Lottery Winners and Losers

The ping pong balls finally dropped, and the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery didn’t just set an order, it changed a few franchises’ entire posture. I jump on a day late to react to the results and what they mean in plain roster-building terms: the Washington Wizards at No. 1, the Utah Jazz up to No. 2, the Memphis Grizzlies rising into the top three, the Chicago Bulls leaping into the top four, and the Los Angeles Clippers cashing in at No. 5 via the Pacers pick.

From there, we go team by team and talk draft strategy, realistic prospect fits, and the stakes behind each slot. We dig into why AJ Dybansta makes so much sense as Washington’s potential centerpiece, why Utah still needs a real offensive engine and how a guard like Darryn Peterson could change their ceiling, and why Memphis getting pick No. 3 is “terrifying” when they already have structure, picks, and optionality. We also hit the teams living in the messy middle: Miami’s perpetual purgatory, OKC’s unfair flexibility, Golden State’s shrinking runway, and Milwaukee’s need for immediate help with uncertainty hanging over the summer.

We don’t dodge the tough ones either: Sacramento falling to 7 and what that forces them to decide, Brooklyn sliding to 6 and the trade-up math, and how the Clippers can use No. 5 to either draft youth or flip it again. Then we look ahead to the NBA Draft Combine, workouts, measurements, and how this next stretch will reshape the big board before a full “GM hat” breakdown and mock draft. Subscribe, share this with your group chat, and leave a review with your hottest lottery take.

Transcript

Instant Lottery Reaction

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What is up, everybody? Welcome back to the Draft and Stash podcast. I'm Andrew. It is May 11, 2026. The ping pong balls are in. Dreams are dead. Wizard fans are suddenly alive again, and somewhere Dallas fans are wondering why lightning didn't strike twice. Uh today we're reacting to the 2026 eBay draft lottery, winners, losers, and the top prospects. Where did they actually land? Before that, we gotta hit Andrew. Victor Pin's dependency. Victor Wimbling. One of the most exciting grams that I can remember. And in the years I've been doing this, I think this gram is the best. Hello, everybody. I had to do like almost like an impromptu episode. I do have another one planned for this week as the draft combine is currently going on. I'm trying to have on my guest for here in Memphis, who's a pretty big voice. We're going to do a more, I want to say Grizzlies-centric episode, but definitely more focused in that area since this is the region that I'm in. And they're a really exciting team to just in general look at with all their picks and what they're able to build now, especially after the lottery. But I wanted to do a originally a live react to the lottery, but I was at work. I couldn't get off in time. So I'm doing like maybe like a late, you know, a little like talking here for

Full Draft Order Explained

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everybody. So just to re-re-convey, but just to get the order in right for anybody who doesn't know, the Wizards are at one, Jazz or two, Memphis is at three, Bulls four, Clippers five, Nets are at six, Kings seven, Hawks are at eight, Mavericks nine, Bucks are at ten, warriors eleven, Thunder 12, Heat 13, and the Hornets are at 15. So we're kind of gonna just go through a little bit for each team and maybe some, you know, some options that they can maybe go with here. The uh major winners obviously were the Wizards, the Grizzlies, the Bulls, and Clippers, but more so the Christies and Bulls. The Grizzlies were at six, the Bulls, I believe, were at nine, and both jumped into the top four. The Jazz had the fifth best odds, they move up into number two, and the Wizards, you know, get to just keep their pick, which you know, I'm sure they're very happy about. They're them and the and the Jazz, and Memphis to a certain degree, were pretty egregious tankers this year. You know, the Wizards trade different, Trey Young, Anthony, and Anthony Davis, and then just shut both of them down, which was you know pretty insane. And then the Jazz, I feel like haven't played their actual roster in three years because they've been trying so hard to like, you know, to to move up. So at this point, I hope that Utah actually, you know, plays real basketball now and you know will stop, you know, with this you know subterfuge going on. They they were good enough to you know make the playoffs this year that they already have a pretty talented roster, and this pick will you know hopefully solidify that. You look at Memphis, and they went through basically a teardown after all after at one point in 2022 they looked to have this amazing team, and now you know, three to four years later, they they've torn up everything apart for various reasons, and but they they move up, and hopefully, you know, this pick can really help them on that next wave with Central Coward and Zach Eady. And then the Clippers are actually worth talking about here because they had the Pacers pick. The Pacers were, I think they had the fourth best odds. They made a massive trade to get Yvonne Zubac, and they gave up a lot. They gave up basically this pick that was only top four protected or protected from 10 and back, and the Clippers will only get it if it fell five to nine, and it fell fifth. So the Pacers lose this pick, they lose a 2029 unprotected pick. They lose Isaiah Jackson and Benedict Matherin. So I'm sure Pacers fans are pretty miffed right now because that is pretty, I don't know, that that looks really bad now.

