Keaton Wagler Declares For NBA Draft
Illinois guard Keaton Wagler is entering the NBA draft, his agency ProMondo Sports tells Shams Charania and Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Twitter link).
Wagler, 19, is coming off a sensational freshman season that saw him lead the Fighting Illini to a 28-9 record and their first Final Four appearance since 2005. He averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 37 games while shooting 44.5% from the field and 39.7% from three-point range.
The Shawnee, Kansas, native received the Jerry West Award as the best guard in college basketball and was selected as a second-team All-American. He was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honors.
Wagler set an Illinois freshman record on January 24 with 46 points at Purdue, which marked the highest scoring total ever for a visiting player at Mackey Arena. He made nine three-pointers in that game, which is also an Illinois record.
At 6’6″, Wagler can handle either backcourt position and is part of a talented group of guards expected to be taken in this year’s lottery. ESPN has him fifth on its list of the top 100 prospects and projects him as the sixth pick in its latest mock draft.
Wagler has impressed scouts with his positional size, shooting touch and quick decision-making, Woo states in a full story. NBA executives see tremendous upside with a chance for stardom if he can improve as a ball-handler.
Draft Notes: Graves, Burries, Mara, Harris, Able, More
Santa Clara freshman forward Allen Graves is declaring for the 2026 NBA draft, he announced this week on social media (Twitter link).
Graves only started four of 35 games during his first college season, but he was a valuable reserve for the Broncos, averaging 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.8 assists in 22.6 minutes per contest. The 19-year-old also had a solid shooting line of .512/.413/.750 and won a pair of awards, having been named the WCC’s Freshman of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year.
Graves comes in at No. 32 overall in the newly updated big board from Jeremy Woo of ESPN, making him a candidate to be a first-round pick this spring if he has a strong pre-draft process.
Here’s more on the 2026 draft:
- Woo’s new top-100 list features BYU forward AJ Dybantsa taking over the No. 1 spot, with Illinois guard Keaton Wagler moving into the top five in place of Houston’s Kingston Flemings, who slips to No. 7. The biggest risers near the top of Woo’s board are Arizona’s Brayden Burries, who jumped from No. 17 to No. 10, and Michigan’s Aday Mara, who is up to No. 14 after previously ranking 32nd.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has published an updated version of his mock draft, which features Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. coming off the board fifth overall and UConn’s Braylon Mullins moving up to No. 9.
- Wake Forest guard Juke Harris is entering the transfer portal while testing the draft waters, he confirmed on Instagram. Harris had a breakout year for the Demon Deacons as a sophomore in 2025/26, increasing his scoring average to 21.4 points per game and earning Most Improved Player honors in the ACC. He’s currently ranked 39th on ESPN’s big board.
- North Carolina State guard Matt Able, who averaged 8.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.2 APG as a reserve across 34 appearances as a freshman, has entered the transfer portal while also putting his name in the NBA draft pool, tweets Jeff Borzello of ESPN. Able is the No. 60 prospect on ESPN’s board.
- The following prospects are also entering the 2026 draft (players marked with an asterisk are entering the transfer portal too):
- Dai Dai Ames, G, California (junior) (Twitter link via Joe Tipton of On3) *
- Rowan Brumbaugh, G, Tulane (junior) (Twitter link via Tipton) *
- Dennis Parker, G, Radford (junior) (Twitter link via Travis Branham of 247 Sports) *
- Bryson Tucker, F, Washington (sophomore) (Twitter link)
- LeJuan Watts, F, Texas Tech (junior) (Twitter link via Borzello) *
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.
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.
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.”
And-Ones: 2026 Mock, Schedule, Contracts, Weaver
Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Duke big man Cameron Boozer, and UNC forward Caleb Wilson are the top four picks — in that order — in the latest 2026 mock draft from Jeremy Woo of ESPN.
As Woo writes, while Peterson is the most talented offensive player in the 2026 class, injuries and inconsistency have led to a perception that selecting him first overall might carry more risk than adding Dybantsa or Boozer, who are both still in the mix for the top spot. Woo suggests which team wins the draft lottery might ultimately determine which player goes No. 1, with Peterson and Dybantsa viewed as the two frontrunners.
