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\t\t\tApr 7, 2026 at 9:01am\t\t<\/p>\n
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Yaxel Lendeborg #23 is a lottery pick in the latest 2026 NBA mock draft.<\/p>\n
Now, it gets real. For players hoping to get their name called in the June draft, and to keep their names churning through the 2026 NBA<\/a> mock draft process, the collegiate season is over and they have nine days\u2013the deadline is April 16\u2013 to apply to the NCAA\u2019s Undergraduate Advisory Committee, which will give them feedback on their likely draft prospects.<\/p>\n After that, they can participate in the G League combine starting on May 8, and\/or the NBA combine starting on May 10, which is also the date of the draft lottery. Players have until May 27 to withdraw from the draft. We\u2019ll get word of who\u2019s planning to do what soon. For now, though, with the collegiate season behind us and Michigan crowned champs, here\u2019s the latest NBA mock draft.<\/p>\n Washington Wizards<\/a>:\u00a0AJ Dybantsa, SF, BYU. The Wizards should not overthink this. There are plenty of needs on the roster, but a star wing is something any rebuilder needs. Dybantsa is locked in as a Top 2 pick, a versatile 6-foot-9 scorer who has a natural, springy athleticism. Sacramento Kings<\/a>:\u00a0\u00a0Darius Acuff Jr., PG, Arkansas. There\u2019s a debate on about who\u2019s the top prospect after the Big Three, but now, we\u2019re giving the edge to Acuff. John Calipari has been stumping for Acuff, but he doesn\u2019t need to. He\u2019s a do-it-all point guard who is still trending up. \u201cHe could break into the Top 3 depending on how the lottery goes,\u201d one scout said. Chicago Bulls<\/a>:\u00a0Brayden Burries, G, Arizona. After a rough start to the year, Burries\u2019 stock has continued to rise into the Top 10. He\u2019s a 6-foot-4 two-way combo guard who can hold his own on an NBA floor from the get-go, but the hope is that he develops into a solid starting point guard. He\u2019s 13-for-19 on 3-pointers in the tournament, and that\u2019s helping boost him now. Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> (via Los Angeles Clippers<\/a>):\u00a0Jayden Quaintance, PF\/C, Kentucky. Quaintance is the wildcard of this draft, a big guy who was coming off ACL surgery this season and went out again after a brief return this winter, an unfortunate bit of punctuation on a frustrating year<\/a>. The knee is an obvious concern, but if healthy, Quaintance can be a defensive force inside. High risk, high reward. Koa Peat #10 of the Arizona Wildcats drives against Chris Cenac Jr. #5 of the Houston Cougars. Both are top picks in the 2026 NBA mock draft.<\/p>\n Good Value Just Outside Top 20<\/p>\n Detroit Pistons<\/a> (via Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a>). Isaiah Evans, SF, Duke. Evans has slowly built up his stock after an inconsistent start, and appears to be firm as a Top 20 pick. He\u2019s a durable three-level scorer whose game should translate well to the NBA. Boston Celtics<\/a>:\u00a0Alex Karaban, PF, UConn. The Celtics do not draft for need, but it is hard not to notice they really need some size up front. Karaban will be 24 in November, and is not a negative for the Celtics, who need cheap labor. A 17-and-11 showing in the NCAA final gives him a boost. \n\t\t\tSean Deveney<\/a> is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t0 Comments\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Bucks\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n The 2026 NBA mock draft will undergo a shakeup in the coming days and weeks as players announce their intentions.<\/p>\n
\n Indiana Pacers<\/a>: <\/a>Darryn Peterson, SG, Kansas. As much as many in the NBA were put off by Peterson\u2019s strange trip at Kansas this year, no one is going to drop him too far. The Pacers have strong options at point guard, center and power forward\u2013a scoring wing is on the docket. Even those around the NBA who are hard on Peterson\u2019s cramping issues<\/a> don\u2019t see him getting past No. 4 overall.
