The 2025 NBA Draft is here and just like every single Duke basketball fan expected, Cooper Flagg went No. 1 overall to the Dallas Mavericks. He of course wasn't the only one to hear his name called early, with Kon Knueppel going No. 4 to Charlotte soon after and Khaman Maluach going No. 10 to Houston.
Perhaps a big surprise for the Duke faithful, though, was when Cedric Coward took center stage in Brooklyn. On Wednesday night, the former Blue Devils commit ended up going No. 11 overall, with the Memphis Grizzlies giving up a boatload of picks in a trade with Portland for him.
Keep in mind that Coward decided to enter the transfer portal after suiting up for Washington State this past season. He opted to commit to Duke, but he tested the draft waters and decided not to play in Durham after getting a ton of feedback. That decision paid off for him, but imagine what he'd be able to get done for Jon Scheyer next season. We'll never know what he might have accomplished in the ACC:
The Grizzlies are sending No. 16, a 2028 first-round pick via Orlando and two seconds to Portland for Cedric Coward, sources said. https://t.co/vLA63Gg3G8
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 26, 2025
Former Duke commit Cedric Coward is off to Memphis after a blockbuster trade
In late April, Coward was down to Duke and Alabama, but he ultimately chose to play for the Blue Devils. In his limited action with Washington State last season, Coward, who started his college career at the D-III level, averaged nearly 18 points and seven rebounds per game.
Unfortunately, he suffered a serious shoulder injury and his season with the Cougars was over before it could really get started. Despite that major setback, Coward worked his tail off in his rehab and he was able to impress a lot of people throughout the draft process.
This opened the door for the Grizzlies to trade up to land him on Wednesday night, and countless people are fired up to see what he can get done at the next level. As for Scheyer and the Blue Devils, they went to Plan B and went after Dame Sarr.
The French standout was on the verge of signing with the Kansas Jayhawks, but Duke came in at the last minute and changed his mind. The 5-star youngster is ready to make an impact, but that doesn't change the fact that people are still bummed that Coward will be playing for the Grizzlies next season and not for Scheyer.