RealGM Basketball Wiretap

15 June 2025

• 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.

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