting if he learns to slow down and consistently make smarter reads.

Year 1 for Fears might look something like a learner's permit driver trying to handle a manual-transmission McLaren. At his high points, he'll blaze up and down the floor at 150 mph, leaving people wondering why he didn't go in the top five in this draft. During his low stretches, he'll be a tough watch—grinding gears as he learns how to function on the ball. His creativity and chaos live in a pretty delicate balance and frequently tilt toward the latter. There are a cluster of factors that need equilibrium, including his inconsistencies as a shooter, but with a yo-yo handle and comfort with physicality, Fears will find his way into the paint regularly. The Pelicans could use some young blood in the form of an on-ball catalyst, and while Fears is a bit of a risky wager because of his shooting issues, his downhill ability and playmaking flashes have the highest upside at this slot in the lottery.

The draft will take a turn here pending what New Orleans does. It has interesting options. Murray-Boyles is a best-player available selection give the Pels a big who is a dynamic defender with a crafty scoring style inside the paint.

The Pelicans badly need a point guard of the future, and Fears has the skills to become that for them as a dynamic guard with a twitchy attacking style and a knack for coming through as a clutch shooter. He was one of college basketball's youngest freshmen, and it showed with his shaky decision-making as a shooter and passer. But he has a feel for shot creation and a handle that lets him get anywhere on the floor, so he may only need time to emerge as a star.