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A top player in the NBA’s 2025 draft class, French guard Nolan Traore, has turned down offers from around the world to stay in his country, he told ESPN on Saturday.
Traore, a 6-foot-5, 17-year-old playmaker who matriculated from famed Parisian sports academy INSEP, will sign a two-year deal with Saint-Quentin in the French first division.
“Basketball-wise, this is the best situation for me,” Traore said. “I get to play with a coach that I know, which gave me the confidence to play in the playoffs. I liked my first experience with them. Playing in the group stage of the FIBA Champions League (BCL) next season will be exciting and a big positive. “
Traore was recruited by a host of powerhouse college basketball programs — including Duke, Arkansas, Gonzaga and Alabama — as well as the Australian NBL and EuroLeague and EuroCup teams in France and abroad. He said the comfort of being close to home was important to him, along with his pre-existing relationship with Saint-Quentin.
“It was great to have all these programs interested in me,” Traore said. “I don’t take it for granted. It was a reward for all the work I put in. I was happy to have all these options, but the possibility of being close to my family was also important. They could visit me. And I could go home easily. .”
Traor was already a projected lottery pick in ESPN’s first 2025 mock draft released in February, but he will be ranked in the top five in the next update after an explosive spring that featured standout performances at venues around the world.
He showed his talent for his age at the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in Indianapolis in January, the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon in April, and the Euroleague Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals in Berlin.
He posted 18 points and four assists in an impressive hoop summit showing against fellow projected top-five seeds Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, and then broke the ANGT Finals record with a rousing 45-point outing in an overtime win over European powerhouse Barcelona. At the end of May.
Traore helped guide Saint-Quentin to the Pro A playoffs in his debut season in the first division, posting 25 points and seven assists in his final game against EuroLeague squad ASVEL. After making the midseason jump from the third division, he ranked as a top-10 scorer on a per-minute basis against adult men and the second-best passer in France’s Pro A.
Traore’s exploits earned him an invite as a training partner for the French senior national team’s camp, which began on June 18 in preparation for the Paris Olympics.
France has long had a major weakness at point guard, exacerbated by the federation’s decision to ban veteran floor general Thomas Heurtel from the national team for signing with Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Traore will compete for a spot on the team against former NBA players Killian Hayes, Theo Maledon and Frank Ntilikina.
“At first I was very surprised when they called me,” Traore said. “But the goal is to get selected in the team. I want to show the coaching staff what I can do and I can add something to their win.”
NBA executives are already banking on the 2025 NBA draft thanks to significant star power among the high school and international ranks that will become eligible to be selected within a year. Traore said training with and against many top prospects was helpful in determining where he stood with his development.
“Next year is going to be a great draft class,” Traore said. “My goal is to win as many games as possible and then draft as much as possible.”
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.
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