Winners Losers And Tanking Fallout

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So let's just talk in general as we

Picks 15 To 11 Team Fits

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go backwards here. So the Charlotte Hornets were at 14, so they stayed near the bottom, obviously, of the lottery after another, I'm gonna say frustrating season, but like they they took some really good steps here. They looked good in the play in games, or at least did the first one. And then I don't know, maybe they're you just got a little too overconfident as they lose to the magic. But to be fair, the magic should have been in that top six range. I don't know, they had a really weird year. So this is a pretty, you know, I think understandable result. Uh at 14, they'll be looking for probably some upside swing people. Look at my board here. I'm wondering like who could maybe be around this area. If it's me and I'm taking a pick, I would probably go after maybe Alan Graves around 14. I think he's the perfect type of player to come in. He can come in immediately as a role player and do like a lot of those glue things. This would be a really smart pick for them as well, because you already have your basically your offensive pillars in place. They also need a big man, you know. Steinbach might be there, but I just don't know if he's, you know, he can't be like your defensive linchpin. So I don't see that happening. You know, Morez Johnson is probably this range, but you know, I I I would rather go with Alan Graves, probably for them. I think he just makes more sense. If the actual Lindenborg falls here, I mean, obviously, I think that that's a good pick. Number 13 was the Heat. They also did not move up. The Heat continued to exist in basketball purgatory. Uh, they're never really terrible, never really quite rebuilding. Miami could go in a lot of directions here. Uh, you know, experience College Town, a defensive wing, or another heat culture project player. They somehow turn into a starter within six months. I I kind of think maybe they also trade this pick and they try to get, you know, another type of a veteran player. There's been some rumors that they, you know, had talked to the Grizzlies about Ja Morant. I don't know if maybe there's something there, or maybe Memphis moves maybe from 16 to 13, and there's some kind of like, you know, uh, you know, contract swaps with Ja there. I'm not really sure. Looking at players that they could maybe go after in that range, they to me need a really strong point guard. I think a guy maybe like a Bennett Sturts at 13 could be really exciting for them. He's definitely a guy that is not going to be this aggressive mouth to feed. You know, he's very much a guy that would be, you know, he could come in, hit some shots from the outside, which they desperately need. He could run all the actions that they're currently running. It's a very, you know, you know, move heavy, you know, like you know, pass and swings, you know, type of thing. You know, the current offense, uh, and he, you know, would be cool to get the ball to, you know, Powell and Bam and all those guys. Um, if you don't want to go that direction, you know, LeBron Phylon would also be in this range as well. I think he's very, you know, worth noting. Maybe, you know, Christian Anderson. I think either one of those guys could be a really good gift for them as well. Go to number 12, which is Oklahoma City Thunder. Originally this was the Clippers pick, but they gave it away in that horrendous SGA trade, even when it happened, it was not a great trade. And and then the longer it goes on, the just the more egregious it looks. OKC already owns half the draft for the next decade, so this pick also feels unfair. They don't really need immediate help, which gives them some pretty good flexibility to stash upside town or package this pick in a trade. You know, Presty having another lottery pick is basically a yearly tradition at this point. The man was playing, you know, 5D chess, you know, years ago, and he's just gonna have you know these fruits' labor for the next you know five to six years. Uh looking at them, they don't really need anything. But you know, I don't think that matters. I think they'll probably make this pick. Uh unless they're maybe gonna do something to move off of like Hartenstein or something so that they could, you know, use that money elsewhere. I just I don't know that they're probably gonna be back-to-back champs here. You know, if Yaksel Lindeborg's here at 12, I think that would be the most unfair thing ever for them to get this guy who's gonna be a really good starter for probably you know the next four years. You know, if it's not him, maybe like a Daimara falls to them here, which could be maybe their replacement for Hartenstein. You know, he so like you maybe you run Isaiah one more time, and I I think unless he might be restricted, I'm not sure. But you know, I think he could be a really good replacement considering all the things he does. You know, he's he's a really great, you know, secondary creator, awesome as a rim deterrent as well, you know, and with Chet there, you know, he can basically just you know kind of you know be that like you know Spanish bully, you know, for him. So I think both of those could be really interesting there as well. And then we go to number 11, the Golden State Warriors. I think this was probably one of the most disappointing things for ESPN all night, because I think everybody who who likes to sell you know you know TV games really wanted Golden State to jump badly, but you know, more so for the Warriors, this was maybe one of their last chance to have a realistic shot at the next face of their franchise. Uh, you know, Steph Curry's almost done, but they stay at 11, and there's just not a lot there building towards the future. You know, you you gave Jimmy Butler a mound of gold at like 35 or 36, which made no sense. Steph Curry's up there, Draymond Green is up there, you know, their only guys left really are you know Brandon Podzinski and a couple of you know uh lower tier prospects. So it could be rough sledding for the Warriors unless they just make some gold here. If it's me at 11, man, you know, I think you need to find a good mix of somebody that could, you know, be star appeal, but also has real substance there. If Michael Brown falls for them at 11, which I probably won't happen, but you know, they are right outside of the uh the top 10 here. He he could fall. I think that would be the absolute killer case for them. If not, I might take a swing on a guy like you know, maybe Brayton Burry's. I wouldn't be shocked if they went after maybe, you know, a you know, I won't say Alan Graves or a Dimara. I just don't think that that's the type of thing that they would really go for. But I could see maybe a phylon here as well. You know, they they they need somebody who's gonna be a potential explosive score, a really good guard. Their guard play just hasn't been great. You know, it's been something where where Curry's been getting run into the ground. You know, obviously they do need a five of some kind of substance. I just don't know if that's where they go in this

