2026 NBA draft thread

[Smitty]

One of the top collegiate guards in the country, Tounde Yessoufou is expected to remain in the 2026 NBA Draft and forgo withdrawing before the NCAA’s May 27 deadline, multiple sources tell @TheConsensusNBA. Yessoufou is viewed by scouts as one of the highest-upside prospects.

[mvossman]

At this point, whatever the Mavs do during the draft will be well thought out. If Ament is the pick, then I'm going to figure they see something I don't.

I get this sentiment, but I will stick to my guns and be upset if they reach for Ament.  I will be more than willing to admit I'm wrong if the time comes, but if they go with Ament I'm afraid it will take years before there is any chance we get to that point.

[F Gump]

If Ament is the pick, then I'm going to figure they see something I don't.

I'm with you. If Ament is their pick, it has to be based on things we haven't had an opportunity to see, because he doesn't look like a top 10 pick AT ALL. What I'm seeing is just a bag of physical traits and a whole bunch of hopium.

[hakeemfaan]

I'm with you. If Ament is their pick, it has to be based on things we haven't had an opportunity to see, because he doesn't look like a top 10 pick AT ALL. What I'm seeing is just a bag of physical traits and a whole bunch of hopium.

High FT%. Got to the FT line at a high %.  Was playing very well after a slow start before an injury. 6'9" bare foot.  I don't see where he just has some physical traits.  For a skinny guy who went through a late growth spurt, who probably still hasn't adjusted to that body, to get to the line a lot while playing predominantly on the perimeter has to count for something. 

Anyway, with his recent workout, for better or for worse, I don't think the Mavs will have to make that decision. I see him moving up because size with potential always entices, and I see one of the guards dropping down. I feel Flemings will drop, and more I watch his game, the more I'm perfectly fine if that's who the Mavs pick. 

The only concern with Flemings is when looking at the Thunder and Spurs, those teams have a lot of tall guards.  Their smallball is like GS where Curry was the smallest at 6'3", but they had a lot of taller guards and forwards around him. However, shotmaking is still king in the new NBA, and Flemings can certainly do that.

[DallasMaverick]

At this point, whatever the Mavs do during the draft will be well thought out. If Ament is the pick, then I'm going to figure they see something I don't.

It’s called “faith”.

After a couple of decisions that don’t turn out well, you’ll be back to second-guessing.

[Winter]

If I was in charge of this draft, the one thing I would really covet is more picks for the Mavs. Our cupboard is bare.

The idea that the Mavs could trade down from #9 seems difficult for a lot of reasons. It would not surprise me if the Mavs tried though. It seems more likely that the Mavs would trade for picks in some combination of players, #30, or our 2nd round pick and cash. I'm not sure how, but I would guess it's a priority. That seems more possible.

If I'm a new FO, I would want to leave a positive impression. Standing pat might be the best option, but I can't believe it's the first option on the table.

[Chicagojk]

High FT%. Got to the FT line at a high %.  Was playing very well after a slow start before an injury. 6'9" bare foot.  I don't see where he just has some physical traits.  For a skinny guy who went through a late growth spurt, who probably still hasn't adjusted to that body, to get to the line a lot while playing predominantly on the perimeter has to count for something. 

Anyway, with his recent workout, for better or for worse, I don't think the Mavs will have to make that decision. I see him moving up because size with potential always entices, and I see one of the guards dropping down. I feel Flemings will drop, and more I watch his game, the more I'm perfectly fine if that's who the Mavs pick. 

The only concern with Flemings is when looking at the Thunder and Spurs, those teams have a lot of tall guards.  Their smallball is like GS where Curry was the smallest at 6'3", but they had a lot of taller guards and forwards around him. However, shotmaking is still king in the new NBA, and Flemings can certainly do that.

Yeah, I will be fine with Flemings.  He is in my third tier with Wagler and Acuff.    My fourth tier is Brown, Burries and Ament.   They may have similar upside but I think there is a higher bust rate with those guys than my tier 3.    I have not put Mara or Laxel in a tier as this is my Mavs tier list.   I would love to have one of them and someone from my tier 4, jump up.  Thus, Mavs would have someone from my tier 3 available.    AT 9 though, I am not confident.  I think one reaches to 8, but lets see how things play out.

[Chicagojk]

Karim Lopez is someone where I probably won't reach a conlclusion on.  Too much going on to make a projection on a guy playing in Austraila.  

