2026 NBA Mock Draft: Predicting the Top Five Picks
Written by: Nate Hornung
Last Update: Mon Jun 08, 2026, 10:41 am ET
Read Time: 7 minutes
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While the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks are battling in the NBA Finals, with Game 3 happening on Monday, the month of June is upon us. Not only does that mean we will crown an NBA Champion here soon, but later in the month the 2026 NBA Draft will be taking place. Let's take a look at a small mock draft one of our basketball analysts put together, as we try to perfectly predict the top five picks.
2026 NBA Draft First Round Information
- Venue & Location: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY)
- Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2026
- Time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN/ABC
The second round of the NBA Draft will happen at the same time and location the following night. Let's take a look at the betting odds to be the number one overall pick before we get into our projections.
2026 NBA Draft Betting Odds
At this point, AJ Dybantsa is all but guaranteed to be the first name called in the 2026 NBA Draft
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel Sportsbook.
Odds to be the No. 1 Overall Pick in the NBA Draft
- AJ Dybantsa (BYU) -390
- Darryn Peterson (Kansas) +300
- Cameron Boozer (Duke) +1300
- Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) +3500
After those four, the list falls off. Next is Jayden Quaintance of Kentucky, listed at 150-1, with six other players on the board, all priced at 300-1. That list includes Chris Cenac Jr. (Houston), Karim Lopez (New Zealand Breakers), Kingston Flemings (Houston), Koa Peat (Arizona), Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville) and Nate Ament (Tennessee).
According to the oddsmakers, it's pretty obvious who will be the first name called on June 23, but let's go further down the list to see if we can sniff out any surprises.
2026 NBA Mock Draft: Top Five Picks
No. 1 Overall – Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa, SF (BYU)
Look, back in January, I was telling you all that Darryn Peterson was a shoe-in to be the top pick, and based on the odds at the time, it wasn't an outrageous claim. Obviously things change, and now Dybantsa is more than likely going to be the No. 1 overall pick. At 6'9″ and a fearless scorer, Dybantsa could be a very good pro for a long time, and the Wizards are in a place where they should draft the best talent available.
Dybantsa is listed anywhere from -390 to -500 to be the No. 1 overall pick.
No. 2 Overall – Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson, SG (Kansas)
Now there is talk of the Jazz trading up to get Dybantsa at No. 1 to keep him in Utah where he played both high school and college hoops. Regardless, whomever drafts second overall will take Darryn Peterson. His ceiling is way too high to pass up. Sure, we all saw how little he played in college, and the lingering injuries have hurt his stock. However, the man is still a pure scorer, can get to the hoop and make difficult shots at all three levels. He is too good for an NBA GM to pass over him at No. 2.
Darryn Peterson is listed at -175 to be the second overall pick.
Despite his late season injury, Caleb Wilson has a very high ceiling at the next level
No. 3 Overall – Memphis Grizzlies: Caleb Wilson, PF (North Carolina)
Most people have Cameron Boozer at the third pick, but I personally think Caleb Wilson is better and that pro scouts will see this. Wilson is a freak athlete who can jump out of the gym, making him a threat to score whenever he has the rock. Defensively, he is a fearless rim protector as well, who will immediately help the front court of whomever drafts him. All he needs is a little help developing an outside shot, which should be an easy asset to add to his game.
Caleb Wilson is listed at +450 to be the third overall pick, but -325 to go fourth. This is where we differ from the odds.
No. 4 Overall – Chicago Bulls: Cameron Boozer, SF (Duke)
Yes, I have the reigning Naismith Player of the Year slipping to the Bulls at No. 4. Personally, I just don't like his game compared to the other three listed above. Boozer plays a lot of bully ball, but he relies on being one of the bigger guys on the court. At 6'8″, he won't be in the NBA. However, he can play the point forward if he needs to, and his versatility in being able to guard quicker, smaller players makes him tough to pass up. Offensively, he could be matched up against a smaller guard who won't be able to handle his size and strength.
Cameron Boozer is listed at +375 to be the fourth overall pick because he is priced at -250 to go third.
Mikel Brown Jr. was dealing with a lingering back injury all season long. Does that hurt his draft stock?
No. 5 Overall – Los Angeles Clippers: Mikel Brown Jr, PG (Louisville)
You could go with Mikel Brown Jr. in this spot, take Keaton Wagler of Illinois, or take a stab at Nate Ament of Tennessee. I see the Clippers adding a pure scoring guard, who can also run the offense in this spot, which arguably could end up being Wagler, who is the current betting favorite to go fifth overall. The Clippers are set on wings and forwards, with John Collins, Derrick Jones Jr. and of course Kawaii Leonard. The Clippers need to ask themselves… is Darius Garland really the guy for the future? My answer would be no, leading me to believe they take a guard with the fifth overall pick.
Mikel Brown Jr. is listed at +225 to be the fifth overall pick. He is second on the odds board, sitting behind Keaton Wagler who is priced at +200.
If you've noticed, all five of these players were freshmen in college last season. In fact, it looks like the top 10, maybe even the top 12 picks will all be freshmen, with the first upperclassmen off the board likely being Aday Mara or Yaxel Lendeborg, both coming from off winning a National Title with Michigan.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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