Draft Notes: Stokes, 2026 Mocks, Lottery Reform Proposal
Five-star recruit Tyran Stokes announced during an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Tip-Off on Tuesday that he will play for Kansas next season, as Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi of ESPN write. Stokes, who chose the Jayhawks over Kentucky, is the No. 1 prospect on ESPN’s list of 2026 recruits and is viewed as the current frontrunner to be the first overall pick in the 2027 NBA draft.
A 6’7″ small forward, Stokes has won three gold medals as a member of Team USA, most recently in last summer’s FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup. According to Borzello and Biancardi, he has already displayed impressive scoring, play-making, and rebounding, along with an ability to attack the rim.
Having recruited Stokes, Bill Self and the Jayhawks will now have a potential No. 1 overall pick on their roster for a second consecutive year — star guard Darryn Peterson spent a one-and-done season at Kansas in 2025/26 and is widely expected to come off the board in the top three this June.
Here are a few more draft-related updates:
- With the initial early entrant deadline now behind us, Jeremy Woo of ESPN and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic have updated their 2026 mock drafts and have nearly identical top sevens. AJ Dybantsa, Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson are the top four players in both mocks, in that order, then Woo has Darius Acuff at No. 5 and Keaton Wagler at No. 6, while Vecenie has those two players flipped. Kingston Flemings is the No. 7 overall pick for both Woo and Vecenie.
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports shares more details on the NBA’s latest draft lottery reform proposal, laying out various odds for each team based on that plan. As O’Connor details, the three worst teams would only be slightly more likely to get a top-five pick (28%) than the No. 12 overall pick (25%) under the newest concept.
- O’Connor expresses some reservations about the way the proposed lottery system might give teams some extra incentive to tank a play-in game, but notes that the proposal includes a clause that would give the NBA more leeway to penalize blatantly tanking teams by reducing their lottery odds or moving their pick outright.
- David Aldridge of The Athletic argues that the NBA’s plans to reform the lottery don’t address the underlying reason behind tanking and contends that it’s a bad idea to move even further away from simply giving the league’s worst teams access to the best incoming prospects.
Cameron Boozer Declares For 2026 NBA Draft
Duke star forward Cameron Boozer has declared for the 2026 NBA draft, according to the school (Twitter link).
Boozer is generally considered a lock to go in the top four of a loaded class after putting together a dominant freshman season in Durham. He averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on shooting splits of .556/.391/.789.
Boozer was second in the country in total points, third in total rebounds, and tied for first in double-doubles. Despite being a natural power forward, he showed himself to be one of the better passers in the draft class and was often used by Duke as a play-making hub, finding open shooters while facing double teams.
For his efforts, he was named Associated Press Player of the Year and Consensus All-American while winning the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year award as well as the Karl Malone Award, which recognizes the best power forward in the country.
The top of the draft is still considered somewhat open and team-dependent, with BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson also jockeying for the top pick. Caleb Wilson, out of UNC, is generally seen as not far behind the top three options, and could play himself higher with strong pre-draft workouts. Boozer ranks third on ESPN’s big board and was the No. 3 pick in Jonathan Wasserman’s latest mock draft for Bleacher Report.
While Boozer had one of the more impressive statistical freshman seasons in recent memory, he will look to answer questions surrounding his athleticism, defensive fit, and reliance on bully-ball for his offense as he goes through pre-draft workouts with teams.
Draft Notes: Boozer, Momcilovic, Bonke, Tobiason, More
In an interview with Mark Medina of EssentiallySports, Duke forward Cameron Boozer made his case for being selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft.
“There are a lot of great candidates, for sure,” Boozer told EssentiallySports. “… But what I think separates me is my competitiveness and my winning. It’s my willingness to do whatever it takes to win.”
Still, Boozer, who is widely projected to be a top-four pick, said he’s not concerned about where he’s selected.
“It doesn’t matter to me at all. That’s just the beginning,” Boozer said. “Whether you’re one, two or 30 or 35, that’s just the beginning. For me, it’s more about where I am in 10 to 15 years than where I am on the first night.”
Boozer also talked to Medina about drawing inspiration from current NBA players, listing Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paolo Banchero and LaMelo Ball as few of the players he enjoys watching.
