2026 NBA draft thread

[Winter]

Ament way too high, Philon way too low. I'd swap Brown and Burries.

I would too. Exactly that.

[mvossman]

Ament way too high, Philon way too low. I'd swap Brown and Burries.

Exact same thoughts.

[mvossman]

I saw a click bait scenario online where it was proposed that MIL could work a trade for Kyrie to play with Giannis. I don't remember the details, but it was proposed by someone from MIL and involved getting DAL the MIL pick, currently #10. My personal reaction was "Hell, yeah!". 

I share this to say that I would be up for moving Kyrie for the right draft pick in this year's draft. Post-draft trades are chancy and rarely win-win, while FA doesn't seem to offer much excitement this summer. If the league adds a couple more teams, then the talent pool gets diluted with picks and FA becoming even poorer roads to improvement.

Absolutely.  Especially if the trade is before the draw, but even if they land at 10 I do it.  If we don't land top 4, but there is a way to convert out pick + Kyrie into top 4 I do that too.

[F Gump]

I saw a click bait scenario online where it was proposed that MIL could work a trade for Kyrie to play with Giannis. I don't remember the details, but it was proposed by someone from MIL and involved getting DAL the MIL pick, currently #10. My personal reaction was "Hell, yeah!". 

I share this to say that I would be up for moving Kyrie for the right draft pick in this year's draft. Post-draft trades are chancy and rarely win-win, while FA doesn't seem to offer much excitement this summer. If the league adds a couple more teams, then the talent pool gets diluted with picks and FA becoming even poorer roads to improvement.

"I share this to say that I would be up for moving Kyrie for the right draft pick in this year's draft." --- Count me out. The only scenario that even remotely interests me would be getting a top-4 pick for Kyrie, and the other team (who is rebuilding from the dregs) won't do a deal like that (they'd want to keep the player of the future).

[mvossman]

"I share this to say that I would be up for moving Kyrie for the right draft pick in this year's draft." --- Count me out. The only scenario that even remotely interests me would be getting a top-4 pick for Kyrie, and the other team (who is rebuilding from the dregs) won't do a deal like that (they'd want to keep the player of the future).

Its the AD trade all over again.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

"I share this to say that I would be up for moving Kyrie for the right draft pick in this year's draft." --- Count me out. The only scenario that even remotely interests me would be getting a top-4 pick for Kyrie, and the other team (who is rebuilding from the dregs) won't do a deal like that (they'd want to keep the player of the future).

Ya think?  Kyrie is coming off an ACL, on the wrong side of 30, and who knows if he'll have the same explosion before the injury. I'm sure the handles are still intact, though.      Just have to wait and see what he looks like.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://x.com/TheFieldOf68/status/2042280245160497576


Houston's Chris Cenac Jr has declared for the draft.

[Scott41theMavs]

"I share this to say that I would be up for moving Kyrie for the right draft pick in this year's draft." --- Count me out. The only scenario that even remotely interests me would be getting a top-4 pick for Kyrie, and the other team (who is rebuilding from the dregs) won't do a deal like that (they'd want to keep the player of the future).

First of all, I would say that your standards for a trade for Kyrie are pretty unreasonably high, given that each of the top four guys would go number one in about 50% of draft classes. The players on the big board after them are still pretty decent. 21 put up the goofy theoretical of the Bucks getting a top four pick and trading Kyrie for that pick, Rollins, and Portis. The Bucks wouldn't do that. But if they're drafting 10th? Hell yes to that deal. We don't control our draft pick for the next four years. Flagg + three near-blue chip players on his timeline? Yes, please.

[F Gump]

First of all, I would say that your standards for a trade for Kyrie are pretty unreasonably high, given that each of the top four guys would go number one in about 50% of draft classes. The players on the big board after them are still pretty decent. 21 put up the goofy theoretical of the Bucks getting a top four pick and trading Kyrie for that pick, Rollins, and Portis. The Bucks wouldn't do that. But if they're drafting 10th? Hell yes to that deal. We don't control our draft pick for the next four years. Flagg + three near-blue chip players on his timeline? Yes, please.

"I would say that your standards for a trade for Kyrie are pretty unreasonably high, given that each of the top four guys would go number one in about 50% of draft classes" --- I prefer to keep Kyrie. I value Kyrie. I think he offers a MAJOR plus for the Mavs future. I'm not worried about the fact that Kyrie is in his 30s. (I'm not worried about the 2030's.) 

