Happy March Madness everyone! Yes, the Final Four is now finally here, and The Sports Bank’s 2026 NBA mock draft version 9.0 is coming to you live from press row at Lucas Oli Satdium in Indianapolis. Yes, The Sports Bank is media credentialed for the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Indy! And there are plenty of top tier NBA Draft prospects to interview and analyze.
We’re also the only independently-owned, mom and pop shop website to publish a mock draft in all four of the major North American sports, and the most popular professional women’s sport.
At least, we think we think we are. We’re still waiting to be told otherwise.
Past NBA Mock Drafts, final editions: 2025 2024 2021 2020 2018
Meanwhile our latest 2026 NFL mock draft can be found here. Our final MLB mock draft of 2025 can be found at this link. For our latest WNBA mock draft go here. And finally, here’s the link to our latest 2026 NHL mock draft update.
More detailed player descriptions are coming soon! Happy 2026 NBA mock draft everyone!
This mock is listed on EDS Football’s 2026 NBA Mock Draft Database.
1. Indiana Pacers, Cameron Boozer, PF, Duke
Second generation superstar in the making.
2. Sacramento Kings, AJ Dybantsa, SF, BYU
Maybe the most talented freshman in the nation this year.
3. Washington Wizards, Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas
Honestly, you can put Peterson-Boozer-Dybantsa in any order up in the top three.
4. Brooklyn Nets, Caleb Wilson, PF, North Carolina
After that elite trio there is a drop off to everyine else, but Wilsonb is a blue chip prospect in his own right.
5. Utah Jazz, Keaton Wagler, PG/SG, Illinois
At Illini Media Day, head coach Brad Underwood said the combo guard would be a one-and-done to the NBA, and then compared him to Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley.
You can easily make some Cade Cunningham or Tyrese Halliburton comparisons with Wagler.
For much more on Wagler, go here, here and here
6. Dallas Mavericks, Kingston Flemings, PG, Houston
He really gets after it on both ends of the floor, and is truly a blue-chip prospect.
7. Atlanta via New Orleans, Nate Ament, SF, Tennessee
If you’re looking for a sleeper pick to become a generational level talent, in this class, it’s Ament. He is a polarizing prospect now doubt, as his numbers just aren’t reflective of his skill-set. However, if you look more with a longer view, Ament would be a smarter pick, because he’s an excellent outside shooter at 6-10.
5-star recruit picked UT over all of the blue bloods. Played for Team USA U18s team, in the FIBA World Championships and the Jordan Brand Classic.
8. Memphis Grizzlies, Mikel Brown Jr., PG, Louisville
He hasn’t ruled out the idea of returing to UL for another year, but he’s definitely pro ready right now.
9. Chicago Bulls, Darius Acuff, PG, Arkansas
John Calipari coached guards often get to the NBA, and then they make a ton of money when they get there.
10. Milwaukee Bucks, Hannes Steinbach, PF, Washington
A big who can totally change the game, even when he’s not having a huge scoring night. The Huskies forward always draws so much attention that when the UW guards are having a big night…you still got to credit Steinbach. A big that can shoot the three, he’s ideal for today’s NBA!
11. Portland Trail Blazers, Labaron Philon, PG, Alabama
He’s a high percentage shooter who can score in bunches, but he can also take over an entire game even if he’s having an off night.
12. Golden State Warriors, Thomas Haugh, PF, Florida
Really passionate player who truly loves the game. You can see that in his final media opps at the podium, following UF’s elimination from the tournament at the hands of Iowa.
13. Charlotte Hornets, Bennett Stirtz, PG, Iowa
Stirtz is fundamentally sound, well-coached and athletically gifted. He’s got a great three point shot, and fits in well for what today’s NBA wants. He can knock down the three ball with ease, and while he already has a strong mid range game, developing that further would only increase his draft stock even higher.
14. San Antonio via Atlanta, Yaxel Lendeborg, F, Michigan
This Wolverine is a total matchup nightmare, and he’s a huge reason why Michigan is the two leading national title contenders. The Dominican-American was the regional’s Most Outstanding Player and he also won the Big Ten Player of the Year award this season.
