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Caleb Wilson #8 of the North Carolina Tar Heels is one of the wildcards of the 2026 NBA mock draft.
The NBA moves fast at this time of year, and the 2026 NBA Mock Draft must do its best to keep up. On Sunday afternoon, the league held its lottery, which saw the Wizards land the top pick, the Jazz get No. 2 and the Grizzlies get bumped up to No. 23. We still do not know quite how the Top 3 players will rank among those teams, and we might not know until we get right up to draft night–Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa are the No. 1 candidates, and any could fall in any order among the first three picks.
Things pick up from there. After absorbing the measurements and buzz around players and teams that came out of Chicago, we had to juggle how we were looking at this draft … though the Top 3 remain the Top 3. But the rest of these picks will see some shake-ups.
The Big 3 Stay Put
- Washington Wizards. AJ Dybantsa, SF, BYU. We’re keeping Dybantsa at No. 1, but with the caveat that Cameron Boozer is very much in play, especially if the Wiz trade Anthony Davis. There’s also the chance that the Wizards could trade down, especially if they have a sense the Jazz badly want Dybantsa–that’s one of the early reads, though it screams “smoke screen.” Dybantsa should be the pick, a versatile 6-foot-9 scorer who has a natural, springy athleticism.
- Utah Jazz. Peterson. Darryn Peterson, SG, Kansas. The Jazz have collected a massive young frontcourt, though the insistence is that they want to keep it together, it is not hard to imagine them moving off Walker Kessler (sign-and-trade) or Lauri Markkanen to roll out the welcome mat for Carlos Boozer. Until then, though, we know how good Peterson can be with the ball in his hands. Many in the NBA were put off by Peterson’s strange trip at Kansas this year because of his cramping issues, and some are dubious about his creatine explanation. Still, his talent is too much to pass on.
- Memphis Grizzlies. Cameron Boozer, PF, Duke. Pretty good outcome here for a team in need of a pretty good outcome. Boozer is a do-it-all forward who could give them a good frontcourt if Zach Edey stays healthy. Scout: “He has so much skill around the basket, he knows how to win, and he makes everyone around him better. He will score 25 points and still throw elbows, set screens, dive on the floor. He is a guy you want on your team.”
NBA Mock Draft 2026: Do the Bulls Go Caleb Wilson?
- Chicago Bulls. Caleb Wilson, PF, North Carolina. The Bulls had a very welcome move up, because this franchise really needs someone who can be a focal point of rebuilding. Now, there are questions emerging about Wilson and whether he’s big and long enough to man the 4, as well as questions about his shooting, but his raw athleticism is a good starting point.
- LA Clippers (from Indiana Pacers). Mikel Brown, Jr., PG, Louisville. The Clippers are the wildcard here, the team that got the pick no one expected them to land. They could trade this, and seek to build around Kawhi Leonard. They could trade Leonard and seek to build around this pick. They have Darius Garland on hand, so they could take a wild swing at a big guy, but Brown would be tough to pass up–he tested well in Chicago and his stock is on the rise.
- Brooklyn Nets. Yaxel Lendeborg, PF, Michigan. A stretch? Maybe, but expect the Nets to make a stretch here if they do not trade down, as the best players are mostly point guards in this range, and Brooklyn has invested in PGs. The Nets want to begin transitioning from rebuilding to winning, so Lendeborg’s maturity is not a problem. He tested well at the combine, so a Top 10 spot is in play here. Scout: “He’s going to be 24 in September, and that’s the big thing with him—he is ready to play in the NBA but you’d expect him to be more of a versatile, dirty-work kind of role player. That’s not a bad thing, but he fits best with a contender. Some teams might be looking for a bigger swing.”
- Sacramento Kings. Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois. This would be some good luck for the Kings, who are seeking to add talent all over the roster. A guard like Wagler gives them an offensive focal point, and we’ll see how they address their veteran trade candidates in the coming weeks. Wagler is a combo guard who averaged 17.9 points with 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season, shooting 39.7% from the 3-point line. Scout: “His upside is not as high as some other guys, but he is a very smart, very purely talented scorer and ballhandler. I love how he sees a game and picks it apart. That’s a skill that translates to the next level.”
Hawks Land a Point Guard
- Atlanta Hawks (from New Orleans Pelicans). Darius Acuff Jr., PG, Arkansas. Scouts are well split on Acuff–some see him as the No. 4 or 5 player in this draft, some see him more toward the back end of the lottery, with concerns about his defense weighing him down. But Acuff left a good impression heading into the workout stretch and he’s most likely a Top 10 guy, for sure.