From that frame of reference (my personal POV) about what Kyrie would provide, there's nothing unreasonable about what I would want. 

For those like you who don't especially value Kyrie, I get why you demand a lower ask. You prefer to get rid of him. I get it. Any ole bag of beans (more or less) will be enough for you.

But I think he is worth way more than that. Not in any hurry to turn the page. I think the Mavs need elite talent way more than they need random picks. (And I don't put a high value on any pick past about 7 or 8 in this draft.) Kyrie should be an elite talent - which means he draws attention and opens the floor for CF and the new draft pick. To me, THAT is something I want, to increase the impact of CF. I think it will matter and will accelerate his development when he won't have to play 1 on 5.

[cow]

After suffering through the guard play this season, if we trade Kyrie, I'm going to go postal.

[Scott41theMavs]

"I would say that your standards for a trade for Kyrie are pretty unreasonably high, given that each of the top four guys would go number one in about 50% of draft classes" --- I prefer to keep Kyrie. I value Kyrie. I think he offers a MAJOR plus for the Mavs future. I'm not worried about the fact that Kyrie is in his 30s. (I'm not worried about the 2030's.) 

From that frame of reference (my personal POV) about what Kyrie would provide, there's nothing unreasonable about what I would want. 

For those like you who don't especially value Kyrie, I get why you demand a lower ask. You prefer to get rid of him. I get it. Any ole bag of beans (more or less) will be enough for you.

But I think he is worth way more than that. Not in any hurry to turn the page. I think the Mavs need elite talent way more than they need random picks. (And I don't put a high value on any pick past about 7 or 8 in this draft.) Kyrie should be an elite talent - which means he draws attention and opens the floor for CF and the new draft pick. To me, THAT is something I want, to increase the impact of CF. I think it will matter and will accelerate his development when he won't have to play 1 on 5.

You are directly putting words in my mouth and opinions in my head regarding "wanting to" get rid of Kyrie. No way am I undervaluing him at his age and injury history and the uncertainly of what percentage of his old self he'll be next year when the return is a 17 ppg young two guard who shoots over 40% from three, plus a high draft pick in a very strong class and another useful player. That's the kind of deal you jump on for a player in Kyrie's situation. 

I agree with you that this draft sort of peters out after the first eight players. But - 1) there ***will*** almost certainly be an excellent, future star player left on the board whom the majority of GMs don't now recognize as such (given not only the depth of this draft, but also the history of nearly all past drafts having a multiyear all-star who was picked past #9), and 2) *if* our GM is Presti or Stevens like it had better be, I trust that he will get that guy if the opportunity presents. Not to mention that he will have gotten our own pick right. To me, CF + our top 8 guy + Rollins + the correct choice at #10 who is better than you or I currently believes him to be (and the strong likelihood of the last two still being here in three years) > CF + our top 8 guy + maybe two years of Kyrie. It's about opportunity, to me. Moreover, and emphatically, "wanting to take advantage of a fantastic opportunity even if the cost is Kyrie" =/= "wanting to get rid of Kyrie."

[Chicagojk]

Most of these guys can still go back to school, but man this draft is loaded with point guards.

His highlights are electric but I am still burned from the last Stanford freshman guard we drafted.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DW67RPWkQeB/...FuM2tja3kx

[F Gump]

You are directly putting words in my mouth and opinions in my head regarding "wanting to" get rid of Kyrie. No way am I undervaluing him at his age and injury history and the uncertainly of what percentage of his old self he'll be next year when the return is a 17 ppg young two guard who shoots over 40% from three, plus a high draft pick in a very strong class and another useful player. That's the kind of deal you jump on for a player in Kyrie's situation.

"... No way am I undervaluing him..." -- I think you are, and considerably so. 

I'm very much a believer in the difference-making value of an ELITELY talented player. I don't think (and I believe NBA history has proven over and over) that multiple good players don't make up for 1 great one. The further away you get from what you can find readily available, the less replaceable that player is.

When I say you are wanting to get rid of Kyrie, and you object to that as 'not my words' but then tell me all the reasons it's a good idea to get rid of him, I think you have demonstrated that I was truly addressing your pov.

