2026 NBA draft thread

[mvossman]

I don’t see Masai forcing a point guard pick unless he really likes one available when we pick. Judging by the type of players he brought to Toronto, he seemed to prioritize wing players. I’m not gonna be shocked if Ament is the pick.

I don't see him forcing a point guard pick, but personally I think the 5 best prospects after the top 4 are all guards.  I'm mildly concerned that he will force a wing pick because that is his preference.

[Chicagojk]

I don’t see Masai forcing a point guard pick unless he really likes one available when we pick. Judging by the type of players he brought to Toronto, he seemed to prioritize wing players. I’m not gonna be shocked if Ament is the pick.

opinions can change, but I had Wagler and Flemings as the higher tier of the guards and were my hopes.  I think Acuff will be in this group but I expected him to come in smaller.    Due to his size, I think he is clearly in the group and would also be my hope at 9.   I am not confident any will be there.

After that I have a lot of questions.   I am not sure I will have a guard as my next rated guy.   This team badly needs guards, but I think they should go with the player they think is best.   Schmitz mentioned it during the press conference.  The flexibility of Flagg is one of his key selling points.  .

[windjc]

The Mavs future does not hang on this draft. It’s a small part. A culture of winning is what is needed. The Thunders depth is not so aberration of talent where every player exceeds expectations. No, it’s a culture, a mindset and everyone knowing and accepting their role. I 100% guarantee you that when players move on from there and join other teams their production will drop off. It’s a system, coaching, understanding roles. Just look at PJ two years ago and last year. Same player. Completely different impact.

This is why things can change so fast in the NBA.

[windjc]

The Mavs future does not hang on this draft. It’s a small part. A culture of winning is what is needed. The Thunders depth is not some aberration of talent where every player exceeds expectations. No, it’s a culture, a mindset and everyone knowing and accepting their role. I 100% guarantee you that when players move on from there and join other teams their production will drop off. It’s a system, coaching, understanding roles. Just look at PJ two years ago and last year. Same player. Completely different impact.

This is why things can change so fast in the NBA.

[Chicagojk]

Yep, even now it really hollows out late 30s

https://x.com/draftexpress/status/205425...03279?s=61

[Mavs2021]

The Mavs future does not hang on this draft. It’s a small part. A culture of winning is what is needed. The Thunders depth is not some aberration of talent where every player exceeds expectations. No, it’s a culture, a mindset and everyone knowing and accepting their role. I 100% guarantee you that when players move on from there and join other teams their production will drop off. It’s a system, coaching, understanding roles. Just look at PJ two years ago and last year. Same player. Completely different impact.

This is why things can change so fast in the NBA.

It´s the not winning culture that changed. They traded a top 3 player in the league for f´n NOTHING. Of course the leadership of the front office, coach and the top player matters *cough* Kevin Durant *cough*, but at the end of the day it is about TALENT.

Also when are things changing quickly? SGA was traded to OKC in 2019. It´s always at least 3-4 year process to turn a healthy lottery team into a legit contender and that requires a generational talent like Luka or Wembanyama. This is not the MLB, NHL or NFL. 

Back to the draft. I want Brown or Burries at #9 and I need Steinbach. He´s going to be really good. At least Sengun levels. I don´t know how or where you have to trade, but get me this tall blonde guy from Wurzburg, Germany.

Given that Schmitz was willing to reach for Yang Hansen (and you can honestly see his talent) at #16, I wonder whether they´d reach for Steinbach at #9, too. His measurements scream Masai.

I´d take Caruso + #17 for air and turn the 2028 swap into a full pick trade, if Steinbach is still there.

Flagg, Steinbach and Lively are probably as close as you can get to a variation of Marion, Dirk and Tyson with the talent distribution obviously swapped between SF/PF, unless Steinbach is the 2nd coming. 

Burries
Christie
Flagg
Steinbach
Lively

That´s 50 wins in 2028.

[Winter]

opinions can change, but I had Wagler and Flemings as the higher tier of the guards and were my hopes.  I think Acuff will be in this group but I expected him to come in smaller.    Due to his size, I think he is clearly in the group and would also be my hope at 9.   I am not confident any will be there.