Here are a few more notes ahead of the 2026 draft:
- Iowa State junior Milan Momcilovic officially confirmed (via Twitter) Sunday that he’s declaring for the draft, as previously reported. While the 6’8″ forward’s goal is to stay in the draft and hear his name called in June, he’s maintaining the option of withdrawing from the draft and is also entering the transfer portal. Momcilovic, who led the NCAA in three-point percentage (48.7% on 7.5 attempts per game) this season, was ranked No. 43 on ESPN’s latest big board. Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 hears most NBA executives have Momcilovic in the 20-to-40 range on their boards (Twitter link).
- Charlotte big man Anton Bonke is testing the draft waters, agent Scott Nichols tells Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). A 7’2″ center from Vanuatu, Bonke averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 34 games (25.6 minutes) as a junior for the 49ers. Bonke is also in the transfer portal.
- Temple sophomore Aiden Tobiason is entering the transfer portal and testing the draft waters, agent Ken Jackson tells Jacob Myers (Twitter link). Utah junior Terrence Brown is another draft early entrant who’s entering the transfer portal, he announced on social media (Twitter link). Dominican-Iranian wing Mohammad Amini is also testing the draft waters, per agent Aydin Dianat (LinkedIn link). Amini has spent the past two seasons with Nancy Basket in France’s top domestic basketball league (hat tip to Chepkevich at RookieScale.com). Brown and Amini both tested the draft waters last summer prior to withdrawing.
Cameron Boozer Has Orbital Fractures, Won’t Undergo Surgery
Duke forward Cameron Boozer, who is widely projected to be a top-four pick in the 2026 NBA draft, told media members on Sunday that he has a fractured orbital bone, but he decided to forgo surgery, writes Forbes contributor Jeff Fedotin.
Boozer suffered the injury last Sunday in the Blue Devils’ Elite Eight loss to UConn. The 18-year-old’s right eye was “noticeably swollen and bloodshot” today, per Fedotin.
“I have a couple of fractures, but I’m all good,” Boozer said, “just going through the healing process.”
Boozer earned numerous accolades following a freshman season in which he averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals on .556/.391/.789 shooting splits in 38 games (33.4 MPG). The first-team All-American was in Indianapolis on Sunday to accept a pair of Player of the Year trophies after previously being named AP Player of the Year.
“I’m just a winning player and all-around player,” Boozer said. “I impact the game in so many different ways. I think just my competitiveness translates to any level. So, I mean, yeah, I think any team who takes a chance on me is going to be very happy with the results they get.”
Boozer is the son of longtime NBA forward/center Carlos Boozer, a two-time All-Star whose last season came back in 2014/15.
Fischer’s Latest: Draft Prospects, Anti-Tanking Measures, Expansion Draft
Darius Acuff‘s performance with Arkansas during the NCAA Tournament has moved him into the upper echelon of NBA draft prospects, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line writes in a subscriber-only piece.
Darryn Peterson of Kansas, who’s expected to be a top-three selection, is still considered the best guard on the board, according to Fischer, but Acuff has raised his stock with his play in March – staring with the SEC Tournament. Talking to scouts around the NBA and the college game, Fischer finds that some teams are “increasingly torn” between Peterson and Acuff. A few organizations currently have Acuff ahead of the Jayhawks star, buoyed by an endorsement from Razorbacks coach John Calipari, who calls Acuff as talented as any freshman guard he’s ever coached.
“Acuff definitely put himself even further on the map,” a veteran college scout told Fischer.
Illinois guard Keaton Wagler is also moving up draft boards, Fischer adds, describing him as “a surefire top-10 pick” and stating that he’s a “near-consensus” top-three guard in a draft loaded with backcourt players.
Even though Cameron Boozer put up impressive numbers before Duke was eliminated in the regional finals, Fischer finds that many scouts remain unconvinced about how his game will translate to the NBA. The same is true for Arizona big man Koa Peat, who appears to have fallen after being projected as a top-10 pick when the season began. Scouts question Peat’s shooting, but Fischer believes his physical style will at least make him an effective NBA role player and expects him to be taken in the lottery.
Fischer has more on the NBA draft and other topics:
- There’s no set consensus on who will be selected where, and a lot will be determined by the results of next month’s lottery, Fischer adds. He points out that several of the teams with favorable lottery odds – such as the Pacers, Wizards and Jazz – expect to be much improved next season and could be drafting to fill an immediate need rather than looking for a long-term development project. With so many talented freshmen available, it’s possible that their draft ratings will vary significantly from team to team.