OTOH, count me out of a Kyrie trade  - I do NOT want to get rid of Kyrie. I think he's integral to getting this thing off the ground and flying again. And he's even more vital in light of the Mavs extreme need for PG/offense creation. Trade him and next year is likely to be even uglier.

[Winter]

"... No way am I undervaluing him..." -- I think you are, and considerably so. 

I'm very much a believer in the difference-making value of an ELITELY talented player. I don't think (and I believe NBA history has proven over and over) that multiple good players don't make up for 1 great one. The further away you get from what you can find readily available, the less replaceable that player is.

When I say you are wanting to get rid of Kyrie, and you object to that as 'not my words' but then tell me all the reasons it's a good idea to get rid of him, I think you have demonstrated that I was truly addressing your pov.

OTOH, count me out of a Kyrie trade  - I do NOT want to get rid of Kyrie. I think he's integral to getting this thing off the ground and flying again. And he's even more vital in light of the Mavs extreme need for PG/offense creation. Trade him and next year is likely to be even uglier.

It has always seemed to me, throughout the year really, that the Mavs FO has already decided they want to put Kyrie and Flagg together. 

I'm not sure what they know or what metrics they are looking at, but everytime the AD trade discussion came up earlier, a secondary comment from people like Stein always included something about keeping Kyrie. Maybe it's contract related, but whatever it is the tone from the FO has always been about keeping Kyrie. They never really gave that impression about AD once he got hurt.

[Scott41theMavs]

When I say you are wanting to get rid of Kyrie, and you object to that as 'not my words' but then tell me all the reasons it's a good idea to get rid of him, I think you have demonstrated that I was truly addressing your pov.

Did the Mavs "get rid of" Trae Young in 2018? Did the Cowpies "get rid of" Herschel Walker?

E.g. the Mavs certainly got rid of Porzingis, A.D. But there's trading a player for real assets and improvement and there's dumping a player. I believe you're blatantly conflating that obvious binary difference in order to "be right." But carry on.

[Chicagojk]

Ament doesn't pass the eye test to me in his freshman year.   He really needs to go to a team who isn't expecting him to hit right away and will give him time.  Fit is really important for most of these guys, but especially for him.   I could see an outcome either way, but I could definitely see in three years from now you look back and wonder how a 6'10 skilled guy who went 12th in a draft now looks like the third best guy in that draft and wonder how that was missed..    It will take the right team and that team having patience and really spending time with him developing him.

[Chicagojk]

So brown hurt his back in high school and reinjured it this year and seems to impacted him since the injury. Couldn’t play in two games in the tournament. Man that is a major red flag.

https://x.com/lockedonmavs/status/204229...22839?s=61

[Winter]

So brown hurt his back in high school and reinjured it this year and seems to impacted him since the injury.  Couldn’t play in two games in the tournament.  Man that is a major red flag.

https://x.com/lockedonmavs/status/204229...22839?s=61

Maybe his pre-draft workouts are great, but unless that happens I can't see him in the top 10 really. I know every mock draft has him there regardless of injury .... but I just can't see it.

[mvossman]

It has always seemed to me, throughout the year really, that the Mavs FO has already decided they want to put Kyrie and Flagg together. 

I'm not sure what they know or what metrics they are looking at, but everytime the AD trade discussion came up earlier, a secondary comment from people like Stein always included something about keeping Kyrie. Maybe it's contract related, but whatever it is the tone from the FO has always been about keeping Kyrie. They never really gave that impression about AD once he got hurt.

I don't think its metrics.  He has been a big plus in the locker room and I think they want to hold onto that.  That being said, A top 10 in this upcoming draft is very likely the best asset you are ever going to get for Kyrie.  I get the argument that he will bring a stabilizing influence in Flagg's early years, but he will probably be in his late 30s by the time this team is contending and this is not exactly an asset rich franchise right now.

[Winter]

I don't think its metrics.  He has been a big plus in the locker room and I think they want to hold onto that.  That being said, A top 10 in this upcoming draft is very likely the best asset you are ever going to get for Kyrie.  I get the argument that he will bring a stabilizing influence in Flagg's early years, but he will probably be in his late 30s by the time this team is contending and this is not exactly an asset rich franchise right now.

Oh, I'm sure he's great in the lockeroom, but that's usually not enough to keep a good trade piece. Maybe there's some personal relationships that matter, but I think only a new GM with power could pull off a Kyrie trade. Just my opinion of course.