The Portland Trail Blazers don't have a first-round pick after surrendering their lottery-protected selection to the Chicago Bulls. That doesn't mean they won't evaluate the draft class to determine whether a particular prospect is worth a buy-in. Given the depth of the 2026 class, it's easy to see a scenario in which Portland wants to add to its young core.
This time around, they package a veteran such as Jrue Holiday to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for pick No. 11. Here's how we project the draft to play out in that scenario.
2026 NBA Lottery Mock Draft
No. 1: Washington Wizards select AJ Dybantsa, BYU
The Wizards traded rising star Deni Avdija as he didn't fit their age curve. While they didn't necessarily sell high on Avdija, the idea was to fully embrace a rebuild by bottoming out their roster. That decision paid off with this year's lottery, as they secured the top pick in what some view as a historical draft class.
The headliner is BYU's AJ Dybantsa, who has the size, physical tools, and skillset to succeed at the next level. It's hard for the Wizards to go wrong here, but the consensus appears to be the combination of floor and ceiling in Dybantsa.
No. 2: Utah Jazz select Darryn Peterson, Kansas
The Jazz are in a prime position to take whoever is left between Dybantsa and Peterson. Our preference is the Kansas guard who has yet to showcase his full talent after dealing with injury issues during his freshman campaign. Peterson has the potential to be one of the best guards at the next level, with a skillset tailor-made for the modern NBA.
Utah suddenly finds itself as one of the most promising long-term outlooks in the Western Conference thanks to its lottery position. Peterson's combo guard skillset, paired with their stacked frontcourt, would be a formula for a deep playoff run sooner rather than later.
No. 3: Memphis Grizzlies select Cameron Boozer, Duke
Boozer is such an obvious pick to revive the "Grit and Grind" era of the Grizzlies. Zach Edey has dealt with injuries, but the idea of forming a frontcourt consisting of Cedric Coward, Boozer, and Edey has to be intriguing to Memphis.
There's talk of Boozer's "bully ball" game not translating to the NBA. While that's been the case for collegiate bigs overly reliant on their interior dominance, I don't think that applies to Boozer. He has the offensive skill set to thrive in the NBA, thanks to his underrated court vision, ability to take advantage of mismatches, and space the floor.
Memphis should be thrilled to land at three, as whoever falls to them will be considered a true franchise cornerstone.
No. 4: Chicago Bulls select Caleb Wilson, North Carolina
The Bulls finally seem to be embracing a rebuild after frustratingly finding themselves in no-man's land after all these years. It remains to be seen whether Caleb Wilson is that true building block to jumpstart that rebuild. There are concerns about his skill set and floor spacing, preventing him from joining the top three prospects.
However, Wilson's physical tools give him the ideal combination of floor and ceiling that Chicago should pursue with this pick. If they can pair Wilson with Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, the Bulls will have an established foundation of length, athleticism, and switachibility built for the modern NBA.
No. 5: Los Angeles Clippers select Keaton Wagler, Illinois
The Clippers do have Darius Garland after wisely shipping aging star James Harden at the deadline. That shouldn't factor into their decision at all with pick No. 5. This season proved their roster still has a long way to go to contention. In a sense, they got bailed out with this Indiana Pacers pick, paving the way for a retool or entire rebuild, depending on what other offseason moves they make.
The Clippers' front office has consistently prioritized length, and it's easy to see them going with jumbo guard Keaton Wagler here. They will certainly have their options open as they find themselves outside the consensus top four prospects.
No. 6: Brooklyn Nets select Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
The Nets still search for the face of their rebuild. Acuff certainly has his flaws, particularly on the defensive end. But Brooklyn can afford to overlook that for his star ceiling and historic production as a rookie.
The "undersized" narrative is overblown given Acuff's wingspan, and in the draft, we often overlook these prospects' skill sets. Acuff simply knows how to get himself and teammates involved at the highest level.
In retrospect, for redrafts, the oftentimes overlooked prospects were those who were talented but polarizing. It's easy to see that applying to Acuff. The Nets must take the high-risk, high-reward swing to potentially change their franchise trajectory.
No. 7: Sacramento Kings select Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville
Only the Kings can find a way to win 22 games and wind up falling to No. 7. The silver lining is that Sacramento still has a great chance to add a franchise-altering talent, as the loaded 2026 class goes well beyond the headliners.