- Before coming up with its anti-tanking proposals, the NBA league office considered a “draft credit” system that would have required teams to bid on draft prospects, similar to the way many fantasy football leagues operate, sources tell Fischer. Instead of receiving draft picks each year, teams would have been assigned credits to be used in an auction for each selection, starting with No. 1. Those credits would have been tradable, so teams could put themselves in position to outbid their rivals for any player on the board. The proposal was ultimately considered “too radical” to adopt, according to Fischer.
- Fischer asked several team representatives about a potential expansion draft in June 2028, but was told that he’s getting ahead of himself with that speculation. The NBA’s Board of Governors voted to explore adding new teams in Seattle and Las Vegas last month, but there’s no official commitment to expand.
Draft Notes: Top Prospects, Bidunga, Mobley, Bizjack
Ahead of the 2026 NBA draft, Jeremy Woo and Tim Bontemps and ESPN interviewed over a dozen NBA scouts and executives to get their thoughts on the top prospects in this year’s class. There’s no consensus No. 1 overall pick, but most of the league personnel who spoke to ESPN viewed BYU forward AJ Dybantsa as the frontrunner.
“I guess you’d rather fail with [AJ] and his upside, than not,” a Western Conference general manager told ESPN. “And I know [Darryn] Peterson has upside, maybe [Cameron] Boozer‘s upside is a little bit less. … I just think that [AJ], because he’s 6-9 and he could be like 6-10, 230 [pounds] by the time he’s 25 years old, he could just be a monster. I think you’ve just got to go down swinging with him if you go down.”
Another Western executive said the impressive depth of talent, combined with no clear-cut No. 1 player, has created a challenging situation for NBA evaluators.
“I think this draft is, in some ways, similar to the [2024 Zaccharie] Risacher year, but on a higher level,” they said. “That year it was like, ‘Is anyone going to be really good?’ This year, it’s like, ‘Well, s–t, there’s a lot of guys.’ You have high confidence that at least some of them are going to be really, really good. You’re not really sure which ones.
“You don’t want to be drafting at one and end up with the fifth-best player.”
ESPN’s article touches on several other players projected to go in the top 10, including Caleb Wilson, Darius Acuff Jr., Kingston Flemings and Keaton Wagler.
Here are a few players who are entering their names in the 2026 draft:
- Kansas’ Flory Bidunga plans to declare for the draft while maintaining his college eligibility, reports Pete Thamel of ESPN (via Twitter). The sophomore big man is also entering the transfer portal, Thamel adds. Bidunga is viewed as a potential second-round pick after averaging 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 35 games this season for the Jayhawks. The Congolese forward/center was named the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year on top of being selected to the conference’s first team.
- Ohio State guard John Mobley Jr. is testing the draft waters, he announced on social media (Twitter link). As a sophomore for the Buckeyes in 2025/26, Mobley averaged 15.7 PPG, 2.8 and 2.4 APG in 31 appearances while shooting 41.1% from three-point range on high volume (7.6 attempts per game). The Ohio native, who is from a Columbus suburb, clarified that he’ll return to Ohio State if he ends up withdrawing from the draft.
- Butler guard Finley Bizjack is entering the draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility, agent George S. Langberg tells Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Bizjack, a junior, is also entering the transfer portal. The third-team All-Big East selection averaged 17.1 PPG, 2.5 APG and 2.1 RPG on .426/.351/.850 shooting splits across 31 appearances for the Bulldogs in ’25/26.
Draft Notes: Dybantsa, Boozer, Pacers, Wilson, Guards, More
BYU’s NCAA tournament run ended early, with the West’s No. 6 seed knocked off by No. 11 Texas on Thursday. However, forward AJ Dybantsa did little to hurt his draft stock in the process, putting up 35 of his team’s 71 points in the losing effort.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), Dybantsa may have entered this week as the frontrunner to be the No. 1 overall pick in June due to some concerns related to Kansas guard Darryn Peterson‘s health over the course of his freshman year with the Jayhawks and skepticism about whether Cameron Boozer‘s “athletic profile” will limit his ceiling at the NBA level.
Fischer clarifies that no one expects any sort of draft-night fall for Peterson or Boozer, who have widely been considered top-three prospects alongside Dybantsa for months. In fact, he says some rival teams believe Boozer would be the Pacers‘ top choice if they got the No. 1 pick due to his potential fit with their current personnel.
However, Fischer also suggests that there’s been momentum toward UNC’s Caleb Wilson joining that top tier of prospects, despite the fact that hand and thumb injuries prematurely ended the forward’s season. Wilson has drawn comparisons to players like Chris Bosh and Evan Mobley, and there’s no sense that his thumb surgery will impact his standing as a top-five lock, Fischer adds.
