2026 NBA Mock Draft: Predictions for all 30 first-round picks after buzz and intel from draft combine week
Following a full week in Chicago, here's what we're hearing about how the 2026 NBA Draft could shake out
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1 min read
The NBA Draft Combine provides ample time for gossip and chatter because for a week, everybody in basketball is sequestered in a tight radius around Chicago's Wintrust Arena. Beyond the measurements and testing, the conversations behind the scenes provide an illuminating look at where some of the top NBA Draft prospects are trending.
Some of the buzz exiting Chicago was certainly informative about who is going to be on the board for NBA franchises in next month's 2026 NBA Draft.
It will all become official on May 27, which is the stay-or-go deadline to maintain collegiate eligibility. Michigan got good fortune last year when Yaxel Lendeborg passed up a first-round grade to transfer to Ann Arbor, but there's no such luck this time around. Michigan big man Morez Johnson declared his intentions to stay in the draft on Tuesday after a sterling showing at the NBA Draft Combine. He's the first domino of numerous key stay-or-go decisions that will come to light in the next eight days.
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Isaac Trotter
With the NBA Draft Combine in the rearview mirror, the 2026 Big Board has been updated, and now it's time for an updated mock draft based on what we heard and saw in Chicago.
Let's dive in.
Mock Draft
Round 1
Round 1 - Pick 1
Darryn Peterson is my top-rated prospect, but the margin of separation is thin. Drafting for fit can get you in hot water, but not in this spot. Dybantsa fits like a glove with a Wizards outfit that wants to make a surge in the Eastern Conference. Dybantsa's combination of real-deal wiggle and advanced footwork helps him put loads of pressure on the rim. Over 40% of Dybantsa's shots came at the rim this past season at BYU. That should translate to the league. He's the big, explosive, powerful wing that this Washington roster needs to complement point guard Trae Young, big man Anthony Davis and a quartet of intriguing youngsters in Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Will Riley and Bub Carrington.
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Round 1 - Pick 2
Utah can expedite its rebuild in a hurry with a Darryn Peterson addition. The 6-foot-6 combo guard can play on or off the ball next to Keyonte George, and Utah coach Will Hardy can use Peterson in a host of ways. Don't be surprised if it's a blend of the off-movement, net shredder that we saw at Kansas with an on-ball primary creator that we saw in high school at Prolific Prep. That malleability makes Peterson so attractive because he can wear a ton of different hats depending on the personnel. With the cramping fiasco hopefully in the rearview mirror for good, Peterson is primed to be a Day One difference-maker.
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Round 1 - Pick 3
Boozer-or-Caleb Wilson will be a heated debate for some, but not in these parts. Boozer has the attractive combination of excellent positional size (6-8.25 barefoot, 252 pounds, 7-1.5 wingspan) and sweet shooting (41% on 98 catch-and-shoot 3s). Boozer's sky-high IQ is the cherry on top that may prove to be his go-to asset. Boozer was one of the best-passing big men in college basketball last season. Size, shooting and feel trump some of the small concerns about Boozer's heavy feet, which flare up semi-routinely on both ends of the floor. Boozer would also mesh nicely next to Memphis center Zach Edey. That duo would just evaporate teams on the glass, raising the floor for the Grizzlies considerably.
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Round 1 - Pick 4
Undertaking a massive overhaul like this isn't for the faint of heart, but picking fourth in this draft is a jolt for new Chicago Bulls general manager Bryson Graham. He has to take the best player available. Illinois point guard Keaton Wagler, Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr. or Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. should get a real sniff, but Wilson is the play here. The motor is the superpower. The 6-foot-9 wing should get busy in transition from the jump. Wilson has vertical explosiveness that rivals Blake Griffin, and he plays ridiculously hard every night. Wilson is not a good defender yet, but he strikes all the notes of a future difference-maker on that end with the right development. There's enough here to buy into the future of the jumper and the playmaking, too.
