Early look at the 2026 draft

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I think Ejiofor is going to have a very long NBA career and would be thrilled to grab him in the late first round.

I see something like an Isaiah Stewart/Naz Reid/Precious Achiuwa Hybrid type player.

I think he works hard and is very intelligent, which are favorite qualities of Brad Stevens.

[Boss_D]

Hope to see Billy Richmond III in Celtics roster..

[rondohondo]

The Celtics are preparing for the 2026 NBA Draft much earlier than they expected after their first-round playoff loss to the 76ers. Despite holding the 27th pick, Boston can still find a player who can contribute to its success in the upcoming season.

Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley published a mock draft on Saturday, suggesting that the Celtics will select North Carolina center Henri Veesaar.


The Celtics prefer filling the floor with shooting threats. Their offense can be especially hard to handle when they deploy a stretch big," Buckley wrote. "But they might need new candidates for the role, since Nikola Vučević is a free agent. Luka Garza hasn't proven capable of handling a consistent rotation role.

"Veesar, a 7-footer who just buried 42.6 percent of his perimeter shots, could be a suitable stand-in. He might be a lot more than that, since he has shown good agility, smart passing and enough bounce to make plays above the rim on both ends."

Veesar appeared in 31 games for the Tar Heels, recording 17 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists. This brings his career totals to 9.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists over 97 games

.

[rondohondo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7UcqXzucZ8

Vessar highlights

[radiohead]

So the lottery is gonna be earlier than previous events?

[Birdman]

Chicago needs a boost so NBA will give them the number 1 pick

[Birdman]

Chicago needs a boost so NBA will give them the number 1 pick

Almost got it right, bulls got 4th lol
1- Washington
2- Utah
3- Memphis
4- Chicago
5- Clippers
6- Brooklyn
7- Sacramento
8- Atlanta
9- Dallas
10-Milwaukee
11-Golden State
12-OKC
13-Miami
14-Charlotte
13

[Who]

Chicago needs a boost so NBA will give them the number 1 pick

Almost got it right, bulls got 4th lol
1- Washington
2- Utah
3- Memphis
4- Chicago
5- Clippers
6- Brooklyn
7- Sacramento
8- Atlanta
9- Dallas
10-Milwaukee
11-Golden State
12-OKC
13-Miami
14-Charlotte

Washington with Dybantsa is interesting.

G: Trae Young, Bub Carrington
G: B Coulibaly
F: Kyshawn George
F: AJ Dybantsa
C: Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr

That would be a fun team.

A bit of a squeeze there in the frontcourt with Sarr, Davis, Dybantsa. I'd like to see them bench Sarr. Davis at center with Dybantsa at PF would be so dynamic.

I'd also love to see them add a shooter at SG and move Coulibaly to the bench as their main backup wing. A three man bench of Bub Carrington, Coulibaly, Sarr would be a strong 8 man rotation.

[Who]

Chicago needs a boost so NBA will give them the number 1 pick

Almost got it right, bulls got 4th lol
1- Washington
2- Utah
3- Memphis
4- Chicago
5- Clippers
6- Brooklyn
7- Sacramento
8- Atlanta
9- Dallas
10-Milwaukee
11-Golden State
12-OKC
13-Miami
14-Charlotte
13

Darryn Peterson

G: Keyonte George
G: Darryn Peterson
F: Lauri Marrkanen
F: Jaren Jackson Jr
C: Walker Kessler

Darryn Peterson is exactly what they need to complete their starting five. They need shooting + the need another ball-handler & playmaker so it is not all on K George's shoulders. Peterson does both. He is ideal for Utah.

[Who]

Chicago needs a boost so NBA will give them the number 1 pick

Almost got it right, bulls got 4th lol
1- Washington
2- Utah
3- Memphis
4- Chicago
5- Clippers
6- Brooklyn
7- Sacramento
8- Atlanta
9- Dallas
10-Milwaukee
11-Golden State
12-OKC
13-Miami
14-Charlotte
13

Ohh, Indiana lost their pick.

Great rebuilding move by LAC. At 5th, they are probably looking at a guard. I wonder if they will look to pair someone with Darius Garland or look to replace Garland with a bigger PG and trade Garland elsewhere.

[Birdman]

Chicago needs a boost so NBA will give them the number 1 pick

Almost got it right, bulls got 4th lol
1- Washington
2- Utah
3- Memphis
4- Chicago
5- Clippers
6- Brooklyn
7- Sacramento
8- Atlanta
9- Dallas
10-Milwaukee
11-Golden State
12-OKC
13-Miami
14-Charlotte
13

Darryn Peterson

G: Keyonte George
G: Darryn Peterson
F: Lauri Marrkanen
F: Jaren Jackson Jr
C: Walker Kessler

Darryn Peterson is exactly what they need to complete their starting five. They need shooting + the need another ball-handler & playmaker so it is not all on K George's shoulders. Peterson does both. He is ideal for Utah.

Good looking team, they also have Bailey

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Chicago needs a boost so NBA will give them the number 1 pick

Almost got it right, bulls got 4th lol
1- Washington
2- Utah
3- Memphis
4- Chicago
5- Clippers
6- Brooklyn
7- Sacramento
8- Atlanta
9- Dallas
10-Milwaukee
11-Golden State
12-OKC
13-Miami
14-Charlotte

Washington with Dybantsa is interesting.

G: Trae Young, Bub Carrington
G: B Coulibaly
F: Kyshawn George
F: AJ Dybantsa
C: Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr

That would be a fun team.

A bit of a squeeze there in the frontcourt with Sarr, Davis, Dybantsa. I'd like to see them bench Sarr. Davis at center with Dybantsa at PF would be so dynamic.

I'd also love to see them add a shooter at SG and move Coulibaly to the bench as their main backup wing. A three man bench of Bub Carrington, Coulibaly, Sarr would be a strong 8 man rotation.

Davis has already been asking the Wizards front office what their intentions were for the coming season. Would not be surprising to me at all if he grumbled about not wanting to wait for a rookie to be ready to help them compete this year.

What a job by the Wizards front office to keep all their young players, add Davis and Young, and get the top pick!

Are they dumb enough to want to pair a third star with Davis and Young right away? Would they be willing to trade a couple young guys and the 1st overall pick for an all-star wing player?

[jambr380]

I'm pretty satisfied with the results. Wizards and Jazz finally get their top picks in a good draft. The Grizzlies and Bulls legit do need help. The Pacers lost out, but they aren't close to the 5th worst team in the league and they still got Zubac. And the Clippers finally luck out after the terrible OKC deal.

I had deals proposed with both Washington and Utah for Jaylen Brown. I highly doubt they trade a top 2 pick in a deal for him, but my deals did have top 4 picks going to Boston. Both those teams made win now moves at the deadline, but I would imagine they will want to build around their future potential superstars

[Roy H.]

"I'm really sorry to all our fans," Pritchard posted on X on Sunday, a short time after Indiana received the bad news at the league's annual draft lottery in Chicago. "I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember - this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient."

That's candid.  He may as well come out and say "I made a really crappy trade".

[SparzWizard]

"I'm really sorry to all our fans," Pritchard posted on X on Sunday, a short time after Indiana received the bad news at the league's annual draft lottery in Chicago. "I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember - this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient."

That's candid.  He may as well come out and say "I made a really crappy trade".

Accountability, I like that. Better than Nico doubling down on trading Luka for AD. We don't know if it's a crappy trade yet. Pacers looking to contend with both Haliburton and Zubac healthy after all.

Clippers are more likely to Clippers the #5 pick so we'll see.