After that I have a lot of questions.   I am not sure I will have a guard as my next rated guy.   This team badly needs guards, but I think they should go with the player they think is best.   Schmitz mentioned it during the press conference.  The flexibility of Flagg is one of his key selling points.  .

I think the 5th best college player in the draft is probably Yaxel, but I don't think he'll get picked until around #10 because of his age. It is hard to know how team FOs feel about age, so the draft could get shaken up a little depending on when he's picked.

I like Burries, but I wouldn't expect him to walk into the NBA as a PG. I think the Mavs will still need a PG if they pick Burrries (I think). One question I have is that Burries is a pretty good playmaker. So is Kyrie. So is Flagg. Could Kidd give PG duties to Kyrie or hand the job to Burries like he did With Flagg? And as far as the draft goes, even Mikel Brown has been accused of not being a true PG. So you begin to wonder if the Mavs could get a PG later in the draft and find that accpetable. I think that's entirely possible. The question you're faced with on opening day is will your playmaking be enough.

And if you want a PG later in the draft will any of them be bigger or better than Brandon Williams? That's why Sergio de Larrea interest me, but there's quite a few good wings in the bottom of the 1st round as well that I could be happy with.

I think all these picks will tell us a lot about Masai and Schmitz.

[windjc]

It´s the not winning culture that changed. They traded a top 3 player in the league for f´n NOTHING. Of course the leadership of the front office, coach and the top player matters *cough* Kevin Durant *cough*, but at the end of the day it is about TALENT.

Also when are things changing quickly? SGA was traded to OKC in 2019. It´s always at least 3-4 year process to turn a healthy lottery team into a legit contender and that requires a generational talent like Luka or Wembanyama. This is not the MLB, NHL or NFL. 

Back to the draft. I want Brown or Burries at #9 and I need Steinbach. He´s going to be really good. At least Sengun levels. I don´t know how or where you have to trade, but get me this tall blonde guy from Wurzburg, Germany.

Given that Schmitz was willing to reach for Yang Hansen (and you can honestly see his talent) at #16, I wonder whether they´d reach for Steinbach at #9, too. His measurements scream Masai.

I´d take Caruso + #17 for air and turn the 2028 swap into a full pick trade, if Steinbach is still there.

Flagg, Steinbach and Lively are probably as close as you can get to a variation of Marion, Dirk and Tyson with the talent distribution obviously swapped between SF/PF, unless Steinbach is the 2nd coming. 

Burries
Christie
Flagg
Steinbach
Lively

That´s 50 wins in 2028.

You think the Mavs have ever had a winning culture? BWAHAHAHAHA.

[Mavs2021]

I think the 5th best player college player in the draft is probably Yaxel, but I don't think he'll get picked until around #10 because of his age. It is hard to know how team FOs feel about age, so the draft could get shaken up a little depending on when he's picked.

I like Burries, but I wouldn't expect him to walk into the NBA as a PG. I think the Mavs will still need a PG if they pick Burrries (I think). One question I have is that Burries is a pretty good playmaker. So is Kyrie. So is Flagg. Could Kidd give PG duties to Kyrie? And as far as the draft goes, even Mikel Brown has been accused of not being a true PG. So you begin to wonder if the Mavs could get a PG later in the draft and find that accpetable. I think that's entirely possible. The question you're faced with on opening day is will your playmaking be enough.

And if you want a PG later in the draft will any of them be bigger or better than Brandon Williams? That's why Sergio de Larrea interest me, but there's quite a few good wings in the bottom of the 1st round as well that I could be happy with.

I think all these picks will tell us a lot about Masai and Schmitz.

They´ll need another veteran guard regardless. Kyrie is 34 year old with a long history of injuries. With his increased workload post Luka trade it took him a couple of months to crash out with an ACL injury. Even if they drafted three guards, they´d still need a veteran guard to account for the regular season. The obvious answer is the TPE (Schroeder, Monk, Caruso) + asset route. Unless of course you are comfortable with organic tanking or just killing Kyrie for good. For the play-in you need another solid type veteran guard: a Simons, White, Sexton probably gets that job done.