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From
Indiana Pacers
Round 1 - Pick 5
Wagler is a special shooter. The 6-foot-6 point guard has a clean, repeatable, gorgeous strap from downtown, and it's easy to see why this fit would tantalize the Clippers. If they keep this pick, Wagler is the no-brainer choice. Wagler's shooting prowess allows him to play off the ball when it's time for Darius Garland or Kawhi Leonard to rock, but his value skyrockets because he has all the tools to toggle to an on-ball role as well. Wagler isn't a blow-you-away athlete, but his underrated strength, rhythm, balance and body control make him such a tough cover. Wagler is programmed to make the right play over and over again. He rebounds well for his position, including getting after it on the offensive glass. He has the length and IQ to be a useful defender down the road, which unlocks some Derrick White-like outcomes in his projection, with room for even more.
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Round 1 - Pick 6
Acuff has every answer to the test in pick-and-rolls. He could very well be the No. 1 ball-screen navigator in this draft. The craftsmanship is clear as day. The pace and precision, combined with his broad shoulders and a 6-foot-7 wingspan, does give off some Deron Williams or Dame Lillard vibes. Even with significant defensive questions, Acuff's ability to shoot off the dribble, navigate into the paint at will, create easy shots and make tough ones is so coveted. Brooklyn drafted a handful of guards last year, but that shouldn't stop this Nets' braintrust from adding a potential face of the franchise point guard.
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Round 1 - Pick 7
Based off the feedback in Chicago, Mikel Brown Jr. has a chance to be a major riser. The 6-foot-5 point guard has logo range, a smooth shooting stroke and major upside as a playmaker. Brown checks off the boxes when it comes to positional size and shooting, plus there's a dynamic creator in here somewhere. Brown is a terrific push-ahead passer who is always trying to press the gas and create easy buckets in transition. The Kings certainly need more of that. If Brown can start taking the singles instead of trying to consistently smash grand slams with audacious reads in pick-and-rolls, he could outplay his draft slot.
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From
New Orleans Pelicans
Round 1 - Pick 8
Atlanta needs point guard help, but Mara to the Hawks is mouth-watering. The 7-foot-3 Michigan center has a 7-foot-6 wingspan and improved his mobility tremendously. Mara has elite size for the position, and he'd be one of the top shot-blockers in the NBA from the jump. He got tougher at Michigan and also showed additional defensive versatility, along with his unique feel as a top-of-the-key playmaker who can make reads in DHOs or backdowns. Atlanta could trot out some hellacious defensive lineups with Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson and Mara.
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Round 1 - Pick 9
Kingston Flemings' ability to get his shoulders past defenders is a coveted trait that every team needs. Flemings doesn't have terrific length (6-3.5 wingspan), but he's an outstanding athlete who can change directions on a dime, explode vertically and absolutely fly in the open floor. He has jet packs attached to his feet. Flemings has some mechanical tweaks to make on his jumper, but the trio of elite work ethic, elite attention to detail and elite winning habits make him a no-brainer bet to maximize his skillset. You just want Flemings in your building, and boy, that transition game of Flemings and Cooper Flagg would be something. Vroom vroom.
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Round 1 - Pick 10
This is the logical spot for Ament, especially amid the speculation that Giannis Antetokounmpo could be on the trade block, kickstarting a massive rebuild in Milwaukee. Ament's skillset is exactly what the NBA continues to prioritize. He is all of 6-foot-10 with perimeter skills and a soft jumper. As Ament continues to develop, he will likely become closer to a stretch 4 who can attack long closeouts rather than this jumbo wing handler, but the jury is still out on that front. Ament's defense is another key variable. Can he become one of the A+ defenders from this class? It's in the range of potential outcomes. I think the defense will be ahead of the offense for the not-so-distant future.
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Round 1 - Pick 11
Lendeborg could have played in any NBA rotation … a year ago at this time. He was a NBA player just housed in Ann Arbor a year leading the Wolverines to the National Championship. The Warriors need a ready-to-play piece to sop up minutes while Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody recover from injuries. Lendeborg fits the bill. The 6-foot-9 wing has an enormous 7-3 wingspan and is a straight five-tool player. He can pass, dribble, shoot, cut and defend. Oh, and he's an absolute monster in transition. The Dominican LeBron nickname was well-deserved. Lendeborg's surplus of size and athleticism would stick out like a sore thumb on this creaky Golden State roster.