Bucks Mavs Hawks And Kings Pressure

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direction. You then had the Milwaukee Bucks, who were the first person to fall. So that the Bucks falling to 10 is pretty rough considering where the roster currently sits. Giannis can only carry so much, and I don't know how much more he'll be carrying as we look on into the summer because he might be gone. So the Bucs desperately need younger talent around him at this spot. They may be targeting NBA ready contributors instead of long-term projects. Again, I bring up Yaxel. You know, he's one of the best prospects. Granted, he's older, but this is the exact type of person that I think Milwaukee could go after to pair with Giannis, and that would just be insane for them to have him, you know, Ryan Rollins. They could also maybe package this for uh, you know, of like another type of veteran note, you know, move off of Kyle Kuzma, who's just been, oh my god, just such enigma the last like three or four years, a guy that at some point looked like a pretty good wing uh you know player, and he's just been this negative asset for a while now. Yeah, so if you're not gonna go with Yaxel there, you know, maybe let's see here, maybe like I don't think a dog I mean Kingston Fleming would be kind of cool for them. I don't know if he's gonna be there, but I could see that that maybe like really working out. I don't know if Michael Brown works there just based on how they play, but you know, with Taylor Jenkins coming in, it changes a lot. You know, getting top groups out there, I think it's just in general is gonna be really good. Jenkins, you know, he he kind of has a tendency to put rookies in the corner and just let them, you know, kind of just put all the pressure on them to just be, you know, these catch and shoot people. I don't know with Rollins and then Addie Michael Brown, I just don't know if that would fit Brown's game as well. But I think Yaxel is would be this awesome thing. I think Braden Burry's there would also be pretty awesome. You know, I mean I think a guy like Keaton Wagler would be perfect for them, but I there's no way that he's gonna fall to 10. We move to Dallas Mavericks, another team that moves down. They do not get the sequel from last year's lottery magic after so excuse me, after landing Cooper Flag previously, the Mavericks stay at nine this time around. Well, I guess they actually move back one, I think technically. This feels more like a death building pick until unless they can package it somehow to move up. But I just I don't think they have enough to really package, really move up, you know, anywhere in this you know, current top, you know, thing here, this current top order. For them, you know, a lot of people have been talking about Darius Acuff. I don't think Darius gets past seven, which is where the Kings are, which you know we'll get into in a second. But they're another team that I you know, if a guy like you know, Kingston Flemings falls to them, I think that could be really interesting in Dallas. You you really need a guy that can play with and off of Cooper. And so you don't want somebody who's gonna be like super high usage, I don't think, because I I imagine Cooper's you know usage is gonna be around 27 most of his career, you know, in that range, you know, like a below a 30. With that in mind, maybe Michael Brown falls to them as well. I think he's that's another pretty interesting spot for them. I I don't think you you want to go with like you know, like a Yaxel. I just you know, I think your your runway is a lot longer. You know, I don't think you want to really take a piece like that, who is probably more ready to go at this point in time. But yeah, I think that there's a lot of these guards here that make a lot of sense. You know, if they don't want to go guard, I mean I really like Dalen Swain. I don't I don't know if they can play together, and I don't know if you're you're like you're gonna take him this high, but you know I could you know see something like that also. You have the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta lands at eight, and they continue to hover in that strange middle ground where they they're kind of too talented to kind of bottom out. This pick is also from the New Orleans Pelicans. So for Atlanta, this is just you know, they they they went into a soft rebuild, you know, you know, you know, straight into a tray, but you know, finally, and they have a lot of this you know, current stuff going on with you know Jalen Johnson and Inetsu and Dyson Daniels, and you're just like, okay, like there's a lot to like here. That they have a lot of really great, you know, size and and and their depth is pretty good. They are missing some real three-point you know caliber shooting. They don't have a real point guard, they have people that can handle the ball, but it's not like a real guard, right? So again, I kind of hate that I'm I'm just kind of like reiterating the same guys. It's just, you know, a lot of these teams that kind of fell to these ranges, I think, are really in a great spot because there should be a lot