\nBrooklyn Nets<\/a>: Cameron Boozer, PF, Duke. Scout: \u201cHe 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.\u201d Nets are in need of a PF (and, well, everything else, too).
\nNBA Mock Draft 2026: Acuff Up to No. 4<\/p>\n
\nUtah Jazz<\/a>:\u00a0Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois. He\u2019s averaging 17.5 points in four tournament games, making 44.0% of his 3s. Scout: \u201cHis 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\u2019s a skill that translates to the next level.\u201d
\nAtlanta Hawks<\/a> (via New Orleans Pelicans<\/a>): Caleb Wilson<\/a>, PF, North Carolina. His raw athleticism at 6-foot-10 will get him into the Top 10, probably the Top 5. He can\u2019t shoot (26% from the 3-point line), and whomever drafts him will gamble that he can change that over time. A late-season thumb injury and UNC\u2019s collapse won\u2019t hurt his stock much. There\u2019s too much talent.
\nMemphis Grizzlies<\/a>:\u00a0Mikel Brown, Jr., PG, Louisville. The Grizz are poised to move off of Ja Morant<\/a>. Brown did not have a great year for the Cardinals<\/a>, as he shot only 41% and missed all of March with a back injury. But he\u2019s still a coveted piece in the NBA, a polished guard whose game should translate to the pros.
\nDallas Mavericks<\/a>:\u00a0Kingston Flemings, PG, Houston. Absolutely a downhill player whose speed changes the game. Wherever he lands will wind up being a team that pushes the tempo and gets into transition. He\u2019ll need more confidence in his perimeter shot, but the Mavericks would be a good long-term fit.\u00a0
\nYaxel Lendeborg Lands With Warriors<\/p>\n
\nMilwaukee Bucks<\/a>:\u00a0Labaron Philon, PG, Alabama. Scout: \u201cHe 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\u2014and the way he played to close the season and into the tournament, I think his stock is up.\u201d
\nGolden State Warriors<\/a>:\u00a0Yaxel Lendeborg, PF, Michigan. The Warriors would welcome experience. He\u2019s got it. Scout: \u201cHe\u2019s going to be 24 in September, and that\u2019s the big thing with him\u2014he is ready to play in the NBA but you\u2019d expect him to be more of a versatile, dirty-work kind of role player. That\u2019s not a bad thing, but he fits best with a contender. Some teams might be looking for a bigger swing.\u201d
\nPortland Trail Blazers<\/a>:\u00a0Koa Peat, PF, Arizona. Peat is 6-foot-8 and plays with some power, with the potential to land in the lottery depending on how things shake out with the other PFs in this draft\u2014there is depth in this draft but not necessarily with size. 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)
\nMiami Heat<\/a>:\u00a0\u00a0Cameron 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-6 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan and good shooting ability\u2014he\u2019ll just need a team and system to tame him a bit. The Heat could move off Tyler Herro<\/a>, making Carr a good fit.\u00a0
\nMemphis Grizzlies (via <\/a>Orlando Magic<\/a>):\u00a0Nate Ament, SF, Tennessee. His 2-for-12 showing vs. Michigan didn\u2019t help his stock. Scout: \u201cUp and down year for him. It was good he came back after getting hurt (ankle injury in late February), but there\u2019s a lot of question marks there. He\u2019s a shooter at 6-foot-10, though, and he showed enough to keep him in the lottery. You just have to trust that you can develop him.\u201d
\nBraylon Mullins Cracking NBA Mock Draft 2026 Top 20?<\/p>\n
\nOklahoma City Thunder (from Philadelphia 76ers<\/a>):\u00a0Karim Lopez, F, New Zealand Breakers. Lopez has all the physical attributes (6-foot-9, 7-foot-1 wingspan) to make scouts\u2019 mouths water. But he didn\u2019t quite put it together in his NBL season, where he averaged 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 49% shooting. He\u2019s a project and needs to go to a team that can be patient.The Thunder can be patient.
