Nets Draft Notes: Brown, Acuff, Burries, Flemings, Wagler
After finishing with the third-worst record in the NBA in 2025/26, Brooklyn fell in the draft lottery for the second straight year, dropping from No. 3 to No. 6. Assuming they don’t trade up to select a consensus top-four prospect, the Nets will likely be left choosing between a talented group of freshman guards, per C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News.
Of the five-player group, which features Darius Acuff, Mikel Brown, Kingston Flemings, Brayden Burries and Keaton Wagler, Holmes believes Brown could be the “cleanest all-around fit” for the Nets based on his his measurements, athletic testing, and results in shooting drills at the draft combine.
As Holmes notes, Brown had both the top standing reach (8’4.5″) and longest wingspan (6’7.5″) of the group and is an explosive athlete too. The Nets’ front office has long prioritized “size and versatility,” which Brown could provide as a guard who can play both on and off the ball.
Still, all the players bring their own strengths to the table, Holmes writes. Acuff was the most polished offensive player in college; Flemings tested like the best all-around athlete; Burries is a little bigger/stronger and was a two-way contributor at Arizona; and Wagler is the tallest of the group and led Illinois to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.
Here’s more on the Nets’ guard options at No. 6:
- In a similar story for The New York Post (subscriber link), Brian Lewis shares his combine takeaways for Acuff, Brown, Flemings and Wagler. Acuff was one of the “big winners” in the early portion of the event, according to Lewis, as he came in bigger than expected (6’2″ with a 6’7″ wingspan) while being one of the top performers in shooting drills.
- Asked at the combine what role he envisions for himself in the NBA, Acuff didn’t hesitate. “Definitely a superstar point guard for sure,” Acuff said, according to Lewis. “Bring a lot of excitement to any city I go to, and just bring a lot of excitement straight from Day 1.” When asked how he defined a “superstar point guard,” the Arkansas guard said: “A lot of accolades, just being on a winning team, it starts with the point guard. So any city I go to, I just want to win.” Lewis hears the Kings, who control the seventh pick, are fans of Acuff — general manager Scott Perry coached Acuff’s father (Darius Sr.) at Eastern Kentucky. As productive as he was offensively — and he had an incredible year statistically — there are major questions about Acuff’s “porous defense,” Lewis adds.
- As Lewis details in another article (subscription required), Brown may have the most upside of the five guards but he also might be the least polished. “It would be a great opportunity right there,” Brown said of potentially being drafted by the Nets. “Just continuing to build relationships with them as the time goes on and continue to talk to my family and my circle and my agent and the people behind me. It’s something that we’re definitely interested in, and looking forward to building a relationship with [the Nets].” Brown, who said he thinks play-making is his top skill, acknowledged some teams have questions about his shot selection and defensive effort, but he believes he “could be a really good two-way player in this league.” Both Acuff and Brown confirmed to the Post that they’ve talked to Brooklyn.
Southeast Notes: Hawks’ Draft Picks, Jakucionis, Magic
The Hawks will likely have at least a couple top guard prospects available to choose from when they’re on the clock with the eighth overall pick, writes Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscriber link).
Atlanta found success in the second half of last season without using a traditional point guard, but if the team wants to find a play-maker to replace Trae Young, Darius Acuff, Kingston Flemings, Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown and Brayden Burries are among the players who could still be on the board.
If the Hawks decide to go with a wing or a big man, Nate Ament, Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg and Jayden Quaintance could be options, as Cunningham and his Atlanta Journal-Constitution colleague Lauren Williams suggest (subscription required).
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- In the same story, Williams lists a handful of players the Hawks might consider with their second first-round pick at No. 23 overall. Houston big man Chris Cenac, Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz and Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson are a few of the prospects mentioned. Atlanta also controls a late second-round selection (No. 57), Williams notes.
- Kasparas Jakucionis opened his rookie season in the G League, but he became a Heat rotation regular about a third of the way into 2025/26, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Lithuanian guard, who turns 20 years old later this month, impressed head coach Erik Spoelstra with his work ethic and competitiveness. Now the 2025 first-round pick is trying to level up his game this offseason. “Just get stronger in the weight room,” said Jakucionis. “And then on the ball and off the ball, just work on my handles, try to get tight on my handles, get into the paint with two feet, try to make the right read from there. Get some more paint touches, for sure. And off the ball, it’s just about spacing, shooting, and running basically.”
- Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel examines what moves the Magic might make this offseason aside from hiring a new head coach to replace Jamahl Mosley. Pulling off another major trade might be more complicated since the Magic have fewer draft assets at their disposal after last summer’s Desmond Bane blockbuster, Beede observes, and their free agent additions might be limited to minimum-salary players due to their financial situation.
Combine Notes: Top Four, Flemings, Carr, Winners
Although BYU’s AJ Dybantsa appears to be the frontrunner to be selected first overall in next month’s draft, John Hollinger of The Athletic says the consensus among NBA executives he spoke to at the combine was that there’s a clear top four this year — Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson — but not a slam-dunk No. 1 amongst that group.
Wilson in particular seems to have been overlooked in that conversation, according to Hollinger, who writes that the front office members he spoke to this week had Dybantsa as the favorite to go No. 1, but none of them viewed that outcome as a lock.
Some of the executives compared the eye-of-the-beholder situation to the 2017 draft, when the Celtics moved down from No. 1 to No. 3 and selected Jayson Tatum, Hollinger writes. The Sixers picked Markelle Fultz first overall that year, with the Lakers taking Lonzo Ball at No. 2.
Another topic of speculation was the Jazz‘s potential interest in Dybantsa after team owner Ryan Smith spent millions to help bring the forward to his alma mater (BYU) last year. Utah controls the No. 2 pick and a recent report said the Jazz touched base with the Wizards about potentially moving up to No. 1.
Here’s more from this week’s combine:
- His measurements were somewhat lackluster, but Houston guard Kingston Flemings was one of the standouts in athletic testing drills and received plenty of praise from his college teammates at the combine, Hollinger writes. “He is really unselfish,” Emanuel Sharp said of Flemings. “He’s very humble, that’s probably my favorite part about him. He’s not an airhead; he’s a great kid. He’s a better person than he is player. You know a lot of teams value that, so you know, whatever team can get him is getting a star.”
- Baylor shooting guard Cameron Carr was one of the biggest winners of the combine, according to Hollinger and Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports. In addition to possessing a massive 7’0.75″ wingspan, the 6’4.5″ wing had a 43-inch maximum vertical leap and the fastest time in the pro lane agility drill. Carr, who was already a projected first-round pick, followed that up by being the best player on the court in the first scrimmage. “I’m a competitor — basketball’s basketball,” Carr said of his decision to scrimmage, per Hollinger. “It’s supposed to be fun, and I don’t know, in my head I feel like I’ve been overlooked, especially for some of these spots. Of course, I’m not paying attention to the draft stock and all that stuff, but when I hear someone’s better than me, I feel I’ve got to go in and show them who’s really the best. So that’s all I can do. I can just step on the court and give y’all my best, and that’s what I did today.”
- Trevon Brazile (Arkansas), Morez Johnson (Michigan), Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Tennessee), Baba Miller (Cincinnati), Luigi Suigo (Italy), and Aaron Nkrumah (Tennessee State) are among the other combine winners highlighted by Hollinger and/or O’Connor.
And-Ones: McGrady, First-Rounders, Combine, Rozier
Former NBA guard Tracy McGrady, a seven-time All-Star who earned a spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, has accepted a role at Wagner College, the school announced in a press release. McGrady has been named the strategic advisor for the men’s basketball program.
In his new role, McGrady will assist with NIL deals, marketing, player development, and “expanding Wagner’s reach beyond its traditional areas of engagement on and off the court,” according to today’s announcement.
McGrady will forgo a salary and will serve in a volunteer capacity — his son, Laymen, will be a freshman at Wagner this season after spending a year at Oral Roberts as a redshirt in 2025/26.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Based on his conversations with NBA executives at this week’s draft combine in Chicago, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) expects fewer first-round picks to change hands in trades beginning this offseason. As Fischer explains, teams are wary about how valuable a late-lottery pick could become under the NBA’s new lottery reform plan, which will likely make them more reluctant to surrender those selections.
- Also reporting from the combine, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report takes a look at the winners and losers so far among this year’s draft-eligible prospects. While some of Wasserman’s choices overlap with ESPN’s picks that we passed along on Tuesday, Bleacher Report’s draft guru also identifies Arkansas’ Darius Acuff and Houston’s Kingston Flemings as winners, noting that Acuff’s measurements compared favorably to Damian Lillard‘s, while Flemings showed off an impressive three-pointer during shooting drills. Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner, whose height was determined to be below 5’11”, and Alabama’s Amari Allen, who came in at just over 6’5″, are among Wasserman’s combine losers so far due to their official measurements.