Illinois guard Keaton Wagler (No. 6) and Texas wing Dailyn Swain (No. 29) are among the prospects who have boosted their stocks this season, while Arizona forward Koa Peat (No. 19) and Baylor wing Tounde Yessoufou (No. 30) are trending in the opposite direction, according to Woo.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Dean Oliver of ESPN takes a look at how teams’ remaining strength of schedule could impact which NBA teams secure the third and fourth seeds in the Western Conference, the No. 2 spot in the East, and the fifth and sixth seeds in the East.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report predicts which NBA contracts will be the riskiest ahead of the 2027/2028 season. Although he’s the “most likely” player to live up to his lucrative long-term contract, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s super-max extension will be the riskiest deal in the league in a couple seasons, per Pincus. The reigning MVP will be owed a projected $273.3MM over four years in ’27/28.
- Former NBA assistant Will Weaver has been named head coach and president of basketball operation of the Brisbane Bullets, he told Olgun Uluc of ESPN. The Bullets compete in the National Basketball League, which features nine Australian teams and one based in New Zealand. Weaver, who previously coached the Sydney Kings in 2019/20, is currently a coaching advisor for the Hornets and will continue in that role through the end of ’25/26, Uluc reports.
And-Ones: Mock Draft, Big Board, Wembanyama, USA Basketball
BYU wing AJ Dybantsa goes No. 1 overall in the latest mock draft from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. As Vecenie details, the 6’9″ freshman has put up incredible numbers, has elite athletic tools, and has made tremendous strides in terms of his offensive decision-making and passing. Dybantsa is still a work in progress on the other end though, per Vecenie.
Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson (No. 2 in Vecenie’s mock) and Duke power forward Cameron Boozer (No. 3) are all in contention to be selected with the first pick, Vecenie writes, but Dybantsa and Peterson are talked about more often for that spot.
According to Vecenie, North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson is the clear No. 4 player in a class that is “absurdly good” at the top. Then there’s another five players (Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr., Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. and Tennessee’s Nate Ament) that teams would love to land.
The 10 through 30 spots in the first round are much trickier to pin down, Vecenie continues, in part because it’s unclear which players will return to school to potentially make more money because of name, image and likeness — some could get around $4MM, per Vecenie.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Jon Chepkevich of RookieScale.com has created a consensus big board using input sources from 13 different outlets (including The Athletic) and “dozens of other independent boards/mocks.” The same nine players listed above are the top nine on Chepkevich’s board, with Michigan big man Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 10 (he’s No. 19 in Vecenie’s mock) and Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance at No. 11 (No. 12 in Vecenie’s mock).
- Third-year center Victor Wembanyama has become a minority investor in Nanterre, the French team with whom the Spurs star played from the ages of 10-17, per Eurohoops. Wembanyama made the announcement alongside his former coach in an interview with Yann Ohnona of L’Équipe. “I don’t even remember who approached whom first, but it happened naturally. I was born and raised in France. I want to have an impact on French basketball, and at Nanterre because that’s where I feel at home,” Wembanyama said.
- The U.S. men’s national team was upset by the Dominican Republic in a 2027 World Cup qualifying game last Thursday, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Team USA never led in the game and trailed by as many as 19 points. “Now I am very happy because every player that comes to the (Dominican Republic) national team, they feel love for this country, for this flag,” Dominican coach Nestor Garcia said. “In our country, the people support us. This is for the Dominican people.” As Vardon notes, the U.S. roster isn’t exactly star-studded considering it’s the middle of the NBA season, but several players with recent experience in the league are competing, including James Wiseman and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. After rebounding by blowing out Mexico on Sunday, Team USA is still 3-1 with eight qualifying games remaining, so the Americans aren’t in any danger of not qualifying for the World Cup at this point.
And-Ones: Wilson, 2026 Draft, Cunningham, Summer League
North Carolina star Caleb Wilson has been diagnosed with a fracture in his left hand, the school announced in a press release. A timeline for the freshman big man’s return has not yet been established.