of really good guards coming up for them. Uh, you know, Keaton Wagner would be really fun here, I think, because of his ability to play on and off the ball. He's a killer shooter. You know, I would not take a guy like Adarius Acuff. I get it, like in Atlanta, you could probably hide him really well, but you just went through that with Trey Young. I do not think that they will go that way. You know, I think you know, Kingston Flemings is also pretty cool here. I think a Daimara actually could be really cool as well. You know, he's this big facilitator, another rim deterrent. You know, he would add more to your defense, and he's another guy that can really just keep the option, the, the, the ops, the offensive options flowing. Man, my voice is not working. But that there's I don't I don't really think Atlanta can pick up wrong pick here. They have so much depth already, they're already really young. They're gonna be a player in the East for at least, you know, the next three to five years. Then we're gonna get into the important lottery stuff here. So the Sacramento Kings slip to seven. Very disappointing for them. They're I think one of the only teams that was just bad this year. I don't think that they were, you know, tanky necessarily. Their management group is not good. Uh, the coaching staff is not good. They the team has not been built well. They didn't want to play. You know, they they signed a bunch of these veterans. I mean, the fact that their their management came out and said that they thought Dennis Schroeder was one of the best gets on the market and then traded him like three months in is just, I think that that's one of the most telling things. They just they they traded for, you know, half of Chicago and they made Chicago West with, you know, Zach Levine and DeMar DeRozan. You know, Maxi Renault was one of their best players, and he was, you know, this round two pick. I just I don't I feel bad for Kings fans. They have such a great fan base, and to be run so inept is just got to be so deflating at this point. But they were one of the teams that were hoping for a lottery luck, could finally get them a foundational young star to pair with their current guys, but instead they fall out of really all the elite tier talent. So it kind of changes from you know future obvious star to potential high-level you know contributor. This range still has really intriguing players. There is a drop-off, but you know, this draft is, I mean, there's so many good players in this draft. I think that they'll be okay. It's just it goes from like this obvious top four, okay, we're good no matter what pick, to we actually have to do our job now. And that's where it comes in to be scary for Kings fans. Uh, because I don't know where you go here, man. Like they have DeMar DeRozan, who's old, Russell Westbrook is old, you know, you've got Keegan Murray, who looks good, but he's not gonna be a star of any type, you know. So, and then he was injured most last year. You have Zach Levine is on a stupid contract. They they won't be able to get him off of that deal unless they you know package this pick, which they're not gonna do. So you're gonna have Zach Levine for at least one more year, you know. They you shipped off Keon Ellis, you know, who a lot of people like. Devin Carter showed some life, but I think at this point, man, you just take whoever you can. If, you know, I mean, everybody's talked about Darius A. Cuff. I think if you're wanting to gifts get people, you know, for the most part in the seeds, which they never have really have a hard time getting fans out there. There's a really good fan base. You know, Darius A. Cuff could be the guy there. You know, he is a pure offensive engine, but as I talked on my last episode, you're taking a guy who is six foot three or less, you better be damn sure because that guy has got to be so good at so many things when they're when they're smaller and they're not good at defense. So I and like an Acuff will not project to be good at defense, you will not be able to hide him for the most part, especially on this Kings team as it currently is. He will be a offensive dynamo, hopefully, and you and a guy that but he has to come in from day one and average like at least 20, or it's gonna be really rough sledding. If it was me, I would go Michael Brown here at seven. Instead, he's the type of guy that I think has all that offensive, you know, you know, fun that that your fans are gonna want. He also has a really great ceiling just because of his size and his skill set. He's very athletic. He he plays well on the ball. I wouldn't play him as a primary, but he plays really great on the ball. He looks to be a legitimate three-point shot maker with his ability to like on his pull-ups, on his ability to get to his spots. He has great verticality. I think that's the type of guy that you could come in and he could be a legitimate future star. If they go with Darius Acuff, I get it. You know, he he has like awesome numbers as well. But just me personally, I would rather go in that direction for them. Uh, we go to Brooklyn, another team that also fell.