Mikel Brown Jr. may be the best example of someone who could return top-four value with his upside. There's uncertainty surrounding his back injury that derailed his rookie campaign at Louisville. Could that prove to be a blessing in disguise, allowing Brown to fall to the Kings?
With his pick-and-roll creativity, positional size, and shot-making ability, Brown is the exact type of guard archetype who thrives in the pace-and-space of the NBA.
No. 8: Atlanta Hawks select Kingston Flemings, Houston
The Hawks wisely moved on from the Trae Young era at the deadline, but now find themselves in need of addressing a shallow backcourt. Even if free agent CJ McCollum stays, his closing window makes him more of a stopgap rather than a long-term solution.
The Hawks need to find a true floor general, and there may be no better answer than Houston guard Kingston Flemings. He may not have that star upside to become a co-star alongside Jalen Johnson, but he does have the table-setting ability to bring out the best of Atlanta's current roster.
No. 9: Dallas Mavericks select Brayden Burries, Arizona
Dallas got absolutely bailed out of the Luka Doncic trade by winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. They now have a golden opportunity to turn the franchise around by surrounding Flagg with another top ten selection in a stacked draft class.
Arizona freshman Brayden Burries would elevate the entire floor of this roster thanks to his well-rounded game. He's one of the lone two-way guards in the draft, giving Burries multiple avenues to success and returning value as a lottery pick.
The ceiling may be relatively limited as there's no viable pathway to being a go-to option. But with Flagg in Dallas, the Mavericks can turn their focus to finding complementary pieces.
No. 10: Milwaukee Bucks select Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Milwaukee's ownership is hoping to decide on Giannis Antetokounmpo's future before the draft, and for good reason. With a top ten selection, this franchise-altering pick will heavily depend on whether the top-five player in the world remains on the roster.
If Giannis remains in Milwaukee, it makes much more sense to surround him with win-now help. There's no better available option than national champion Yaxel Lendeborg, who would give the Bucks much-needed depth at the forward spot as an immediate-impact player.
No. 11: Portland Trail Blazers (via Golden State) select Nate Ament, Tennessee
The Trail Blazers don't have a pick in the draft, as their lottery-protected first-round pick was conveyed to the Chicago Bulls. But in a loaded draft, they may feel the urge to buy in to add to their young core.
The Warriors' pick at No. 11 presents a golden opportunity to do so. Golden State has made it clear they are exploring all avenues heading into the draft, whether that's trading up, down, or out of the draft to land a veteran. Portland is one team loaded with veterans that could ship Golden State a win-now player such as Jrue Holiday.
If that is the case, Nate Ament makes a ton of sense for Portland to target. He's a polarizing prospect as Ament didn't have the most productive career at Tennessee. But with the league trending towards size and Portland's front office valuing positional versatility and switchability, it's easy to see a scenario in which they are high on Ament as a prospect.
No. 12: Oklahoma City Thunder select Aday Mara, Michigan
Mara isn't the tranditional Thunder selection, as general manager Sam Presti tends to value more versatile prospects that can contribue in multiple aspects such as defense, ballhandling, shooting, and playmaking.
However, given the direction the league is headed, it makes sense for Oklahoma City to add a giant on their roster. They have to deal with the likes of Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs for the next decade, and it makes perfect sense for them to add more size to help match up.
No. 13: Miami Heat select Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama
Miami still needs to find a long-term solution to its backcourt problem. Philon has a case to be considered in that tier of guard prospects, such as Acuff, Flemings, Brown, and Burries, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him land in the top ten to a team like the Atlanta Hawks.
But if Philon falls, he seems like a pick tailor-made for the Heat. The one knock on him is size, but an underappreciated floater game should give Philon at least one skill that immediately translates to the next level.
No. 14: Charlotte Hornets select Cameron Carr, Baylor
Here the Hornets double down on their strength of absolutely launching from the perimeter, supported by the analytics-driven modern NBA. Carr had a breakout sophomore campaign at Baylor, averaging 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 37.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Carr's lack of playmaking limits his ceiling, but his shot-making and floor spacing should be considered a premium in the NBA. He strengthened his case as a lottery pick with an impressive combine in both his measurements and on-court performance.
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