- Dallas Mavericks. Labaron Philon, PG, Alabama. Philon can be a bit of a wildcard, but he is showing he can be an effective point/combo guard. That’s ideal for a Mavericks team that runs so much through Cooper Flagg, and will be replacing Kyrie Irving sooner or later. Scout: “He is all over the board. I think where he lands will depend on whether he gets a team who sees him as a starting point guard—and the way he played to close the season and into the tournament, I think his stock is up.”
- Milwaukee Bucks. Kingston Flemings, PG, Houston. There will be questions about whether Flemings’ 6-foor-3 measurement on his wingspan–small compared to other guards in the draft–will do serious damage to his draft position. Surely, it won’t help. But he is a proven two-way guard and though he is not a prototypical NBA point guard, in that his game relies on downhill speed and midrange jumpers, Flemings is a good shooter who can develop his 3-ball.
NBA Mock Draft 2026: Warriors Get Fast-Rising NCAA Champ
- Golden State Warriors. Morez Johnson, PF, Michigan. His measurements (9-foot standing reach, 7-foot-3 wingspan) in Chicago likely sealed Johnson’s decision to stay in the NBA draft. Johnson has shown himself to be more versatile and efficient than his reputation held coming into the season after spending last year with Illinois. He’s a rim-runner first and foremost, but he can defend, score out of dribble handoffs and has excelled in a double-big lineup, which more and more NBA teams like.
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from LA Clippers). Aday Mara, C, Michigan. Yes, the Thunder have a lottery pick. And Mara could actually boost his stock higher than this-he was fluid and impressive at the combine. At 7-foot-3, has been showing a bit more variety in his offensive game, creating his own shots and scoring. Aday’s advantages are mostly defensive, and with Isaiah Hartenstein possibly leaving in the offseason, Aday can step in.
- Miami Heat. Cameron Carr, SF, Baylor. Carr is a high-volume scorer entering a league that has turned up its nose as high-volume scorers. But he is 6-foot-5 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and good shooting ability—he’ll just need a team and system to tame him a bit. The Heat might trade this pick, but if they keep it, Carr would be a perimeter focus if they can get off Tyler Herro’s contract.
- Charlotte Hornets. Jayden Quaintance, PF/C, Kentucky. Expect the Hornets to seek a big guy here. Quaintance is the wildcard of this draft, athletic at 6-foot-10 but coming off ACL surgery this season. He went out again after a brief return this winter, an unfortunate bit of punctuation on a frustrating year. The knee is an obvious concern, but if healthy, Quaintance can be a defensive force inside. High risk, high reward, and maybe a gamble the Hornets can afford to take.
Thunder Nab Analytics Darling
- Chicago Bulls (from Portland Trail Blazers). Dailyn Swain, G/F, Texas. We’ve been hearing that Swain is on the way up some boards in this draft, a potential-laden pick for the second half of the first round. Scout: “He is 6-foot-8 and he has always been sort of a question mark. But the more this season has gone on, and now the NCAA tournament, you see him converting potential into performance. He is passing better, he is shooting better, he is making better decisions. And he’s just scratching the surface.”
- Memphis Grizzlies (from Phoenix Suns). Ebuka Okorie, PG, Stanford. Playing for the Cardinal meant that Okorie has been largely overlooked, but he is a candidate to rise up some boards in the coming weeks. He averaged 23.2 points in the ACC last year, though there are questions about how his game translates to the NBA.
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Philadelphia Sixers). Allen Graves, PF, Santa Clara. Graves is a late climber who could secure a first-round spot and opt to move forward in the NBA, though he is certainly a candidate to go back to college. He is the kind of do-it-all contributor that the analytics folks will love. Scout: “If he comes out, he is probably going to move up, because he is so efficient, he makes winning plays, he is young and he got better as the year went on. Get him in workouts and interviews and he is the kind of kid someone is going to fall in love with.”
- Charlotte Hornets (from Orlando Magic). Karim Lopez, F, New Zealand Breakers. Lopez has all the physical attributes (6-foot-9, 7-foot-1 wingspan) to make scouts’ mouths water. He showed some promise but didn’t quite put it together in his NBL season, where he averaged 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 49% shooting. The NBL-to-NBA pathway has not worked out to be the pipeline that Aussies hoped it would become, so there is some wariness–Lopez’s workouts will be very important. He is a 12-to-18 prospect now, but could move up in a draft with a point guard logjam.