Nets At Six Trade Up Or Wait

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You know, the Nets entered the night with legitimate hopes of a top three selection. Instead, they slide to six. That's a kind of drop that can completely alter the trajectory of a rebuild rather than walking away with a near consensus franchise cornerstone. Brooklyn now enters a second tier of the draft board. The question really becomes do they stay patient and continue building slowly, or do they try to package assets and move up? Prospect-wise, this could still land them an exciting player, but probably not one viewed as a guaranteed future star. You know, moving up, I just I mean, like, what would you even kind of give to move up there, right? Like, like, let's say that, you know, maybe the Bulls are okay to move back from four, right? So you would move up for maybe you know, Caleb Wilson if he falls there, you know, and so what you would give up, so like I mean, probably Nick Claxton, uh and then maybe the number six pick, and then maybe a f a Nick pick, and then maybe one of the guards from last year or something. You know, that that could maybe work. And then the Bulls at six could take, you know, I don't know, maybe uh maybe let's see here. Like I die Mara's there at six. That could be pretty cool. I don't know. Everything is just such this weird spot right now because all these rosters were so in these weird rebuilding modes. I don't have all the full roster layouts in front of me. But so this is something that I'll definitely, you know, do in the next couple weeks. It's just it's all it's all very exciting, it's all very fun, but it's gonna be really tough for a lot of these groups to kind of land on the directions that they want to go. If Brooklyn just stays at six, though, you know, it's unfortunate because there's so many good guards and they drafted so many guards last year in a draft that what I don't think well, I would say uh in a draft where I don't think that they nailed any of their picks. I mean, like, um, you know, Jaeger might be okay, but is he just gonna be a guy that like only shoots threes and can pass and not do anything else? I don't know. He he looks pretty limited. And now you would have a chance at like these other like guards that are that are just awesome as well, right? I think that that if they knew that they had a chance at getting like, you know, A Cov, Michael Brown, uh, you know, Kingston Flemings or Keaton Walkler this year, they probably don't spend so many picks on on all those guards. So with that in mind, you know, they could maybe go with, you know, maybe try and win now and take Yaxel and just hope that like the next like you know four to five years are just really like you know company, like you you put Yaxel at the four, you know, keep you know Porter Jr. at the three, hope that Jaeger, I mean like that would immediately give them a lot more push to to hit that play-in game or more, maybe, because you know, Yaxel's damn good. You know, it's it's gonna be so much fun, you know, because I think that they have a few different fun you know directions here.

