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Ben Golliver
Multiple Authors
The 2026 NBA draft will be remembered for its immense star power at the top and a relative lack of early trade activity or major boneheaded decisions.
While the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls believe they landed potential franchise players at the top of the lottery, none of the top 12 picks changed hands, and the first round unfolded without any shocking revelations.
With that said, 29 of the NBA’s 30 teams made at least one selection. Here are instant-reaction grades for each team, including the bystanding Portland Trail Blazers — who traded their first-round pick five years ago. The grades below are organized in alphabetical order by team.
Jump to a team:
ATL | BOS | BKN | CHA | CHI | CLE
DAL | DEN | DET | GS | HOU | IND
LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN
NO | NY | OKC | ORL | PHI | PHX
POR | SAC | SA | TOR | UTAH | WAS
Round 1: Kingston Flemings (8) and Zuby Ejiofor (23)
Round 2: Henri Veesaar (52)
Despite a run of backcourt players going off the board before their first pick, the Hawks landed Flemings, a freshman point guard from Houston.
Atlanta has quietly assembled a guard corps with complementary skill sets: Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a solid two-way contributor, CJ McCollum is the shotmaking veteran, Dyson Daniels is the energetic defensive stopper, and Flemings arrives as an explosive off-the-dribble threat.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder should be able to mix and match his personnel and allow the 19-year-old Flemings to develop on his own timetable. Ejiofor brings length and defensive toughness to an Atlanta frontcourt that needed more depth, and he should be ready to contribute immediately after spending four seasons in college.
Round 1: Chris Cenac Jr. (27)
Round 2: Dillon Mitchell (40)
Brad Stevens did well to select Cenac, a versatile big man who was a top-10 player in his high school class before a somewhat disappointing freshman season at Houston.
Cenac looks like a tweener — at 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, he might be stuck between power forward and center — but he still fills a glaring positional need for the Celtics, whose thin and inexperienced frontcourt was exposed by the 76ers in the playoffs.
In all likelihood, Cenac will need to work through multiple stages of development to live up to his high school billing.
Perhaps he can start by bringing energy to coach Joe Mazzulla’s bench, then earn a larger role in Boston’s spread attack by honing his 3-point range and finishing skills.
Round 1: Mikel Brown Jr. (6) and Joshua Jefferson (28)
Round 2: Tyler Bilodeau (43)
Slipping three spots in the draft lottery cost Brooklyn a shot at a surefire prospect. Rather than swing a deal to trade up, the Nets selected Brown, an intriguing guard who sat out time because of back injuries as a Louisville freshman, over Darius Acuff Jr. from Arkansas. That choice will be the subject of significant scrutiny as this class develops.
Of course, Brooklyn also selected four guards in the first round of last year’s draft. If Brown adds strength and emerges as the best of the bunch because of his outside shooting ability and assertive on-ball presence, then the Nets will be able to survive any past misfires.
There’s also a chance that the Nets look back on this draft and wish the ping-pong balls had treated them more kindly so they could have nabbed a young big man such as AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson.
Where do the Nets plan on going with a frontcourt rotation led by Michael Porter Jr. and Julius Randle? That’s a question with no good answer, but Brooklyn did well to add Jefferson, a heady four-year college player, late in the first round.
Round 1: Hannes Steinbach (14) and Christian Anderson (18)
Don’t worry: Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson are basketball players, not distinguished novelists as their names might suggest.
Steinbach, a German center who spent last season at the University of Washington, is most effective around the basket. Anderson, a pure shooter from Texas Tech, slipped outside the lottery because of concerns about his defensive utility.
Both players have the potential to address needs for the rising Hornets, who made significant progress in the standings last season. Charlotte’s lack of interior depth and traditional size was its biggest positional weakness, and coach Charles Lee will welcome more shooting to a team that ranked second in 3-point attempts last season.
Round 1: Caleb Wilson (4) and Dailyn Swain (15)
Wilson is an inspired addition given that the Bulls have been mediocre and boring for most of the past decade.
Chicago’s new regime — led by executive Bryson Graham and coach Tiago Splitter — can count on Wilson’s outstanding athleticism and swagger to shake the Windy City out of its extended slumber.
Pairing Wilson with 2024 lottery pick Matas Buzelis gives Chicago two major threats in transition, and alley-oop connections with Josh Giddey are going to keep social media humming next season.