“I don’t think anyone is taking Wilson No. 1 overall,” one NBA general manager said. “But I think every team is going to have him above one of those other three guys.”
Here’s more from Fischer on the 2026 NBA draft:
- One Eastern Conference scout recently predicted that there might be “an entire lottery of freshmen” this June, according to Fischer, who adds that the draft class is considered especially heavy on backcourt talent. Some scouts view it as the strongest group of guards since 2018, when Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander entered the league, while one executive compared it to a 2008 class that was headlined by Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, Fischer writes.
- Illustrating the depth of the 2026 draft, Fischer notes that one veteran scout suggested that whichever team lands the No. 1 overall pick should seriously consider the idea of trading down to maximize the value of that selection. “There’s just too much opportunity to still get an All-Star caliber player and another future asset,” the scout said. According to Fischer, multiple executives have also expressed that there could be lottery-caliber prospects available in the 20s and a number of NBA-ready players available in the second round. “This might be a draft where more guys are getting guaranteed (NBA contracts) in the second round,” a Western Conference scout speculated.
- While the lottery will consist mostly of college freshmen, there are several “plug-and-play” upperclassmen who will appeal to teams later in the first round. Fischer identifies Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson, Florida forward Thomas Haugh, Michigan center Aday Mara, Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz, and Texas wing Dailyn Swain as juniors and seniors frequently mentioned as intriguing targets in that range.
- Fischer also singles out Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner, Purdue guard Braden Smith, and Santa Clara forward Allen Graves as players who are “generating intrigue” among NBA evaluators, observing that Tanner and Graves in particular are analytics darlings.
And-Ones: M. Brown, AP All-Americans, Senior Prospects, More
Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr.., widely considered a top-10 prospect in the 2026 NBA draft class, won’t be suiting up for the Cardinals this week as the NCAA tournament tips off.
The University of Louisville announced on Wednesday that Brown continues to deal with the back issues that have plagued him for much of the season and won’t play in Thursday’s game vs. South Florida (Twitter link via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports). He also won’t be ready to return for the round of 32 game this weekend if the Cardinals advance.
Brown averaged 18.2 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game as a freshman in 2025/26, but he was limited to 21 outings and hasn’t played since February 28. Even if Louisville advances to the Sweet 16 and Brown is able to return next week, NBA teams figure to be keeping a close eye on his medical testing results at the draft combine this spring.
Here are a few other odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The Associated Press’ NCAA All-American first team for the 2025/26 season is heavy on freshmen, writes Dave Skretta of The Associated Press. Duke’s Cameron Boozer was unanimously voted to the first team, while BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. also made the cut alongside Texas Tech junior JT Toppin and Michigan senior Yaxel Lendeborg. Among other top freshman prospects, UNC’s Caleb Wilson and Illinois’ Keaton Wagler were named second team All-Americans, while Houston’s Kingston Flemings made the third team and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson earned an honorable mention.
- The influx of NIL money in college basketball has made senior prospects more appealing than they used to be, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, who observes that most NBA-level prospects didn’t used to spend four (or more) years playing NCAA basketball but now may be incentivized to do so based on the money they can earn in college. With that in mind, Hollinger singles out 12 senior prospects worth watching in this year’s NCAA tournament, including UConn forward Alex Karaban, Purdue guard Braden Smith, and Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz.
- Several of ESPN’s NBA insiders preview the storylines to watch ahead of the playoffs, taking a look at the most crucial questions playing the top contenders in each conference and assessing which lower-seeded playoff team might be the most intriguing postseason sleeper — Zach Kram thinks the Heat fit that bill, noting that they’ve played some of their best basketball lately and are only three years removed from making the NBA Finals as a No. 8 seed.
And-Ones: Fournier, Mamukelashvili, Queta, NCAA Tourney
Veteran wing NBA Evan Fournier, who currently plays for Olympiacos in Greece after spending 12 seasons in the NBA from 2012-24, said in an interview with L’Equipe that he expects to retire as a player at the end of his current contract, which expires in 2028 (hat tip to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops).
Fournier, 33, also indicated that he’d be interested in representing France again at the 2027 World Cup and/or 2028 Olympics if the national team wants him on its roster.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Raptors forward/center Sandro Mamukelashvili remains focused on competing in the NBA for the foreseeable future, but he told Ric Bucher of Full Court Passport (YouTube link) that he likes the idea of eventually finishing his career and spending his retirement years in Europe. Specifically, Mamukelashvili is intrigued by the possibility of competing in the NBA’s European league. “The talent will be there, and I think it’s going to compete with college and even the NBA,” the Georgian big man said of NBA Europe, per Eurohoops. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops, and hopefully, down the line, I will have my chance to play over there.”