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From
Los Angeles Clippers
Round 1 - Pick 12
Morez Johnson is a problem-solver on both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward is enormous, athletic and a dirty-work menace. The NBA craves physical thumpers who can fly up and down the floor in transition. Johnson embodies all of that, and there's burgeoning skill on the table here. Johnson's unselfish brand of basketball would fit right in with an OKC roster that could use another enforcer, especially if the Thunder choose not to pick up Isaiah Hartenstein's $28.5 million team option.
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Round 1 - Pick 13
If this is how the draft board shakes out, Miami would continue its pattern of just scooping up the best player available who somehow slips into its range. This time, it's Burries. The potential top-10 pick has plus positional size, and he can play drive-and-kick basketball as well as any guard in this range. Burries' motor is revving at all times. He plays hard every single game, and he sticks his face in the fan on the glass without fail. Burries can toggle between so many different roles, but he might be at his best as a light-it-up transition bucket-getter. There's defense, a little creation, some three-level scoring habits and a whole lot of hustle plays in this portfolio. What's not to love? Burries being on the board at No. 13 would be an outstanding draft night development for the Heat.
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Round 1 - Pick 14
Quaintance comes with serious injury baggage, but the idea of what he could become is salivating. The 6-foot-9 big man owns a go-go gadget, 7-5 wingspan. He was one of the special defensive big men in college basketball as a 17-year-old freshman at Arizona State. It's silly how many jumpers that Quaintance could not only contest but also just outright swat away. He just moves … differently. The ability to shuttle with guards on the perimeter and envelop shots at the rim makes the Robert Williams comparison pretty apt. Is there anything else in the tank offensively? Quaintance has some untapped perimeter skills and the ability to deck it, but those are still more theoretical at this point. Quaintance also fills a major void in a Charlotte frontcourt picture that could use a high-upside option to pair with Ryan Kalkbrenner and Moussa Diabate.
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Round 1 - Pick 15
Size, athleticism and shooting. Carr checks off those three boxes. While processing and decision-making remain a concern for some scouts, Carr has a skillset that very few can rival at this stage of the draft. The Baylor product projects to be one of the top movement shooters in this draft class, and that's a major need for a Bulls roster that is light on shot-makers. Carr can jump super high and has a 7-0.75 wingspan that makes Twitter erupt, but the development with both his handle and his mind could make-or-break his chances of reaching the highest peak of his range of potential outcomes.
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From
Phoenix Suns
Round 1 - Pick 16
Philon slithers to his spots at will, and there's not much you can do to stop it. The Alabama guard showed vast improvement with his pull-up jumper and proved he can get buckets in his sleep. He was one of the most dangerous isolation bucket-getters in all of college basketball last season, making even the most mobile defensive bigs so uncomfortable with his barrage of in-and-out dribbles to set up a stepback J or a knockdown floater. The challenge will be finding ways to blend all the delightful role-player traits that he showcased as a freshman back into his game. Philon has more in the tank defensively. He has more in the tank as a connect-the-dots role player who can smash advantages created by a true alpha guard.
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From
Philadelphia 76ers
Round 1 - Pick 17
Swain is built to thrive in the drive-and-kick basketball that OKC plays. Swain is a slippery, creative driver with a plethora of counters in his bag to get to the cup. Nearly 60% of his shots this past season at Texas came at the rim, and Swain shot a promising 63% at the rim, per Synergy. Swain doubles as one of the better passing wings in this class, and it's easy to see him scaling down to fill a role for the Thunder. Swain was a defense-first option at Xavier before turning into a primary fulcrum at Texas. If defense is what's required to carve out minutes, Swain will be able to buy into that. The jumper may not ever be a major strength, but Swain's jumbo creation is hard to pass up at this slot, especially for a Thunder roster that loves to accumulate as much skilled size as possible.