[Mavs2021]

You think the Mavs have ever had a winning culture? BWAHAHAHAHA.

I mean, not if you are a Mavs fan since about February 2025. Before that of course they had a winning culture, cause Dirk, Luka and Carlisle installed that on the basketball side despite Mark Cuban. The basketball culture was nothing like the business culture.

[Smitty]

Peterson
Max vert 37.5”

Flemings:
Max vert 40.5”

Acuff:
Max vert 36.5”

Brown:
Max vert 39.5”

Wagler
Max vert 36.0”

Burries
Max vert 38.5”

Philon
Max vert 35.0”

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

You think the Mavs have ever had a winning culture? BWAHAHAHAHA.

Yes.  His name was Dirk Nowtizki.  Ever heard of him?

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Brandon Clarke of the Grizzlies passed away

[Chicagojk]

Peterson
Max vert 37.5”

Flemings:
Max vert 40.5”

Acuff:
Max vert 36.5”

Brown:
Max vert 39.5”

Wagler
Max vert 36.0”

Burries
Max vert 38.5”

All good numbers.  The only one athleticism who I questions about is Wagler and that is a fine number.

[mvossman]

I think the 5th best college player in the draft is probably Yaxel, but I don't think he'll get picked until around #10 because of his age. It is hard to know how team FOs feel about age, so the draft could get shaken up a little depending on when he's picked.

I like Burries, but I wouldn't expect him to walk into the NBA as a PG. I think the Mavs will still need a PG if they pick Burrries (I think). One question I have is that Burries is a pretty good playmaker. So is Kyrie. So is Flagg. Could Kidd give PG duties to Kyrie or hand the job to Burries like he did With Flagg? And as far as the draft goes, even Mikel Brown has been accused of not being a true PG. So you begin to wonder if the Mavs could get a PG later in the draft and find that accpetable. I think that's entirely possible. The question you're faced with on opening day is will your playmaking be enough.

And if you want a PG later in the draft will any of them be bigger or better than Brandon Williams? That's why Sergio de Larrea interest me, but there's quite a few good wings in the bottom of the 1st round as well that I could be happy with.

I think all these picks will tell us a lot about Masai and Schmitz.

I don't see Kyrie as a true point guard, but I think the combination of Kyrie, Flagg and Burries would be plenty of playmaking in the starting lineup.  We do need a backup PG/6th man.  We could get that in a trade or MLE signing.  Not sure we can fill that spot immediately with the 30 pick.  Probably just need to go BPA at that spot.

[Winter]

They´ll need another veteran guard regardless. Kyrie is 34 year old with a long history of injuries. With his increased workload post Luka trade it took him a couple of months to crash out with an ACL injury. Even if they drafted three guards, they´d still need a veteran guard to account for the regular season. The obvious answer is the TPE (Schroeder, Monk, Caruso) + asset route. Unless of course you are comfortable with organic tanking or just killing Kyrie for good. For the play-in you need another solid type veteran guard: a Simons, White, Sexton probably gets that job done.

You're right, the TPE may turn out to be very useful and a veteran guard would be on my menu as well. 

Lots of options really. I expect a very different looking team on opening day.

[Chicagojk]

https://x.com/noahweber00/status/2054267...29409?s=61

[mvossman]

Peterson
Max vert 37.5”

Flemings:
Max vert 40.5”

Acuff:
Max vert 36.5”

Brown:
Max vert 39.5”

Wagler
Max vert 36.0”

Burries
Max vert 38.5”

Philon
Max vert 35.0”

About expected.  Flemings makes up a little for his smaller than expected size/wingspan.

[Chicagojk]

https://x.com/draftexpress/status/205426...03895?s=61

[Chicagojk]

Found this interesting


-Sam Presti. In an arena where all the top decision makers around the league, scouts, staff and more are roaming around and networking, Presti never left his seat. Front row, on the media side, locked in the entire time to all the drills and testing. Idk if he even used the bathroom. And his team was about to sweep the Lakers in LA.

https://isaaclharris.substack.com/p/day-2-notes-from-the-nba-combine?utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true