- Celtics center Neemias Queta, Heat forward Pelle Larsson, and Cavaliers swingman Jaylon Tyson are among the role players highlighted by John Hollinger of The Athletic within a story on the unheralded contributors enjoying breakout seasons.
- Mamukelashvili and Queta are two of several minimum-salary players who should be in line for significant raises on their next contracts, according to Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link). Gozlan, who also examines players like Suns guards Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin, suggests Mamukelashvili could earn a starting salary of $8-10MM on his next deal and speculates that Queta’s floor will be the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15MM+).
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic identifies nine players he’s excited to watch in the NCAA Tournament, including top-five prospects like Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, as well as a few projected to be drafted later in the first round, such as UConn’s Braylon Mullins, Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. and Alabama’s Amari Allen.
Draft Notes: Flemings, Peterson, Dybantsa, Boozer, More
All 30 NBA teams had representatives present at this week’s Big 12 tournament, which featured 10 prospects projected to go in the first round of ESPN’s latest mock draft, write Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN. While much of the focus of this year’s class has been at the very top, executives laud the depth of talent that could be available.
“We’re so interested in this draft because it’s so deep. There’s a lot of impact players,” an Eastern Conference scout said.
“And [the 2027] draft isn’t looking so good. You never know, there are players in every draft, but this year is like a double draft,” added a West scout.
Saturday’s final between Houston (Kingston Flemings, Chris Cenac Jr.) and Arizona (Brayden Burries, Koa Peat, Motiejus Krivas) will showcase five projected first-round picks. Multiple sources who spoke to Windhorst and Bontemps compared Flemings, who goes No. 5 overall in ESPN’s mock, to former MVP Derrick Rose.
“Derrick had the ability to turn the corner and get a clean layup,” another East scout said. “You don’t see that often and Kingston has that.”
Here’s more on the 2026 NBA draft class:
- According to Windhorst and Bontemps, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa have separated themselves from the pack as the clear frontrunners to be selected No. 1 overall. “Talent-wise, he’s clearly [No. 1],” one East scout said of Peterson. “He’s got the full package. When he’s played, he’s shown that he has the ‘it’ factor.” Another front office member favored Dybantsa. “I think Dybantsa is the easy No. 1,” an East executive said. “He’s special. There’s just so much for him to still grow into.”
- Duke forward/center Cameron Boozer and UNC big man Caleb Wilson are believed to be in their own tier at three and four, in some order. That isn’t set in stone though, as some people around the league still think Boozer should be in the conversation for the top pick. “I think there’s a top three, and a case for any of them,” a second East executive told ESPN. “Boozer has always been the best player at every level, and that can help overcome some of his athletic questions. … I would just say to trust the ultra high-level-feel guys to figure it out.”
- Scouts and executives also weighed in on Wilson, Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr., and Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr., per Windhorst and Bontemps. The three guards are all expected to go in the top nine. “The guy who is most ready to play in the NBA is Acuff,” the first East executive said. “If you didn’t know anything other than watching him play, you’d think he was a four-year player. That’s how smooth he is.”
- Kansas star Peterson has missed 11 games this season due to various injuries and wasn’t 100% at times when he did play. Multiple sources tell Shreyas Laddha of The Kansas City Star that Peterson has dealt with serious cramping issues since before his freshman season began. According to Laddha, Peterson confirmed after Kansas was eliminated by Houston in the Big 12 semifinal that he had to be hospitalized to receive two bags of intravenous fluids in September, after the team’s boot camp. “I had like a full-body (cramp), super serious,” he said. “You could say it was traumatic. I would say it was a traumatic experience.” Peterson asked to be subbed out of multiple games in 2025/26 due to cramps and he reiterated the initial experience was “traumatic” and a “huge factor” in his decision-making process.
- Peterson recently said he’s feeling better now physically, but he admitted to The Star he would have done certain things differently this season in retrospect. “There was some foolish stuff being said, but I could have probably did better in probably (getting) in front of it instead of people making stuff up,” Peterson said. “It’s over now, but don’t nobody say nothing about me finishing games and stuff now, which is funny to me. But I don’t really care. I am just glad I am feeling better.”