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From
Orlando Magic
Round 1 - Pick 18
Even though Charlotte took Jayden Quaintance at No. 14, the Hornets could be in the market to double-dip on frontcourt pieces. Quaintance is a gamble. Steinbach looks much more durable and reliable. He is right up there with Houston's Chris Cenac and Duke's Cameron Boozer as the top rebounder in this entire class. Steinbach doesn't just have good hands. He has great paws. He catches anything and everything. That should earn him some grace with this Charlotte coaching staff. Steinbach has some holes in his game. He's not a great defender in space or rim protector, but pairing Steinbach with a switchable monster athlete like Quaintance could cover up some of those issues.
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Round 1 - Pick 19
Toronto rated near the bottom of the league in 3-point rate, and Stirtz would help flip that a tad. The Iowa product is one of the top net-shredders in the draft. Stirtz's moonballs can nearly touch the rafters before tickling the twine. Stirtz drained 92 treys at a 36% clip this past season on an exceptionally tough shot diet. Oh, and the dude can run a pick-and-roll in his sleep. Stirtz would provide the Raptors with another on-ball threat who can still provide value as an off-ball spacer when it's time for Scottie Barnes to initiate the offense. Stirtz isn't brimming with burst, but the jumper provides plenty of high-floor outcomes.
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From
Atlanta Hawks
Round 1 - Pick 20
 
Karim Lopez
PF
Mexico
• 6'8"
/ 222 lbs
San Antonio has its bookends in place with jaw-dropping big man Victor Wembanyama and breakout rookie Dylan Harper, so it's all about finding complementary pieces to fill in the gaps. Lopez is a sturdy, 6-foot-8 wing who has played the 3 and the 4 for the New Zealand Breakers. He's not a 3-and-D player yet (both the 3 and the D need to develop), but there's enough to like here as a yoked connector to take a swing at No. 20, especially if other wings like Swain and Carr are off the board.
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Round 1 - Pick 21
Think of the speed that Detroit could add to the holster by drafting Okorie. The Stanford product has ridiculous end-to-end velocity, and he can stop on a dime to send defenders careening into the abyss. Okorie shot over 35% from 3-point range on high volume, but his ability to knife to the rim over and over again while playing clean basketball can feed families. Okorie is a little on the smaller end, measuring under 6-foot-2 without shoes at the NBA Draft Combine, but his 6-7.75 wingspan gives him a needed escape valve to finish over the trees. He'd provide a much-needed changeup to give Cade Cunningham some chances to move off the ball and not have to create literally everything.
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From
Houston Rockets
Round 1 - Pick 22
The Sixers are going to play with a ton of pace when Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe are on the floor together. That meshes almost flawlessly with what Peat needs to thrive. The much-maligned Arizona product can impact winning as a connector who can make reads in the open floor. Peat running stride-for-stride with burners like Edgecombe and Maxey is a scary proposition and eases the runway into the league. Scoring in the halfcourt is going to be a challenge for Peat, who relies heavily on brawn and power to go through defenders, but he may not be asked to do that too often if he's next to an All-Star like Joel Embiid, who could accentuate Peat's cutting and play-finishing. Peat's situation will be an important variable while he fixes his out-of-sync jumper. The Philadelphia situation certainly makes a lot of sense.
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From
Cleveland Cavaliers
Round 1 - Pick 23
In this exercise, the Hawks passed on Kingston Flemings at No. 8 to add Aday Mara, but Atlanta isn't leaving this draft without a point guard. Anderson provides a strong "get out of jail free" card for the Atlanta braintrust at No. 23. The Texas Tech star is a born-and-bred assassin. Anderson deposited 108 triples last year, shooting over 41% from beyond the arc. He has some physical development to make with his body to become more of a rim-pressure threat, but the jumper is automatic. Atlanta has a host of elite defenders on this roster, so Anderson wouldn't be asked to do too much on that end. There will always be a place in the league for a guy who has a jumper that seemingly always goes in.