Wilson cranked up the hype machine Tuesday by saying he wants “to be better than Mike” — Michael Jordan, that is, another North Carolina product who landed in Chicago. But some restraint is necessary given that both Wilson and Swain, a forward from Texas, must develop as shooters.
Chicago acquired center Nic Claxton, another non-shooter, in a trade earlier this week. Will the Bulls be able to generate enough space to fulfill their fun potential or sputter once the game slows down?
Round 2: Meleek Thomas (34)
Thomas is a gunner who spent most of his time at Arkansas preparing to take his next shot rather than worrying about his defensive assignments.
Cleveland is a decent place to land for a player with that profile given its staunch backline defense, and his knockdown 3-point shooting could help reinvigorate the Cavaliers’ perimeter attack.
Cleveland ranked second in 3-point percentage during the 2024-25 campaign before dropping to 13th last season.
Round 1: Morez Johnson Jr. (9) and Sergio De Larrea (25)
Round 2: Tobi Lawal (48), Vsevolod Ishchenko (56)
The “Michigan Mavericks” added Johnson one day after hiring former Wolverines coach Dusty May.
Johnson’s relentless energy as a defender and rebounder was crucial to Michigan’s NCAA championship run, and he has tried to expand his scoring profile by experimenting with a 3-point shot.
If that progress sticks, this pick could look amazing in hindsight. Dallas desperately needed more young talent to reorient its roster around last year’s No. 1 pick, Cooper Flagg, and Johnson fits the bill as a player who can capitalize when defenses load up on Flagg.
De Larrea, a big guard who played professionally in Spain last season, and Lawal, a forward from Virginia Tech, fall into the flier category. May will have multiple years to turn around the Mavericks, but Tuesday was a good start.
Round 2: Trevon Brazile (35), Bryce Hopkins (49)
Nikola Jokic‘s Nuggets suddenly need more help than any second-round pick could be expected to provide, but Brazile will give coach David Adelman another option behind the oft-injured Aaron Gordon, and Hopkins brings prototypical wing size and four years of college experience.
There’s more sizzle than steak to Brazile’s game: He’s a high-flier who never put it all together in five years in college.
If Brazile can manufacture second-chance points and develop a lob connection with Jokic, the Nuggets should view that as a successful rookie season.
Hopkins shot just 32.4% on 3-pointers during his five-year college career, so that’s surely an area that Denver will target for improvement.
Round 1: Ebuka Okorie (17)
Round 2: Ugonna Onyenso (53)
The playoffs revealed Detroit’s obvious need for secondary playmakers: The Pistons’ offensive efficiency dropped by nearly seven points compared to its regular-season standard, and franchise guard Cade Cunningham‘s usage rate spiked to 32.4.
Enter Okorie, a 19-year-old guard from Stanford who likes nothing more than collapsing opposing defenses off the dribble.
After Detroit traded former lottery pick Jaden Ivey at the deadline and watched backup Daniss Jenkins struggle in his first playoff run, the Pistons will hope Okorie is ready to handle real minutes sooner than later.
1:05
Is Yaxel Lendeborg the perfect fit for the Warriors?
Round 1: Yaxel Lendeborg (11)
Round 2: Lajae Jones (54)
If the Warriors had landed a higher pick, they would have had to reengage with the old debate about whether they should draft a player who is ready to contribute immediately alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green or take the prospect with the highest upside to prepare for the franchise’s next era.
But Golden State was able to keep it simple at No. 11 by taking Lendeborg, whose two-way contributions powered Michigan to an NCAA title.
The 23-year-old forward should be expected to handle major minutes as a rookie, especially because Golden State’s frontcourt can badly use the combination of the 6-9 Lendeborg’s size, skill, athleticism and defensive versatility.
Curry has repeatedly stated his goal of playing “meaningful basketball” as he enters the twilight of his career, and Lendeborg should help that purpose better than any of the other prospects who were left on the board.
Round 2: Bruce Thornton (31)
The Rockets didn’t have a first-round pick, but they started Wednesday’s second round by selecting Thornton, a broad-shouldered guard who spent four seasons at Ohio State.
Houston will soon welcome back Fred VanVleet from a major knee injury, but its lack of backcourt depth and initiators proved fatal last season.
Though Thornton is an undersized score-first, pass-second player, the Rockets need more players capable of initiating offense.
Kevin Durant‘s workload was too heavy during his first season in Houston, and former lottery picks Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard must improve as distributors.
Round 2: Braden Smith (38)
Smith, an Indiana native who spent four years at Purdue, will stay local after being selected by the Pacers.
