Mock Draft Monday 6/22 '26
Sacrifices
Sacrifices
- ‘26 NBA Mock Draft
-YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is Drake’s Sacrifices because it’s next up on his catalog.
Might as well add a huge thank you to College Basketball/NBA analyst and knower of ball, Kevin Duffy, for putting together his own 2026 NBA Mock Draft. Guy sacrificed some hours of sleep to put together some great draft analysis.
On to the ball…
Here are dueling NBA Mock Drafts for tomorrow night’s 1st Round of the NBA Draft, which will be held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center at 8 PM ET…
KD: AJ Dybansta has clear superstar potential and he would slot well into the Wizards’ accelerated rebuild as they look to become a contender sooner rather than later. Cameron Boozer may have the most NBA-ready game in the draft, and the history of his father playing for the Jazz and choosing them in free agency will weigh heavily on their decision. I think they will opt to go with the big man over the sky-high upside of Peterson based on possible future retention of his talents. Darryn Peterson at 3 could become a steal, as he has the talent to go #1. He would be the ideal replacement for Ja Morant and would give the Grizzlies a legit three-level scorer. Darius Acuff may well end up in the upper tier of Calipari guards and the Bulls hit big the last time they selected one with Derrick Rose. He would step in as the top point guard that the Bulls lack teaming up with intriguing talents in Giddey, Buzelis and possibly Essengue at forward who was selected early last year. Caleb Wilson has elite two-way upside and would help the Clippers frontcourt solidly. Learning from Kawhi would be great for his development.
TD: All signs point to AJ Dybantsa going #1 to the United States’ capital. At this point, it’d be a bit of a surprise if he wasn’t the Wizards’ first 1.1 choice since John Wall. Carlos Boozer spent six seasons in Utah and was a 2-time All-Star as a member of the Jazz, so I’ll take that angle with them taking his son #2. With the #3 pick, I got Memphis going with Caleb Wilson over Darryn Peterson because of Wilson’s attitude. Wilson fills the big-man void the Grizzlies lost by trading away Jaren Jackson Jr. Chicago ending up with Darryn Peterson would be an awesome scenario. The Bulls haven’t been relevant since Thibs was coaching Derrick Rose and Peterson with a Chi-Town chip on his shoulder would be fun. I’m not so sure Keaton Wagler is a Top 5 talent, but the Clippers are more likely to go with a wing player rather than draft a point guard to compete with Daris Garland.
KD: Keaton Wagler could light it up from 3 and is a crafty scorer with a lot of room for growth. He would fit well with the Nets rebuild. Aday Mara has insane measurables and brings along a solid offense game and great defense. He would form a strong frontcourt with Maxine Raynaud, as the league continues to prioritize versatile big men; he could be their anchor defensively. Mikel Brown Jr could form a nice backcourt with Alexander Walker if his back injury woes are behind him. He brings the ability to facilitate and score while bringing good size to become a good defender. Brayden Burries is a tough nose guard who brings a winning mentality to the Mavs. He could play the 1 or 2 and would give Mavs another playmaker and a good guard defender helping out reigning rookie of the year Cooper Flagg. Nate Ament has high upside at the forward spot and could be an integral part of their future soon enough, especially if they trade Giannis.
TD: Darius Acuff plays no defense, but could potentially at least make the Nets somewhat watchable in a peak-Stephon Marbury kind of way. The Kings taking Kingston Flemings sounds good phonetically and fills Sacramento’s need for a long-term PG post D’Aaron Fox. Atlanta turned into a pretty solid team down the stretch of the 2nd half last season, but had to ask CJ McCollum to be their top bucket-getting closer. Labaron Philon Jr. is a similar ISO-scoring guard who could learn behind McCollum before becoming Atlanta’s long-term closer. Mikel Brown Jr. Two years ago at Duke, Cooper Flagg set the ACC single-game scoring record for a freshman with 42 points. Last season, Mikel Brown Jr. broke Flagg’s record by scoring 45 for Louisville. Mavs could use a young playmaking point guard paired with Flagg, since who knows if Kyrie Irving will ever be back. Milwaukee is probably going to ruin this whole NBA Mock Draft by trading away Giannis for a boatload of picks, but at #10 I think they take Brayden Burries. The freshman guard led Arizona in scoring while shooting at an efficient 40% clip from 3 and a 50% rate from the floor.