In some highlights I think he looks like a bigger, slower Tatum.   In some he looks like Kyle Kusma.   Then in some you wonder if he will have the foot speed to keep up in the NBA at all.   If I had to guess, his upside is probably closer to a Kuzma level player than near a Tatum level player.  

Still one of the younger prospects in the draft and legit measurables.    He also seems to play with an edge...both good and bad.


https://x.com/albertoeghim/status/2052419436410290237

[Knutsen]

Karim Lopez is someone where I probably won't reach a conlclusion on.  Too much going on to make a projection on a guy playing in Austraila.  

In some highlights I think he looks like a bigger, slower Tatum.   In some he looks like Kyle Kusma.   Then in some you wonder if he will have the foot speed to keep up in the NBA at all.   If I had to guess, his upside is probably closer to a Kuzma level player than near a Tatum level player.  

Still one of the younger prospects in the draft and legit measurables.    He also seems to play with an edge...both good and bad.


https://x.com/albertoeghim/status/2052419436410290237

I don’t see much of Tatum in him - looks more like a Avdija starter kit to me. 

Deni also isn’t the fastest guy, but with his relentlessness and physicality and attacking mindset he does things on offense he shouldn’t be able to do.

[hakeemfaan]

Cenac also looks like a high floor guy.

Even if his shot doesn’t improve much, he already has the physique to give NBA veterans a headache. Plus his athleticism for that build really stands out.

[DanSchwartzgan]

If I was in charge of this draft, the one thing I would really covet is more picks for the Mavs. Our cupboard is bare.

The idea that the Mavs could trade down from #9 seems difficult for a lot of reasons. It would not surprise me if the Mavs tried though. It seems more likely that the Mavs would trade for picks in some combination of players, #30, or our 2nd round pick and cash. I'm not sure how, but I would guess it's a priority. That seems more possible.

If I'm a new FO, I would want to leave a positive impression. Standing pat might be the best option, but I can't believe it's the first option on the table.

This is where I am also.  Part of why I like the idea of Ament, Lopez, M. Johnson or even Carr in that 12 or 14  range is I'd like to put a young wing between Flagg and Christie.  The other part is I don't see that much space between the last PG of the bunch at #9 and guys like Philon, Okorie and Stirtz who you might get in the mid/late teens.  I see trading down as an opportunity to beef up the youth movement.  If you could tell me I'd come away with one guy from each of those lists instead of Burries or Flemings, I'm all over that.

[hakeemfaan]

This is where I am also.  Part of why I like the idea of Ament, Lopez, M. Johnson or even Carr in that 12 or 14  range is I'd like to put a young wing between Flagg and Christie.  The other part is I don't see that much space between the last PG of the bunch at #9 and guys like Philon, Okorie and Stirtz who you might get in the mid/late teens.  I see trading down as an opportunity to beef up the youth movement.  If you could tell me I'd come away with one guy from each of those lists instead of Burries or Flemings, I'm all over that.

I am seeing even Hawks fans talking about using their pick to get two picks in the first, and they have a higher pick than us to entice.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Whether to trade up or down or stay put depends on who is available.  I don't think guys that pride themselves on talent evaluation like Masai and Schmidt prescribe to the theory "all these guys are about the same so let's just trade down and take the one that falls to us."  I imagine they will have strong preferences among that group of players.  I think I would rather trade up and grab the guy they like.

[hakeemfaan]

While I will continue to speculate on the draft because it is fun, a Mavs fan on Twitter/X captured my sentiments perfectly. These are his or her words.

“The day Masai got the job I stopped wanting to look up free agents and mock drafts.

It’s not like the previous regimes were calling me for input but it’s like my subconscious knows the people in charge know way more than me.“

[Winter]

Whether to trade up or down or stay put depends on who is available.  I don't think guys that pride themselves on talent evaluation like Masai and Schmidt prescribe to the theory "all these guys are about the same so let's just trade down and take the one that falls to us."  I imagine they will have strong preferences among that group of players.  I think I would rather trade up and grab the guy they like.

I don't see many avenues to trade up from #9. With the other picks I can see all sorts of options.

[Winter]

This is where I am also.  Part of why I like the idea of Ament, Lopez, M. Johnson or even Carr in that 12 or 14  range is I'd like to put a young wing between Flagg and Christie.  The other part is I don't see that much space between the last PG of the bunch at #9 and guys like Philon, Okorie and Stirtz who you might get in the mid/late teens.  I see trading down as an opportunity to beef up the youth movement.  If you could tell me I'd come away with one guy from each of those lists instead of Burries or Flemings, I'm all over that.