Wilson, who sustained the injury in the first half of Tuesday’s loss at Miami (FL), has been one of the most productive players in college basketball, averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks in 31.3 minutes per game across 24 appearances.
A 19-year-old forward/center, Wilson is ranked No. 4 on the latest big board from Jeremy Woo of ESPN. According to Woo, while the consensus top three prospects for the 2026 draft continue to be Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer, some talent evaluators believe Wilson has a chance to be selected in the top three, depending on how things shake out over the next handful of months.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The three biggest risers among Woo’s top 25 prospects are Illinois guard Keaton Wagler (No. 6; was No. 25), Arizona guard Brayden Burries (No. 17; was No. 41) and Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson (No. 19; was No. 38). As for players trending in the opposite direction, Woo points to Arizona forward/center Koa Peat (No. 16; was No. 8) and Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance (No. 18; was No. 9). As Woo explains, while Peat has several positive attributes, there are question marks about his shooting, rim protection and size. Quaintance, meanwhile, has been shut down indefinitely due to knee swelling after tearing his ACL last March.
- Pistons star Cade Cunningham has purchased a minority stake in the Texas Rangers, he tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The former No. 1 overall pick, who will make his second consecutive All-Star appearance this weekend, is a native of Arlington, Texas, where the MLB is based.
- The primary Summer League event will be held in Las Vegas again this year, the NBA announced on Wednesday (via Twitter). The games will be held from July 9-19.
And-Ones: NBA Europe, Rising Stars, Blakeney, Draft
Speaking to Sportico (Twitter video link), NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said one key component of the NBA Europe project is the league’s desire to address the fact that some of the biggest markets across the Atlantic don’t currently have basketball teams that are permanent members of the EuroLeague.
“There’s no top-tier team in the U.K. at all. The U.K’s the biggest market in Europe. There’s no top-tier basketball team there, in London, in Manchester,” Tatum said. “There’s no permanent top-tier in the top league there in Paris, in Berlin, in Rome. So they’re missing the biggest commercial markets.
“… Our idea is to create this league, call it 12 to 16 teams, with the biggest countries having permanent franchises. Call it the U.K., Spain, Germany, Italy, France. Two teams in each one of those markets that we know with certainty will have franchises there. And then we’ll open it up to the rest of the (European) ecosystem.”
Teams based in cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Athens, and Istanbul have become EuroLeague powerhouses, but London doesn’t have a team in the league and has never exactly been a basketball hotbed. As Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes, the NBA believes there’s untapped potential in the market.
“Just walking the streets here and being in the hotels, I hear from people all the time saying, ‘I’m sleep-deprived following your league,'” NBA commissioner Adam Silver told Vardon before this month’s Grizzlies/Magic game in London. “There are more people approaching us and saying, ‘I’d love to have the London franchise,’ and I think it’s not just because it’s such an attractive market, but because there’s no top-tier basketball team right now. So, there’s lots of groups seeing an opportunity to create a new brand here.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- After announcing this year’s Rising Stars participants earlier in the week, the NBA announced the rosters and the semifinal matchups on Tuesday evening (Twitter links). Among the notable team-ups? Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, 2025’s No. 1 overall pick, will play alongside No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and his Spurs teammate Stephon Castle on Carmelo Anthony‘s team.
- Former NBA guard Antonio Blakeney, who played for the Bulls from 2017-19, was accused earlier this month of being one of the ringleaders in an illegal gambling scheme involving U.S. college players and game-fixing in China. ESPN’s Michael Rothstein has the full story on Blakeney, who faces wire fraud charges and could face a lengthy prison sentence if he’s convicted.
- Federal prosecutors investigating illegal gambling are looking at additional NBA games beyond the seven contests cited in an indictment this past fall, says Mike Vorkunnov of The Athletic. That fall indictment was the one that led to the arrest of Terry Rozier and is connected to the case that resulted in Jontay Porter being banned from the NBA.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his 2026 NBA mock draft, while Sam Vecenie of The Athletic shares some of his draft-related intel. Within his story, Vecenie considers how NIL will impact the 2026 draft class and identifies Arizona’s Brayden Burries and Illinois’ Keaton Wagler as two prospects whose stocks are very much on the rise.