- The NBA and former Heat guard Terry Rozier met with an arbitrator last month for a second time to renew their battle over whether or not Rozier is entitled to receive his full $26.6MM salary for 2025/26 as he faces federal charges following his arrest last fall. Rozier won an initial arbitration case earlier this year, but the league is still arguing that his salary should be reduced. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic has the details on the latest arbitration session.
Draft Notes: Top Prospects, Measurements, Ament, Kings
No one from the 2026 class has even been drafted yet, but the top prospects certainly aren’t lacking for confidence, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Expectations are already “sky-high” for the incoming rookies in a class that’s viewed as being exceptionally strong both in terms of top-end talent and depth.
“Since I’m in this draft class, I’m going to say we’re one of the best draft classes,” said AJ Dybantsa, who led Division I men’s college basketball in scoring this past season. “We’ll see how that pans out and how our careers pan out, but if you ask me right now, I think we’re one of the best draft classes.”
In addition to Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson — widely viewed as the top four prospects — also discussed what they’ll bring to the table to their future NBA teams, according to Michael Wallace of Grind City Media.
“My résumé speaks for itself, man,” said Boozer, the NCAA Player of the Year. “So, if a team wants to hang a (championship) banner in the rafters, I’m definitely their guy. All of these guys here, we’ve been playing against each other since eighth grade. People have been talking about how special this class is and we showed it. We’re going to keep showing it at the next level.”
Wilson, who’s recovering from surgery on his right thumb, confirmed he’ll be available to play Summer League in July, Wallace adds.
“Me being at one, two, three or four, I feel great,” said Wilson. “I’m excited to show my talent and skills in these coming months, starting with summer league. Whatever team is there that needs what I bring to the table, they’ll see. I’m going to keep working to be a great player for whichever team selects me.”
We have more notes on the 2026 NBA draft:
- Prospects went through anthropometric measurements at the draft combine on Monday. The official measurements won’t be finalized until Tuesday, notes Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (via Twitter), but some early winners include Michigan’s Aday Mara (7’3″ and 260 pounds with a 7’6″ wingspan and a 9’9″ standing reach, tied with Mark Williams for the second-longest in combine history), Jayden Quaintance and Chris Cenac, while Christian Anderson and Amari Allen were among the measurement losers, according to James Fletcher III and Jamie Shaw of On3.com.
- Tennessee forward Nate Ament was among On3’s other measurement winners, coming in at 6’9.5″ and 211 pounds, with a 6’11.5″ wingspan and a 9’1.5″ standing reach. The standout freshman told Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he was informed by a doctor after undergoing X-rays that he could still grow another two inches (Twitter link).
- Head coach Doug Christie said finding a point guard was a top offseason priority for the Kings and they should be able to nab one after coming away with the seventh overall pick, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, who takes a look at five prospects the team might consider, including Darius Acuff, Keaton Wagler and Kingston Flemings.
- Brian Windhorst of ESPN shares his observations from inside Sunday’s draft lottery drawing room.
Draft Notes: Dybantsa, Wizards, Mocks, Jazz, Tanner, More
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa has been the prospect most frequently cited as the frontrunner to go No. 1 overall, and he reacted to the Wizards landing the top pick at the draft lottery, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter video link).
“Obviously I’ve been betting on myself for a little while to be a No. 1 pick,” Dybantsa said. “So initially just thinking like how I would fit into the team. I think I’m pretty versatile, adaptable, so I think I can play anywhere.”
Asked about what he knew about Washington, D.C., Dybantsa said he “knew a little bit.”
“The Jordan Brand Classic was there last year,” the 6’9″ forward said. “I got to tour their facility a little bit. I know a couple of their players. Tre Johnson, played against him at length (in high school/AAU). I’ve been watching AD (Anthony Davis) for a long, long time. Trae Young, even when he was at Oklahoma. So I know a couple of guys there.”
An anonymous NBA general manager told Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 that he thinks the Wizards will end up taking Dybantsa (Twitter link).
“I don’t they can take the risk with (Darryn) Peterson even though I think his upside is even higher than Dybantsa,” the GM said. “I think Washington will go with Dybantsa because it’s a safer pick and they can’t afford to screw this up.”
Monumental basketball president Michael Winger, who was the Wizards’ lottery-drawing representative, released a statement after Washington won the lottery.
“Today is another encouraging day for Wizards fans and our entire organization,” said Winger. “To choose first among this inspiring group of athletes is a welcomed opportunity, and challenge, for our group. We look forward to adding another high performing young player to our ascending team.”