\nCharlotte Hornets<\/a>:\u00a0Chris Cenac Jr., PF\/C, Houston. The draft has size, and that could hurt Cenac. But the Hornets can load up on the frontcourt with their two first-rounders. Scout: \u201cHe is a risk, all the big guys in this draft are a risk. You\u2019d like to see more rim protection, you\u2019d like to see more consistency. But he can develop into a stretch big guy, and that\u2019s at a premium, so he probably winds up in the lottery. There\u2019s a lot of untapped potential.\u201d
\nToronto Raptors<\/a>:\u00a0Braylon Mullins, SG, UConn. There\u2019s potential that he could return to Storrs, as his season was somewhat disappointing. The Huskies\u2019 run to the NCAA final helped his stock, though the 4-for-17 finish vs. Michigan was unsightly. He is firmly in the middle of the first round, with a chance at being a lottery pick.
\nCharlotte Hornets (via Phoenix Suns<\/a>):\u00a0Thomas Haugh, PF, Florida. Haugh is seen as something of a safe pick for a draft with a lot of upside players. There\u2019s hope that his 3-point shot will develop into a weapon\u2014he needs improvement there.The Hornets are on the hunt for size up front.
\nSan Antonio Spurs<\/a> (via Atlanta Hawks):\u00a0Hannes Steinbach, PF, Washington. Anytime you get a German prospect from Wurzburg, the imagination is going to run wild. But Steinbach is not Dirk\u2014he is, instead, a dominant rebounder who led the nation with 11.8 boards per game.
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\nPhiladelphia 76ers (via Houston Rockets<\/a>):\u00a0 Morez Johnson, PF, Michigan. 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\u2019s a rim-runner first and foremost, but he can defend, score out of dribble handoffs and has excelled ina\u00a0 double-big lineup, which more and more NBA teams like.
\nAtlanta Hawks (via <\/a>Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a>): 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\u2019s 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.
\nLos Angeles Lakers<\/a>:\u00a0Patrick Ngongba II, C, Duke. The Lakers will be looking big here, and there are plenty of candidates. Ngongba has the most upside of LA\u2019s choices, and will likely only be on the board because of a foot injury at the end of the season. He has the size, skill and defensive chops, but does he have the rim-running athleticism teams want?
\nNew York Knicks<\/a>: Aday Mara, C, Michigan. Mara has boosted his stock in recent weeks, mostly thanks to 11 blocks in four tournament games. At 7-foot-3, has been showing a bit more variety in his offensive game, creating his own shots and scoring. Aday\u2019s advantages are mostly defensive, though, and obvious for a team that must add size. No matter what happens with Mitchell Robinson<\/a> in free agency, the Knicks must think big.
\nDenver Nuggets<\/a>: Dailyn Swain, G\/F, Texas. Scout: \u201cHe 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\u2019s just scratching the surface.\u201d
\nNBA Mock Draft 2026: Experience Available Late<\/p>\n
\nMinnesota Timberwolves\u00a0(via Detroit Pistons):\u00a0Tyler Tanner, PG, Vanderbilt. He\u2019s only 6-feet, and that\u2019s the big thing that works against Tanner. But he has shown a knack for playmaking and scoring, and his quickness is undeniable. His NCAA tournament performance\u201453 points in two games\u2014has his stock on the rise.
\nCleveland Cavaliers (via San Antonio Spurs):\u00a0Bennett Stirtz, PG, Iowa. Stirtz will be 23 in the fall, and that will be counted against him in the draft. He will need to add strength and physicality, but he is a polished playmaker who can shoot from deep, though his 0-for-9 showing in the Hawkeyes\u2019 upset over Florida was not his finest moment.
\nDallas Mavericks (via Oklahoma City Thunder):\u00a0Amari Allen, SF, Alabama. Scout: \u201cIf 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\u2014I think a playoff team would give him a good look and maybe promise him.\u201d<\/p>\n