Though expectations are relatively modest for his pro career given his physical stature (5-10, 167 pounds), Smith is a feisty gamer who holds the NCAA’s all-time assists record.
The Pacers should consider charging a subscription fee to watch Smith battle T.J. McConnell during training camp.
0:50
What Keaton Wagler brings to the Clippers
Round 1: Keaton Wagler (5)
Round 2: Baba Miller (36), Nick Martinelli (55), Narcisse Ngoy (57)
The Clippers hadn’t made a top-five pick since Blake Griffin in 2009, preferring to build winning rosters through trades and free agency.
After the aging Clippers hit their expiration date last season, LA elected to trade center Ivica Zubac to the Pacers for the pick they used to select Wagler. The 19-year-old guard arrives as a much-needed dose of youth.
Rather than target a prospect with a decorated high school career or tantalizing upside, the Clippers took Wagler, a well-rounded playmaker who powered Illinois’s offensive machine as a freshman.
As the Clippers begin to lay the groundwork for what comes after Kawhi Leonard, Wagler will join Darius Garland in a remade backcourt.
There will be fair questions about their limited size and strength, but Garland and Wagler will stretch defenses with their perimeter shooting and create plenty of opportunities for their teammates with unselfish passing.
Round 1: Cameron Carr (24)
Carr profiles as a logical Lakers target: He’s 21 years old, spent three years in college and was a reliable 3-point shooter at Baylor last season, particularly on catch-and-shoot opportunities.
As Los Angeles reworks its roster around Luka Doncic, experienced floor spacers on rookie contracts are worth their weight in gold.
Speaking of weight, though, Carr is unusually light for a wing — he’s listed at just 184 pounds — and will almost certainly struggle on defense until he adds strength.
Doncic’s teams have been most successful when he has been surrounded by true 3-and-D wings, but Carr hasn’t yet earned that label.
0:44
Shams breaks down how Isaiah Stewart ended up in Memphis
Round 1: Cameron Boozer (3) and Karim Lopez (21)
Round 2: Richie Saunders (32)
After Ja Morant‘s off-court issues spoiled the last era of Grizzlies basketball, the franchise pivoted nicely by selecting the polished Boozer.
Don’t be surprised if Boozer has the best career of any player in his class. He’s a skilled scorer, a smart orchestrator and a savvy rebounder, and he’s versatile enough on both ends to keep up with the many demands on modern big men. Boozer’s focus and work ethic should be of great value to a Memphis organization that lost its way.
Though Memphis still hasn’t resolved questions about Morant’s future, its decision to trade Jaren Jackson Jr. makes smart business sense. Boozer plugs cleanly into the hole created by Jackson’s departure, and his rookie contract will be a small fraction of the $205 million owed to Jackson over the next four seasons.
Playing Boozer next to a rim-protecting center should help ameliorate the concerns about his limited vertical athleticism. The Grizzlies already had 2024 lottery pick Zach Edey in the fold, but they also landed burly center Isaiah Stewart in a trade with the Pistons to hedge against Edey’s injury issues.
To make that deal, Memphis executive Zach Kleiman traded down twice in the first round, pocketed five future second-round picks and then flipped three of them for Stewart.
Somewhere in that rush of activity, Kleiman also snagged Lopez, a 19-year-old forward who spent last season playing professionally in Australia’s National Basketball League. Once the dust settled, Memphis’ activity amounted to real achievement.
Round 2: Ryan Conwell (37)
There was never any doubt what Miami’s top priority would be after landing Giannis Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster trade: outside shooting.
The Heat ranked 14th in 3-point attempts and 11th in efficiency last season, but they sent guard Tyler Herro to Milwaukee in the trade and could lose Norman Powell in free agency.
Conwell, 22, showed that he can hit shots in any gym during a circuitous college career. Playing for four different schools in four years, the 6-foot-4 guard finished college as a 37.6% shooter from beyond the arc and launched nearly 10 3-pointers per game for Louisville last season.
0:31
What Brayden Burries brings to the Bucks
Round 1: Brayden Burries (10) and Nate Ament (13)
Round 2: Malique Lewis (60)
Milwaukee began the post-Giannis Antetokounmpo era in earnest by selecting an intriguing pair of one-and-done prospects in Burries, a two-way guard from Arizona, and Ament, an athletic forward from Tennessee.