- Toronto Raptors. Bennett Stirtz, PG, Iowa. Keep an eye on a potential trade for the Raptors here as they seek to reconfigure a team that they feel can win now. If not, Stirtz makes sense. He will be 23 in the fall, and that will be counted against him in the draft. But not for Toronto. Stirtz will need to add strength and physicality, but he is a polished playmaker who can shoot from deep.
NBA Mock Draft 2026: Talent in the 20s
- San Antonio Spurs (from Atlanta Hawks).Hannes Steinbach, PF, Washington. He is a big rebounding machine who can play either frontcourt spot. Steinbach led the nation in college with 11.8 boards per game. The Spurs could use young depth up front and this pick is likely to be used just for that.
- Detroit Pistons (from Minnesota Timberwolves). Nate Ament, SF, Tennessee. Ament had high expectations, and while he was not great as a freshman (16.7 points, 39.9% shooting), he has talent. He could go back to school, but he will be one of the better big shooters in this bunch, and the Pistons need that. Scout: “Up and down year for him. It was good he came back after getting hurt (ankle injury in late February), but there’s a lot of question marks there. He’s a shooter at 6-foot-10, though, and he showed enough to keep him in the lottery (range). You just have to trust that you can develop him.”
- Philadelphia Sixers (from Houston Rockets). Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech. The fact that teams are more likely to be looking for size in this draft is probably the only thing that would hold Anderson’s stock into the 20s. He is a very good shooter (41.5% from the 3-point line this year) and playmaker who can play on and off the ball.
- Atlanta Hawks (from Cleveland Cavaliers). Chris Cenac Jr., PF/C, Houston. Cenac is a candidate to return to college, but he should be a first-rounder and has been helping his stock (his 7-foot-4 wingspan is key to that).Cenac is a candidate to be a riser because he could do well with good NBA development, too, having failed to live up to his pre-college billing. Scout: “He is a risk, all the big guys in this draft are a risk. You’d like to see more rim protection, you’d like to see more consistency. But he can develop into a stretch big guy, and that’s at a premium, so he probably winds up in the lottery. There’s a lot of untapped potential.”
- New York Knicks. Zuby Ejifor, F/C, St. John’s. Ejifor came in with a 7-foot-2 wingspan at the combine, and an 8-foot-11 standing reach, offsetting his 6-foot-7.5 height measurement. He finished last year strong. Can he shoot? Well, he looked better in the combine. Put that aside, and Ejiofor is a fast-rising center who plays with energy and physicality. he averaged 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks last year. His seven blocks against UConn in the Big East tournament foreshadowed a good NCAA tournament (six blocks) and he could land in the first round.
- LA Lakers. Malachi Moreno, F/C, Kentucky. There is chatter that Moreno has been guaranteed a first-round spot in the draft, and though he is still weighing going back to college, there’s a good chance he stays and hears his name called. He needs to get stronger and will need significant polish to his game, but he has the potential to be a cutter who can defend the paint–and guys with 7-foot-5.5 wingspans are hard to find.
NBA Mock Draft 2026: Celtics Go Big
- Denver Nuggets. Koa Peat, PF, Arizona. We might not see Peat on many mock drafts going forward, if he goes back to school as many think he should. He is a fringe first-rounder, a 6-foot-8 forward who plays with some power. How a team views him is probably based on whether it thinks he can develop a 3-pointer (6-for-19 in his college career). He might be better off doing that in the NCAA.
- Boston Celtics. Tarris Reed, C, UConn. The Celtics might need to go big, with few options available on the free-agent market or on the current roster. This pick could be traded, of course, but as it stands, Reed is a rough-and-ready addition to a team that won’t want to wait on too much development time if it returns the rest of the roster. Reed is a physical space-eater in the paint.
- Minnesota Timberwolves (from Detroit Pistons). Amari Allen, SF, Alabama. Allen is a return-to-school possibility, but he is seen as NBA ready. Scout: “If someone does not give him a first-round promise, he could go back (to school). But he is a smart player who has some areas of development still in front of him—I think a playoff team would give him a good look and maybe promise him.”
- Cleveland Cavaliers (from San Antonio Spurs). Jack Kayil, PG, ALBA Berlin. Kayil is generating some buzz after declaring for the NBA draft, and speculation holds that the tough, physical 19-year-old project could well land in the first round.
- Dallas Mavericks (from Oklahoma City Thunder). Alex Karaban, PF, UConn. We’re sticking with Karaban as a fringe first-rounder, especially after he had the best 3-point shooting drill of anyone at the combine. The Mavericks want to start putting win-now players on the roster. Karaban will be 24 in November, and that is not a negative for the Mavericks, who would welcome a polished big man.
NBA Mock Draft 2026: Combine Week Shakes Up the Picks