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Round 1 - Pick 24
Veesaar is all of 7-feet, and he has plenty of skill in his bag. For all intents and purposes, Veesaar is hands-down the top stretch big on the board. The UNC big man drilled 40 3-pointers last season. No other 7-footer in this class can match that feat. The passing is an asset, and Veesaar will be a high-energy offensive rebounder for his entire career. He's got some snarl as well, especially when he ditches the pick-and-pops for a thunderous roll down the middle of the lane. The Knicks' offensive identity wouldn't change all that much when Karl-Anthony Towns needs a blow, and Veesaar has the mobility to play the 4 if New York wants a double-big lineup.
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Round 1 - Pick 25
The Lakers need to add some venom to their frontcourt, and Reed has the chops to handle a heavy workload. The 6-foot-10, 263-pound center is a space-eater in the paint, who can carve out room to operate like it's nothing. Reed was asked to do a ton of jobs for UConn's layered offense. He can play in DHOs, get in and out of pick-and-rolls and create advantages with bouldering screens. He's a voracious rebounder in his own right, and the improvement with his frame is noticeable. If he could handle Dan Hurley's advanced playbook, there's a good chance he could execute what JJ Redick requires. What a life it'd be to be Luka Dončić's pick-and-roll partner.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
The Nuggets need to add some young bouncy legs to this frontcourt formula. Cenac is raw but toolsy. The Houston big man has a 7-foot-5 wingspan and was one of the best per-minute rebounders in the country. He gobbles up boards outside of his zip code time and time again. Cenac's decision-making is still a major work in progress and the speed of the college game seemed too much for him on some nights, but the former five-star recruit projects to be a long-term piece with the rebounding and shooting potential at the forefront of the evaluation.
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Round 1 - Pick 27
Boston needs to create easier shots, and Joshua Jefferson can help the Celtics do just that. He is one of the top processors in this draft. The 6-foot-9 burly forward is pound-for-pound as good a passer as anybody, and Jefferson's jumper has improved every single season. Jefferson isn't some jump-off-the-tape athlete, but the basketball IQ, passing and defense forms a connective tissue that all good teams have. Jefferson won at Saint Mary's and won at Iowa State and will likely contribute to winning in the NBA.
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From
Detroit Pistons
Round 1 - Pick 28
Minnesota would lick its chops to add a do-it-all connector like Graves to its already loaded mix of high-impact role players. Graves is a deflections machine, which fits the ethos of T-Wolves basketball to a T. He also impacts the game positively with his playmaking, shot-making and cutting while projecting as a potential replacement for Julius Randle down the road. But Graves is a tweener. While he was at his best offensively at the 5-spot, Santa Clara was at its worst defensively. While he was at his best defensively at the 4, his team was at its worst offensively. That's a bit of a conundrum. There's no shot Graves is quite big enough to play a small-ball 5 in the NBA. He will need some time to trim down his body to be a full-time power forward.
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From
San Antonio Spurs
Round 1 - Pick 29
Amari Allen's compilation of high-feel passing, shooting, defense and a tablespoon of on-ball responsibilities makes him an intriguing bet at the end of the first round, especially for a Cleveland roster that could use a bit more help on the wing. Allen didn't sniff the 6-foot-8 measurement that he was given at Alabama, but evaluators are still big fans of a 6-foot-6 jumbo guard who can pass, dribble, shoot, defend and cut. The big question is whether he will stay in the NBA Draft or return to Alabama for what is primed to be a huge sophomore season.
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Round 1 - Pick 30
If Dallas plucks Kingston Flemings at No. 9, it will need some rangy shooters to complement Flagg, Flemings and Kyrie Irving. Evans provides that 6-foot-6, 180-pound movement shooter who could fill some of Klay Thompson's minutes in the not-so-distant future. Evans rounded out the rough edges of his game, showcasing an ability to curl off pindowns, get downhill and finish with authority. He also took noticeable strides on the defensive end of the floor. There will be some creation questions with Evans, and his frame still needs to fill out to survive the avalanche of big, strong, fast athletes. But still, there's plenty of room at the inn for a 6-foot-6 shooter of this ilk.
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