Here’s more on the 2026 NBA draft:
- Just like in the recent mocks from ESPN and Yahoo Sports, Dybantsa goes No. 1 overall to the Wizards in the updated 2026 mock drafts from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. The mocks from Vecenie and Wasserman are actually identical for the first nine picks, with Peterson (Jazz), Cameron Boozer (Grizzlies), Caleb Wilson (Bulls), Keaton Wagler (Clippers), Darius Acuff (Nets), Kingston Flemings (Kings), Mikel Brown (Hawks) and Brayden Burries (Mavericks) selected two through nine. Vecenie is a little lower on New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez than other evaluators. Vecenie has Lopez going 20th to the Spurs, while Wasserman has him at 10th (Bucks). Interestingly, all four mocks have the Thunder taking Michigan big man Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 12 and three of the four have the Heat selecting Labaron Philon at No. 13, while two have the Bulls drafting Jayden Quaintance at No. 15.
- The Jazz moved up in the draft lottery for the first time in franchise history, according to Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune, who thinks the future is looking bright in Utah after the team added Jaren Jackson Jr. at the deadline to a core featuring Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen and restricted free agent Walker Kessler. The Jazz will be selecting second overall, up from fourth in the pre-lottery odds. “It feels great, a big relief,” president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said, per Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. “It’s a really important tool for us to help build this winning team. So, couldn’t be more happy.” Ainge told the Deseret News it would be easier selecting second than fifth or seventh. “For sure, a lot easier,” Ainge said. “We just have to figure out who believe is No. 1 and No. 2… It’s much easier, but we still have to get it right.”
- Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner, who is testing the draft waters, tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link) he’ll be competing in the scrimmages at this week’s combine as he looks to boost his stock. “I’ll do whatever it takes to stay in the draft. I’m not running from anything. I love to play,” Tanner said. The sophomore guard said he’s focused on getting drafted “as high as I can,” addressed his size (he’s listed at 6’0″) being a perceived weakness, and listed his goal during the pre-draft process (All Twitter links). “My goal is to play in the NBA. Always has been since I was a kid,” Tanner told Givony. “I’m fully focused on making it. This is another opportunity to show what I can do. The way I make those around me better and raise the level of my teammates. I’ve always built my game on that.”
- One GM told Goodman he doesn’t think there’s much difference between the first and ninth picks in what’s viewed as a deep class (Twitter link). “I don’t see much disparity from No. 1 to the No. 8 or 9 pick,” the GM told the Field of 68. “I think the No. 3 or 4 pick may be the best because you won’t get crucified for not taking Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer or Wilson down the line. The decision will be made for you.”
NBA Announces 73 Invitees For 2026 Draft Combine
The NBA announced today (via Twitter) that 73 prospects have been invited to attend this year’s draft combine, which will take place in Chicago from May 10-17.
In addition to those 73 players, a handful of standout players from the G League combine, which is also held in Chicago just before the combine begins, are expected to receive invites to stick around for the main event.
Not all of the prospects invited to the combine will end up remaining in the 2026 draft pool, since many are early entrants who are testing the waters while retaining their NCAA eligibility.
College players must withdraw from the draft by the end of the day on May 27 if they wish to preserve that eligibility, while non-college players face a decision deadline of June 13. The feedback they receive from NBA teams at the combine may be a deciding factor for players who are on the fence.
Here’s the list of players who have been invited to the 2026 draft combine:
(Note: For players in international leagues, the country listed is where they had been playing, not necessarily where they’re from.)