KD: Kingston Flemings is a bit undersized but brings elite quickness and mid-range scoring to the Warriors. He could be the heir apparent to Steph and if he takes some shooting tips from the greatest shooter of all time he could very well be a steal here. Yaxel Landeborg continued to get better at the college level leading his team to the national championship his senior year while showing toughness playing through injury. The Thunder could use another wing on their quest for another ring, and he has an NBA-ready game with the ability to shoot, rebound, and switch defensively. Ebuka Okorie lit up the ACC leading the league in scoring as a freshman and the Heat could use some scoring at the guard position. Cameron Carr is a tremendous shooter and capable defender with room for growth in that department as he posted the fastest agility score at the combine while having over a 7 ft wingspan. He would fit well with the fast-paced Hornets. Hannes Steinbach is a great rebounder who has a nice shooting touch for a big man . He could also facilitate well for a center and continued to add muscle as the year progressed, showcasing his ability to become a true center that the Bulls need.
TD: The Warriors make it back-to-back Wildcats’ taken when they take a chance on Koa Peat. The freshman forward doesn’t have much of a perimeter offensive game, but could be a monster on the offensive glass, and could be a nice screen-set-n-roll option with Steph Curry. OKC has a bevy of talent, but could really use a big man to counter Wemby. Aday Mara at 7’3” will still look up to Wemby, but could be a better long-term option for the Thunder than Isaiah Hartenstein. Miami always seems to take productive collegiate players over potential. Yaxel Lendeborg won’t get to bully NBA players like he did last year at Michigan, but could be a solid role player for Heat Culture. Joshua Jefferson feels like a fit with the style of play the Hornets have going on. The big man from Iowa State has the potential to have the offense run through him, which could lead to open 3-pointers from Kon Knueppel, LaMelo Ball, and Brandon Miller. The Bulls leaving the 1st Round with Peterson and Tarris Reed Jr. would bring plenty of excitement to Chicago. Reed was one of the best players in the NCAA Tournament and should continue to be a double-double machine in the pros.
KD: Karim Lopez will likely be the best player to ever come out of Mexico and he would slot well into the future plans of the Grizzlies. Playing the power forward position, he has a well-rounded skill set and he could switch on guards or big men defensively; forming a strong frontcourt with Edey. Morez Johnson has the frame and ability to switch 1-5. The Thunder should continue to add wings as they relied too heavily on their guards in the playoffs with Jalen Williams out. Giving the Thunder an elite defender and a potential upgrade from Dort who is a free agent should help them in their title hopes. Christian Anderson is a legit shooter who thrives off ball and playing alongside LaMelo and Kon should free him up and allow him to get good looks. He could also help run the 2nd team as an elite pick-and-roll playmaker. Jayden Quaintance is a fantastic defender who is quite possibly the best of the class in that regard. However he has a lengthy injury history with a limited offensive game. I think the Raptors would take a chance on him as they look to continue adding quality defensive depth alongside last year’s first rounder Collin Murray-Boyles. Sergio de Larrea brings good size and shooting to the Spurs who have a long history of developing international players. He will likely be a draft-and-stash, but when he comes over, he would be a suitable Fox replacement and would form a quality lefty backcourt with Harper.
TD: With Memphis practically begging teams to trade for Ja Morant, they land his long-term replacement who won’t get in the same trouble off the court. Ebuka Okorie may not have the same wow factor as Ja’s first couple of seasons, but isn’t as far off as you may expect from a West Coast Ivy League guard. OKC always seems to land high-upside players with their plethora of picks. Nate Ament was a bit inconsistent at Tennessee, but if everything goes right, could eventually be a starting forward on a championship team. The Hornets taking two highly productive college forwards would pack a punch for their frontcourt. Toppin is recovering from an ACL injury, but was a back-to-back All-American for a reason. The Toronto Raptors love playing positionless basketball. Dailyn Swain fits that mold, plus the lefty forward is also almost a combination of Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett. Feels very bizarre that the Spurs would need to draft an interior presence to pair with Wemby, but since the 8-foot Frenchman thinks he’s small forward, they might as well draft a German big man to replace Luke Kornet’s minutes.