Clippers Steal The Pacers Pick

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You go to number five, there's another winner here, the Lots of Clippers. I'm sure Clippers fans are so excited because not only did they get the Pacers pick, but it was the best case of the pick, which is was at five. So they for a team that has spent years trading away all their draft capital and chasing championships, suddenly own the fifth pick in a very loaded draft. This gives them a chance to inject real youth and athleticism into an aging roster. Depending on how the board falls from one to four, the Clippers could be in range for a high upside creator or a modern two-way wing or even a player that they make view as the future face of the franchise. This pick will also give them flexibility if they want to trade again because they they love to just give away picks. So this trade could be fully on the table here. They they did get a haul from the Pacers for Zubots, you know. So at this point at five, man, Darius Garland is there now, so it's hard to take another guard unless you're thinking woggler, which could be, you know. Something to play there. You could also maybe just go after, you know, a dime marrow here. You know, you you just gave away Zoobots. Maybe you just go get your next big man. He'll be on a pretty good contract, you know, considering you know how much that they were they're paying zoo. Maybe you you go that direction. You know, Qui Leonard is getting older, you know, or maybe they they go with the axle, which will be crazy to take him at five. But you know, I've heard a lot of people that like him higher than that. So I don't know. It's very I think the Clippers will be a wild card for sure because we do not know what they like to do because they because they don't trap that often. So this is gonna be a lot of fun. And then we go into the top four.