Whenever opponents D up on Lendeborg, face-guarding him and forcing him out into areas where the only shots possible are ones that he doesn’t want to take, the Dominican dynamo can kick it out to his teammates. Lendeborg knows what he needs to do in situations like these.
“I do need to figure out ways where I can be more of an aggressor,” he said after having an off game, during the 71-67 Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal victory over Ohio State.
“And try to make more plays for my team. I’m going to look back on it today, and figure what I can do, to fix that, in case that coverage gets started again.”
For our interview of Lendeborg, go here.
End of the Lottery
15. Oklahoma City via Clippers, Karim Lopez, SF, New Zealand
16. Oklahoma City via Philadelphia, Brayden Burries, PG/SG, Arizona
17. Toronto Raptors, Jayden Quaintance, PF, Kentucky
18. Miami Heat, Braylon Mullins, SG, UConn
He’s really made himself some money this March Madness, especially with that cold-blooded game-winning three in the Elite 8.
19. Memphis via Orlando, Koa Peat, SF, Arizona
20. Charlotte via Phoenix, Patrick Ngongba II, C, Duke
21. Denver Nuggets, Chris Cenac, PF/C, Houston
22. Atlanta via Cleveland, Meleek Thomas, PG/SG, Arkansas
23. Detroit via Minnesota, Dash Daniels, G, Australia
24. LA Lakers, Aday Mara, C, Michigan
The Big Ten’s leading shot-blocker was the main reason why UM was a top 5 team in blocked shots this regular season. Like the late, great Dikembe Mutombo, he also alters a ton of shots, in addition to the ones that he blocks. The 7’3″ shot blocking extraordinaire is a UCLA transfer and Spaniard who was influenced by Pau Gasol.
25. Philadelphia via Houston, Karim Lopez, F, Mexico
26. New York Knicks, Joshua Jefferson, F, Iowa State
The 6-foot-9 Jefferson averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists this past season, which ended early, due to an ankle injury.
27. Boston Celtics, Morez Johnson, PF, Michigan
Last season Morez set the Illini freshman record for season field goal percentage this campaign, finishing up at 64.7%. He then transferred to Michigan in the offseason, and his sophomore year saw him develop into the Wolverines leading rebounder (7.3 rpg) and second leading scorer (13.4 ppg).
That says a lot, given how good this #1 seeded in the Midwest Regional Michigan team is.
“I think I played very different from last year,” Johnson said about the growth he made from year one at Illinois to year two at Michigan. “especially on the defensive end, being able to guard one through five, showcase more, shooting the ball, more, pretty much over everything here.”
Our exclusive with the Illini transfer can be found at this link.
Out other Morez interview can be found here.
28. Minnesota via Detroit, Alex Karaban, F, UConn
Veteran forward was described by Illini head coach Brad Underwood as one of the best players in the country.
29. Cleveland via San Antonio, Amari Allen, Alabama
The 6-foot-8, 205-pound freshman forward is a great rebounder and a decent three-point shooter. Green Bay native was the state of Wisconsin’s top high school basketball player, from a program with an interesting and rich history.
30. Dallas via OKC, Braden Smith, PG, Purdue
Reigning Big Ten Player of the Year dropped off a bit in his senior year swansong, but he’s still the all-time assists king for a reason. Smith has a play-making skill set that translates well to the next level.
Purdue Forward Trey Kaufman-Renn has been on the receiving end of a good percentage of those 1,075 assists, and he knows Smith’s game as well as anybody.
“When you have a point guard that has the ball in their hands and consistently makes good decisions, it just makes everybody else’s job a lot easier,” TKR said in an exclusive with Sports Boom. “Its been a privilege to, not only play with him, but just to experience how good of a play-maker he is.
“Not even just in games, but also in practice, and to pick his mind on a couple things. We’re not going to see another playmaker like him.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG, Ratings and SportsBoom. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.