The Bucks’ young talent base disintegrated in recent years when the team attempted to build around Antetokounmpo, so Burries and Ament represent critical building blocks. Ament acknowledged Tuesday that Antetokounmpo left “big shoes to fill over there.” Even so, patience is in order.
Though Burries appears ready to contribute as a rookie, he’s not a full-fledged offensive engine such as some of the guards who went before him in the lottery. Ament, meanwhile, has fantastic physical tools but will need multiple years to add strength and refine his game.
While the Bucks clearly should have traded Antetokounmpo last summer and pursued a top-five pick, their fans will gladly welcome a double dose of lottery talent.
Round 2: Isaiah Evans (33), Trey Kaufman-Renn (59)
There are several possible explanations for why Evans unexpectedly slipped into the second round: The Duke product is light for an NBA wing, doesn’t put a ton of downhill pressure on the defense and can’t be counted on to make plays for his teammates.
The Timberwolves will cast Evans as a floor spacer for Anthony Edwards, but they really could have used another player who knows how to run an offense.
Though Julius Randle seemed to wear out his welcome, trading him to Brooklyn will only put more pressure to create on Edwards’ plate.
Round 2: Jaron Pierre Jr. (58)
The Pelicans drew significant criticism last year by trading their unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Hawks to move up to grab Derik Queen. Luckily for New Orleans, that pick landed at No. 8, sparing them another round of intense criticism if Atlanta had jumped up in the lottery.
Needless to say, this year’s draft for the Pelicans was the polar opposite of Mardi Gras pomp and circumstance. Their only pick was Pierre, a 23-year-old guard who went late in the second round.
Believe it or not, Pierre was a member of the vaunted high school class of 2020 headlined by Detroit star Cade Cunningham, who is set to enter his sixth NBA season in the fall.
Round 2: Jack Kayil (39), Tyler Nickel (47)
Rookies will surely find that minutes are hard to come by when the Knicks launch their title defense next season. After a flurry of draft-week trades, New York used its first pick of the second round to land Kayil, a 20-year-old German point guard who could potentially remain overseas next season.
Next, the Knicks grabbed Nickel, a 6-7 forward who developed into a 40% 3-point shooter while playing for three schools during his four-year college career.
Round 1: Aday Mara (12) and Bennett Stirtz (16)
Round 2: Otega Oweh (41)
The Thunder could have pointed to several key injuries to explain their Western Conference finals loss to the Spurs, but that wouldn’t have told the full story.
An honest self-assessment would have concluded that Victor Wembanyama overwhelmed Oklahoma City’s big men and that the Thunder’s offense came unglued due to inconsistent outside shooting.
Sam Presti addressed both flaws by using first-round picks on Mara, a gigantic center from Michigan, and Stirtz, a workhorse guard from Iowa.
The 7-3 Mara is a delight to watch thanks to his nifty passing and finishing around the hoop, and Stirtz will bring knockdown 3-point shooting to help balance a defense-heavy backcourt corps.
Oklahoma City appears poised to have the NBA’s deepest collection of talent again in 2026-27, even if it must make some painful cost-cutting moves over the next few weeks.
Round 2: Izaiyah Nelson (51)
Magic fans could be forgiven for tuning out long before Orlando finally made its first selection of the draft late Wednesday night.
Nelson, a 22-year-old big man, is in a tricky spot as a non-shooter who isn’t quite tall enough to play center.
Still, he averaged 1.4 blocks and 1.6 steals per game for USF last season, and that type of defensive productivity will be his calling card.
1:09
What Labaron Philon Jr. brings to the 76ers
Round 1: Labaron Philon Jr. (22)
Many Philadelphia fans are still annoyed that promising guard Jared McCain was traded at the deadline, but Philon’s arrival should help soothe those feelings.
After spending two seasons at Alabama, Philon plugs nicely into the 76ers’ second unit behind All-Star Tyrese Maxey and budding star VJ Edgecombe.
Despite legitimate concerns about the Sixers’ perimeter size, Philon — at 6-3 — should be able to play on or off the ball with either of the 76ers’ starters.
Given Maxey’s heavy workload and high usage rate last season, Philon’s ability to handle the ball and initiate the offense should come in handy.
Round 1: Koa Peat (30)
Peat left Arizona after a solid freshman season, but there’s a strong case to be made that he should have returned to college for more seasoning.
The 6-8 forward looked overwhelmed against Michigan’s front line of lottery picks in the Final Four, shooting just 6-of-18 from the field in a blowout loss.
