Latest NBA Mock Draft From ESPN Includes Purdue Guard Braden Smith
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If Braden Smith decides to forgo his final season of eligibility, ESPN believes the guard will be selected late in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft. The latest mock predictions have the talented Purdue guard landed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Tuesday, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released their latest NBA mock draft predictions for this year's event. Although he has not officially declared for the draft at this time, Smith was projected to go No. 58 overall to Cleveland.
Smith is coming off a season in which he averaged15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game for the Boilermakers. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and received first-team All-American honors. The junior guard was also tabbed as the 2025 Big Ten Player of the Year and was the winner of the Bob Cousy Award, presented to the best point guard in college basketball.
The NCAA allows Smith to declare for the NBA Draft while retaining his college eligibility. If he chooses that path, the Purdue guard can go through the process and receive an evaluation from league scouts before making a final decision on his future.
With NIL such a prominent part of college athletics today, it's hard to imagine Smith would bolt for the NBA if he receives a late-second round grade from the NBA, especially with one year of eligibility remaining.
Plus, Purdue is expected to be one of the top teams in college basketball for the 2025-26 campaign, ranking No. 2 in ESPN's way-too-early top-25.
At the time of ESPN's mock draft, Smith had not made an announcement regarding his future plans.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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