The four players you mention are probably the same four players I would target in picking a player between 10 and 20. Lopez is a bit more of a risk, but I have to assume Schmitz knows him well.

I also agree that there seems to be very little separating the PGs in the area where we are currently drafting.

If they take Burries at #9, I would think they really like him. Otherwise, they might make more effort to trade down. But I can really see a scenario where the Mavs go all-out in getting another pick lower in that first round.

[mvossman]

Yeah, I will be fine with Flemings.  He is in my third tier with Wagler and Acuff.    My fourth tier is Brown, Burries and Ament.   They may have similar upside but I think there is a higher bust rate with those guys than my tier 3.    I have not put Mara or Laxel in a tier as this is my Mavs tier list.   I would love to have one of them and someone from my tier 4, jump up.  Thus, Mavs would have someone from my tier 3 available.    AT 9 though, I am not confident.  I think one reaches to 8, but lets see how things play out.

We all have our opinion on these guys, but the one thing you say here really surprises me.  Burries is considered to have a very high floor.  He does everything well and has the size to play 1 or 2.  I am curious why you think Burries has a bust rate similar to Brown and Ament?  Brown has back concerns and decision concerns (poor shot selection and high turnover rate), and Ament was very inefficient in college (crazy low TS% and poor TO/Assist ratio).

[mvossman]

This is where I am also.  Part of why I like the idea of Ament, Lopez, M. Johnson or even Carr in that 12 or 14  range is I'd like to put a young wing between Flagg and Christie.  The other part is I don't see that much space between the last PG of the bunch at #9 and guys like Philon, Okorie and Stirtz who you might get in the mid/late teens.  I see trading down as an opportunity to beef up the youth movement.  If you could tell me I'd come away with one guy from each of those lists instead of Burries or Flemings, I'm all over that.

I get the sentiment of wanting to get a young wing next to Flagg, but I would greatly prefer that guy can shoot, and most of those guys in your list don't project to be great shooters.  

I think there is more separation between the two tiers of guards, but we will just have to agree to disagree on that point.

Another way we look at this differently is that I don't consider Max part of the starting core.  I think we need a better defender at that spot and his ideal role is a shooter coming off the bench.

For me the primary goal of this draft is to find a plus starter.  I'm not nearly as interested in finding multiple depth pieces.  So for me the only argument for trading down is if you have better odds finding a plus starter by taking two shots later in the draft than you do taking one shot earlier.  Its a lot easier for me to envision one of those 5 guards turning into a plus starter, while it takes a lot more projection for me to see that with any of the guys behind them, so I lean towards staying at 9.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

[Scotto] The Sacramento Kings are enamored with Arkansas star guard Darius Acuff Jr., according to league sources.
Source: https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/n...30954007/#

The Sacramento Kings are enamored with Arkansas star guard Darius Acuff Jr., according to league sources, but will he still be on the board by the seventh overall pick?

Acuff, who’s considered a gifted offensive playmaker and scorer, measured well at the combine with a nearly 6-foot-7 wingspan after executives questioned his defensive potential, looking ahead to the NBA level. The SEC Player of the Year led the conference in points per game (23.5), assists (6.4), and minutes (35.1). He also shot a blistering 44 percent beyond the arc for good measure.

It’s worth noting Sacramento’s general manager, Scott Perry, coached Darius Acuff Sr. at Eastern Kentucky, as Sacramento is in search of a long-term floor general for the future. Should Acuff Jr. be off the board, other guards such as Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr., and Kingston Flemings could be available.

[mvossman]

[Scotto] The Sacramento Kings are enamored with Arkansas star guard Darius Acuff Jr., according to league sources.
Source: https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/n...30954007/#

The Sacramento Kings are enamored with Arkansas star guard Darius Acuff Jr., according to league sources, but will he still be on the board by the seventh overall pick?

Acuff, who’s considered a gifted offensive playmaker and scorer, measured well at the combine with a nearly 6-foot-7 wingspan after executives questioned his defensive potential, looking ahead to the NBA level. The SEC Player of the Year led the conference in points per game (23.5), assists (6.4), and minutes (35.1). He also shot a blistering 44 percent beyond the arc for good measure.

It’s worth noting Sacramento’s general manager, Scott Perry, coached Darius Acuff Sr. at Eastern Kentucky, as Sacramento is in search of a long-term floor general for the future. Should Acuff Jr. be off the board, other guards such as Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr., and Kingston Flemings could be available.

Seems like the Clippers could get some real assets with a trade.  Acuff does not make sense next to Garland.