Questions about Peat’s undersized frame, shot selection and defensive versatility will follow him to the NBA.
On the bright side, he will have every opportunity to earn minutes for the Suns, who preferred smaller lineups last season but were slaughtered inside by the Thunder in a first-round playoff sweep.
The Blazers were the only NBA team that didn’t make a pick in this year’s draft. You can’t pass the class if you don’t show up for school.
Round 1: Darius Acuff Jr. (7) and Alex Karaban (29)
Round 2: Emanuel Sharp (45)
As a small guard with limitless scoring ability who also happens to be a major defensive liability, Acuff is unlikely to develop into a player capable of being the best player on a championship team.
That’s OK for Sacramento, which has more immediate concerns: erasing the bad memories of a dreadful 2025-26 season, plus installing a new point guard of the future after trading Tyrese Haliburton and De’Aaron Fox.
Acuff got straight to work at Arkansas, where he led the SEC in scoring and assists as a freshman, and Sacramento should give him the green light from day one. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Karaban, who won two NCAA titles at UConn, projects as a classic 3-and-D role player.
Round 1: Jayden Quaintance (20) and Tarris Reed Jr. (26)
Round 2: Ja’Kobi Gillespie (42), Maliq Brown (44)
The Spurs’ draft makes it clear they knew they needed to overhaul their frontcourt around Victor Wembanyama. Harrison Barnes as their most conventional power forward, plus four backup centers over the age of 30, wasn’t going to cut it.
Quaintance, a defensive game-wrecker, boasts a sturdy physicality that should perfectly complement Wembanyama’s length and versatility. The only problem, of course, is that he could need extra time to get on the court because of complications after knee surgery.
Reed, 22, should be able to play immediately as a backup center after spending a four-year college career with Michigan and UConn. Ditto for Brown, another active frontcourt defender who played a total of four seasons at Syracuse and Duke.
San Antonio can start dreaming of elite defensive lineups featuring Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Carter Bryant and Quaintance, and the Quaintance/Reed combination should help Wembanyama handle the inevitable dustups that come with playoff basketball.
San Antonio needed to get bigger, and it did.
Round 1: Allen Graves (19)
Round 2: Jaden Bradley (50)
The Raptors found so much success with last year’s lottery pick, Collin Murray-Boyles, that they doubled down with Graves, another power forward whose activity and intelligence have made him a favorite of the analytics community.
To guard against positional redundancy, the Santa Clara product must prove his 41.3% 3-point shooting as a freshman was no fluke.
Defending NBA athletes in space could also prove to be an issue for Graves, who could be targeted by rival teams because of his limited lateral quickness.
Round 1: Darryn Peterson (2)
Nearly four years after they traded Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz landed another guard worthy of the “franchise player” label. Don’t let Peterson’s much-ballyhooed scoring overshadow his defensive potential; the game comes naturally to him on both ends.
Utah was seemingly enamored with AJ Dybantsa, but Peterson is more than a consolation prize. The Ohio native perfectly fills Utah’s biggest positional need, and he has the potential to be a perennial All-Star if he can move past the confounding health concerns that tainted his freshman season at Kansas.
The Jazz were synonymous with consistency and control during the John Stockton/Karl Malone years, and more recently they won with an elite defense led by Rudy Gobert. Peterson’s arrival could shape a new identity: pure firepower. Assuming they have time to grow together, Peterson, Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ace Bailey should make life extremely difficult for opposing defenses.
Round 1: AJ Dybantsa (1)
Round 2: Felix Okpara (46)
The Wizards went with the consensus choice by taking Dybantsa at No. 1, a decision that is sure to be debated for years to come. The BYU forward fills a clear long-term need as a dynamic wing scorer capable of transforming an offense that ranked 29th last season, and his prolific college statistics strongly suggest he’s ready to make an immediate impact as a rookie.
Washington, which has been stuck in a rebuilding cycle since former lottery picks John Wall and Bradley Beal suffered career-altering injuries, passed on Peterson, another ultra-talented guard with health concerns. The Wizards ultimately made the “safer” pick with Dybantsa, an understandable decision given the franchise hasn’t won a playoff series since 2017 and hasn’t won 50 games since 1979.
With a lucrative new contract in hand, Trae Young must understand that Dybantsa’s development is the organization’s top priority. Should the Wizards trade Anthony Davis this summer to ensure Dybantsa has sufficient room to fully explore the bounds of his offensive game?
