Betting markets think there's an outside chance Kon Knueppel goes No. 3 in the NBA draft
Betting markets think there's an outside chance Kon Knueppel goes No. 3 in the NBA draft
The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball program will assuredly produce three of the top 10 picks in this summer's NBA draft.
The Dallas Mavericks have essentially already confirmed they will take teenage phenom Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick, the spot Duke's young superstar has been penciled in for since his high-school years, and his freshman classmates Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach showed off their ceilings en route to a Final Four appearance.
But how high can the Blue Devils' other two lottery picks go? According to BetMGM, there's an outside chance Knueppel could go as high as No. 3 to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Knueppel, the ACC Tournament MVP, averaged 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals while making 40.6% of his 3-pointers. The 6-foot-6 forward answered questions about his athleticism by finding ways to the paint over and over again, and he excelled in pick-and-roll situations alongside Flagg and Maluach.
The 76ers aren't the best fit for Knueppel's chances to go that high, however. Philadelphia took Duke sharpshooter Jared McCain last year, showing that the Sixers trust Durham's talent development, but their backcourt is already crowded with star guard Tyrese Maxey and Quentin Grimes.
Oddsmakers give Knueppel a +900 chance to end up in Philadelphia, giving him an implied 10% chance to go third overall. Maluach isn't fully out of consideration, either, with an implied 3.9% chance to go to the Sixers at +2500. Here's a look at the odds as of Monday.
No. 3 overall pick odds for the 2025 NBA draft:
All NBA draft odds via BetMGM:
Player Odds Ace Bailey (Rutgers Scarlet Knights) +100 VJ Edgecombe (Baylor Bears) +120 Kon Knueppel (Duke Blue Devils) +900 Tre Johnson (Texas Longhorns) +1200 Khaman Maluach (Duke Blue Devils) +2500
Most mock drafts put Knueppel and Maluach close to the bottom half of the top 10 with the New Orleans Pelicans (seventh) and Brooklyn Nets (eighth) seen as likely suitors for either player.
The 2025 NBA draft begins on June 25.
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
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