Purdue Boilermakers point guard Braden Smith has emerged as arguably the top point guard in the country this season, sparking NBA Draft buzz and interest.
Which teams may be a potential fit for the Purdue guard?
5 Potential NBA Landing Spots for Braden Smith
At 6’0″, Smith is a bit undersized at the NBA level but he’ll look to make up for that with his high-level passing ability and three-point shooting stroke. Moving out of two-time Naismith Player of the Year winner Zach Edey has led to the blossoming of Smith’s game — and his establishment as one of the best players in college basketball.
Braden Smith is the obvious choice.
🏆 Big Ten Player of the Year. pic.twitter.com/WQqDu2tdFN
— Purdue Men’s Basketball (@BoilerBall) March 11, 2025
Only a junior, Smith will have a decision to make at the end of the season with one season of eligibility renaming. But assuming he does declare for the draft, I’ll highlight five teams that could be interested in the Purdue point guard.
Indiana Pacers
What better fit for the Westfield, Indiana, native than his hometown Pacers? Although they do have All-Star point guard Tyrese Halliburton, Smith may be the best player available in the 20’s, where the Pacers are slotted to pick.
Backup point guard T.J. McConnell is 32 years old and has shown signs of decline this season, with decreases in nearly every counting stat. Smith would be a perfect fit as the understudy to McConnell off the bench, with the ability to grow into a role beside Halliburton—whose 6’5″ frame allows a smaller guard to be on the floor with him at the same time.
This would be a dream selection based on the location and runway for development for the Boilermakers point guard — but that’s if he falls to the 20s.
Orlando Magic
The Magic are a team that should be doing extensive scouting on any guards in the 2025 NBA Draft. They’ve had the worst-scoring offense in the league this season. While much of that has to do with injuries to stars Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs, their offense wasn’t much better last season when all were healthy for most of the season.
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They’ve long needed a point guard who can set the table for Banchero and Wagner, as Suggs’ skill set is seemingly overstretched in that role.
A terrific defensive team, Smith’s size could be a deterrent, but he also averages 2.3 SPG, showing an ability to stay in front and get his hands on the ball—something Orlando head coach Jamahl Mosley covets.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Another squad from the Midwest, the Timberwolves once again should be in the market for a point guard to pair with All-Star Anthony Edwards. Minnesota traded up to draft Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham in last year’s draft, and he’s shown promise as a spark-scorer off the bench — but questions still remain if he can become the Timberwolves point guard of the future after the 37-year-old Mike Conley retires.
In win-now mode, Smith can contribute right away as a ball-handling guard off the bench due to his three years of experience at the college level.
Minnesota owes its 2025 pick to the Utah Jazz but also owns the Detroit Pistons’ first-round pick, which is currently slotted one pick higher than its own. Smith’s sweet spot should be in the late teens, where the pick lays.
San Antonio Spurs
With star center Victor Wembanyama already in place, the Spurs should be in the market for a young guard to pair with their 7’5″ lop-catching center. 39-year-old Chris Paul could be back next season and could mentor Smith, but as Paul’s career winds down, the Spurs will be on the lookout for excellent young passers.
They do have De’Aaron Fox on the roster, but he excels at scoring the ball rather than distributing. Smith’s three-point shooting ability would fit the mold of an off-the-bench passer and spacer.
The only problem with this projection is that with Wembanyama absent for the rest of the season, San Antonio is going to lose a lot more games than they did in the first half of the season. They may drop to the point of being higher than Smith’s market suggests—but a trade is always a possibility, as the Spurs have a lot of draft assets.
Miami Heat
The Heat are always looking for young, disciplined players that could be inserted seamlessly into their program. Smith fits that mold, as he’s the leader of the Boilermakers, and he has been in the spotlight for the last three seasons as their starting point guard.
The Heat’s trade for guard Terry Rozier at the 2024 trade deadline has been a major disappointment, as they now lack a true point guard on the roster.
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All-Star Tyler Herro has been handling ball-handling duties admirably, but the long-term goal should be to give him and star center Bam Adebayo, a pass-first player at the point guard position.
Enter Smith, who would fit the “Heat Culture” program and would fit like a glove on the court. Miami will land the Golden State Warriors selection, which is slotted to land in the early 20s. That should be the edge of Smith’s range, so a slight trade-up could be a possibility here.
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