KD: Allen Graves is an intriguing point forward who would fit well the Pistons as a connective piece on a contender. He can pass and shoot well for a forward as a former point guard and can be solid defensively. Chris Cenac Jr has a strong frame and is a great athlete with the ability to stretch the floor. He would give the 76ers a quality back up to Embiid and if he could become more disciplined defensively he could be a steal here for them. The Hawks could use a shifty guard in Labaron Philon Jr. who has improved his 3 pt shot while having a smooth floater game. He has the potential to run the show alongside Alexander Walker as they may move on from the limited offensive play from Dyson Daniels. Koa Peat could be the replacement for Mitchell Robinson in New York as they look to retool the team in their quest to go back-to-back. He has legit size and is switchable defensively. He needs to work on his shot, but he moves well without the ball and is a real post presence. Henri Veesaar to the Lakers would give Luka exactly what he was looking for as he is a capable lob threat and could really shoot it for a big man.
TD: Allen Graves could be the Pistons’ long-term option to replace Tobias Harris as a slowish-tweener that isn’t a master at anything, but solid at everything. Philly already has their backcourt set with Maxey and Edgecombe. Richie Saunders has the ability to play both with or without the ball and could feed well from their young guards. Atlanta adds a big man in Chris Cenac that had a somewhat disappointing freshman season, but still has plenty of potential as a stretch big. With Mitchell Robinson about to test free agency, Zuby Ejiofor could be the Knicks’ replacement. Ejiofor won’t have quite the same elite rebounding ability as Robinson, but already plays with plenty of New York tenacity. The Lakers always seem to swing for the fences in the draft. Morez Johnson Jr. may only be a one-hopper off the wall, but could be a nice fit with Luka Doncic long-term as a guy who doesn’t need the ball to be effective.
KD: Meleek Thomas is a great shooter who can create his own shot. He would give the Nuggets another weapon on the perimeter and moves well off the ball, which should lead to easy buckets from the great passing of Jokic. Bennett Stirtz has great playmaking, decision-making, and shooting ability, while being a great culture fit in Boston. Isaiah Evans is an elite shooter who would fit well alongside Anthony Edwards as an off-ball shooter and secondary scorer. Jack Kayil is a high-upside combo guard who has a great feel for the game with defensive intangibles. The Cavs need someone who could make the right reads and keep everyone in rhythm, who could also play some defense after their disaster of a trade for James Harden. Baba Miller has a very high upside, especially if his shot can improve. He could handle the ball well for his size and can switch defensively across all positions. He would fit well with the Mavs alongside Flagg and Kyrie, as he won’t be tasked with shooting from deep. However, with his ability to slash and run the floor, he should get plenty of easy looks, and his defensive presence should take some pressure off of Cooper.
TD: Not sure Denver really needs a point guard, but the idea of pairing the passing IQ’s of Nikola Jokic with Braden Smith is too good to pass up. After trading for an ineffective Nikola Vucevic, the Celtics could really use a big man. Jayden Quaintance hasn’t been able to stay healthy, but has plenty of upside that Boston may covet if he can stay on the floor. With Donte DiVincenzo out next season and Mike Conley not getting any younger, Christian Anderson would be a late 1st Round steal for Minnesota that could lessen Anthony Edwards’ workload. Bennett Stirtz to Cleveland could make sense as a guard off the bench that could spell James Harden for the time being. The Iowa guard can play both on and off the ball, which could work well with Donovan Mitchell. Dillon Mitchell’s inability to shoot is a major hindrance, but I think he’d be a role player to have next to Cooper Flagg.
Official ‘26 NBA Mock Draft