- Matt Able, G, North Carolina State (freshman)
- Darius Acuff, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Amari Allen, F, Alabama (freshman)
- Nate Ament, F, Tennessee (freshman)
- Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech (sophomore)
- Tobe Awaka, F, Arizona (senior)
- Flory Bidunga, F/C, Kansas (sophomore)
- Tyler Bilodeau, F, UCLA (senior)
- John Blackwell, G, Wisconsin (junior)
- Cameron Boozer, F, Duke (freshman)
- Kylan Boswell, G, Illinois (senior)
- Nick Boyd, G, Wisconsin (senior)
- Jaden Bradley, G, Arizona (senior)
- Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas (senior)
- Maliq Brown, F, Duke (senior)
- Mikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville (freshman)
- Brayden Burries, G, Arizona (freshman)
- Cameron Carr, G, Baylor (junior)
- Chris Cenac, F/C, Houston (freshman)
- Rueben Chinyelu, C, Florida (junior)
- Ryan Conwell, G, Louisville (senior)
- Sergio De Larrea, G, Spain (born 2005)
- AJ Dybantsa, F, BYU (freshman)
- Zuby Ejiofor, F, St. John’s (senior)
- Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (sophomore)
- Jeremy Fears, G, Michigan State (junior)
- Kingston Flemings, G, Houston (freshman)
- Ja’Kobi Gillespie, G, Tennessee (senior)
- Allen Graves, F, Santa Clara (freshman)
- Keyshawn Hall, G/F, Auburn (senior)
- Juke Harris, G, Wake Forest (sophomore)
- Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State (senior)
- Morez Johnson, F/C, Michigan (sophomore)
- Alex Karaban, F, UConn (senior)
- Jack Kayil, G, Germany (born 2006)
- Toibu Lawal, F, Virginia Tech (senior)
- Yaxel Lendeborg, F, Michigan (senior)
- Karim Lopez, F, Australia (born 2007)
- Aday Mara, C, Michigan (junior)
- Nick Martinelli, F, Northwestern (senior)
- Baba Miller, F/C, Cincinnati (senior)
- Dillon Mitchell, F, St. John’s (senior)
- Milan Momcilovic, F, Iowa State (junior)
- Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky (freshman)
- Izaiyah Nelson, F, South Florida (senior)
- Tyler Nickel, F, Vanderbilt (senior)
- Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford (freshman)
- Felix Okpara, C, Tennessee (senior)
- Ugonna Onyenso, C, Virginia (senior)
- Otega Oweh, G, Kentucky (senior)
- Koa Peat, F, Arizona (freshman)
- Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas (freshman)
- Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (sophomore)
- Jayden Quaintance, F/C, Kentucky (sophomore)
- Tarris Reed, C, UConn (senior)
- Billy Richmond, G/F, Arkansas (sophomore)
- Richie Saunders, G, BYU (senior)
- Emanuel Sharp, G, Houston (senior)
- Braden Smith, G, Purdue (senior)
- Hannes Steinbach, F, Washington (freshman)
- Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa (senior)
- Andrej Stojakovic, G/F, Illinois (junior)
- Peter Suder, G, Miami (OH) (senior)
- Luigi Suigo, C, Serbia (born 2007)
- Dailyn Swain, G/F, Texas (junior)
- Tyler Tanner, G, Vanderbilt (sophomore)
- Meleek Thomas, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State (senior)
- Milos Uzan, G, Houston (senior)
- Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina (junior)
- Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois (freshman)
- Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina (freshman)
- Tounde Yessoufou, G/F, Baylor (freshman)
It’s worth noting that the NBA and the NBPA agreed to several combine-related changes in their latest Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here are a few of those changes:
- A player who is invited to the draft combine and declines to attend without an excused absence will be ineligible to be drafted. He would become eligible the following year by attending the combine. There will be exceptions made for a player whose FIBA season is ongoing, who is injured, or who is dealing with a family matter (such as a tragedy or the birth of a child). That player would be required to complete combine activities at a later date.
- Players who attend the draft combine will be required to undergo physical exams, share medical history, participate in strength, agility, and performance testing, take part in shooting drills, receive anthropometric measurements, and conduct interviews with teams and the media. Scrimmages won’t be mandatory.
- Medical results from the combine will be distributed to select teams based on where the player is projected to be drafted. Only teams drafting in the top 10 would get access to medical info for the projected No. 1 pick; teams in the top 15 would receive medical info for players in the 2-6 range, while teams in the top 25 would get access to info for the players in the 7-10 range.
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.
Houston’s Kingston Flemings Declares For 2026 NBA Draft
Houston guard Kingston Flemings announced Sunday that he’s declaring for the 2026 NBA draft, per Joseph Duarte of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter video link).
Flemings comes in at No. 7 on ESPN’s best available players list, making him a probable mid-lottery pick. He earned numerous accolades for his stellar freshman campaign with the Cougars, whose season ended after losing to Illinois in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
The San Antonio native averaged 16.1 points, 5.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 37 games (31.7 minutes per contest) for the Cougars in 2025/26. His shooting slash line was .476/.387/.845.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo praises Flemings’ “size, pace and upside” and calls him a “winning player” who’s also an “explosive play-maker.” There are some question marks about the 19-year-old’s outside shot (he only attempted 2.9 threes per game), but Flemings largely had excellent season on team that went 30-7, Woo writes.
This coming Friday, April 24, is the deadline for early entrants to declare for this year’s draft.
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) *