Top Four Scenarios And Best Fits

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I'm sorry that I keep saying that like it's gonna be fun. Um, it's gonna be very exciting. How about that? The Chicago Bulls jump into the top four, and that completely changes everything for them. They they had a pretty, I don't know, I'm gonna say average year, but some some really good moments last year. You know, Amantes Bezales showed some pretty good life there. Noah Essengay, you know, while he did get posterized last year in summer league, that might be the most thing that people talked about with him. He did show pretty good flashes last year as well. And you know, they have Josh Giddy, which can be good and bad. They traded away finally all their guards. They they they brought back Jaden Ivey, who subsequently has gone crazy since then. So so he's gone, and so they've been like this weird limbo spot because they have refused to tank. So now it's like, okay, so do they go with the Caleb Wilson? That's that's the you know the thing here. They have a lot of guys that have the same type of build, and it's I just don't know how they all fit because none of them are true shooters either. But I you know, Caleb is definitely worth taking here. He's incredibly you know athletic. He I think his defense will be good in the league. I know that he didn't show specific numbers to back that up, but there's a lot, a lot to like there. He's great in transition at scoring, which is what they like to do. He's awesome at the rim, he has a great startup side. Like he is, I mean, like I I love Caleb Wilson. Like, you know, he is number two to me. So, you know, I if I'm the Bulls, like I would definitely take him. I just don't know if that's what they're gonna do. You know, I they could trade back or something like that, but I mean, if it's me, you you always take the best person available and then figure out your roster management after that. I would take Caleb Wilson here at number four. You go to number three, it's another uh team that rises up, it's the Memphis Grizzlies. Uh, you know, I'm very biased here. I was obviously I was at work. I was unfortunately like one of two people that was actually watching the draft lottery. So we were high-fiving and talking and everything. Well, everybody else just thought that they were weird because it was Mother's Day. Everybody else is just eating their lunch. The Memphis Grizzlies land in the top three is, I think, is pretty terrifying for the rest of the league. Unlike some of the other rebuilding teams near the top, the Grizzlies already have a structure in place that they have some talent in place. They they have a lot of you know good young young building pieces here already. They don't really need this pick to save the franchise, but it is definitely going to elevate them and put them on a timeline that is two years, I think, faster than we thought it was going to be. You know, a lot of people don't like Zach Kleiman in Memphis, but there's a good bit around just the in general NBA landscape that loves Zach Kleiman in terms of his ability to draft. I will say that he has hit on more than he has missed on, but his process is always been good. So it's dangerous for him for I think other people that the fact that the Grizzlies will have number three here, if they'll have number 16 in this draft and number 32, they also have three first-round picks next year as more ammo. And they they have a few more picks after that. I think they have like 11 or 12 the next like five, six, six years or something, something like that. I think that sounds right. And so they have ammo if they want to, you know, potentially maybe move from 16 to one of these those other, like, you know, maybe to 10 or 11 or 12. You know, we'll see there. Maybe Golden State just wants to to you know entirely trade out of that pick now. I don't know, but it's it's gonna be very dangerous. So this is where names like Cameron Boozer or Darren Peterson kind of really you know fit here, and also Caleb Wilson, obviously. Boozer's high IQ uh foreplay and his polished offensive game would uh fit so amazing in Memphis next to Zach Edy. I mean, those two would just imagine like another Tim Duncan, David Robinson. Like, like except this modern game. You know, you you have Wimby, you know, who's been you know crazy dominant, and now the fact that he would have to contend with Edie, who weighs about 60 pounds more than him, who's also just as big, and then Boucher just gets to you know run free. And so Wimby will have to choose both those guys' gravity will be just bat breaking for teams when they're on the court together, or you go with Darren Peterson, who who also might be in this range, who is this guard who I think is very much like a Ray Allen, except with a better potential on defense. I do not think Peterson will be a primary, but he's gonna be awesome off the ball. He is also a really good processor. You know, unfortunately, a lot of that it doesn't show up to a certain degree. I don't like he's not a ball stopper. I think that you know, it's just a mixture of, you know, I think the the offensive load that was on him was was high. You know, he he had these weird, you know, issues with injuries here and there. And you know, he did it just the the system kind of wasn't great. But I I think Peterson comes in the league and all of a sudden people are like, why wasn't he this awesome in college? And he was, it was, it was all there. It was just you know kind of hidden, kind of like, you know, it was hidden in the mud, I guess, to a certain degree. Either one of them would be awesome here. Caleb Wilson, I've already said, I think would be like a fit here in Memphis, just based on his mentality and playstyle. He would be a fan favorite from day one. People would be, you know, in the streets chanting his name from day one. He is such this grind, chip on the shoulder, I'm gonna punch you in the mouth, you know, come at me type of player. He has so much attitude on the court. It's just he would be great here as well. So any of those three guys, if they fall here, I think would be amazing. Uh Utah moves up from five to two. Utah staying near the top gives them a really great opportunity to just get another piece to this current rebuild. I guess like in quote unquote, even though it looks pretty built, uh, the Jazz have quietly accumulated young talent, flexibility, and draft capital, but they lack a real offensive engine. So picking second will really give them that. Uh, it could be Darren Peterson as well. You know, you you you put him in that two-guard spot. He can take on all of the heavy offensive matchups on like on the that side of the ball. He's also amazing off the ball as well, just a killer shooter, you know. I man, like he would really round them out as well to a really great degree. I mean, like, you know, he's got great good size, awesome shot making. He has that modern NBA scoring ability, you know, and some really great tools where he could be the alpha there, which is crazy because they already have Jaron Jackson and everybody else. It's just so crazy. But if if AJ Debanza somehow falls and doesn't go first, then they would, I think, you know, have a championship parade in June because you know, with him playing at a BYU and he's he's very close, and and I think he just wants to be in that fan base still, you know, that would be crazy. You know, that they would have so much size now if you throw Ace at the two, which is maybe kind of weird, and then you have, you know, I guess, you know, AJ at the three, and then is it Jaron at the five and Lori at the four and then Walkers off the bench? I don't know. Like they're gonna have a lot of really great options either way. I think Darren makes more sense from a roster building standpoint. He's also got great potential as well, but you know, it's all really gonna depend on the top team, and that is the Washington Wizards. They they they they get to keep their pick. It's the first time in a long time that the team that had the best odds actually won it. So after years of rebuilding, roster turnover, fan frustration, they land the number one pick in what should be a really great draft class. Everything points currently to AJ Debanza, elite scoring, size, athleticism, shot creation. You know, he's the type of wing prospect that every NBA team really covets. More importantly, this gives Washington something they haven't really had in a long time, and that is a clear direction. Uh the Wiz the Wizards suddenly have a centerpiece face of the franchise. And after everything this organization has gone through, they desperately really needed this one. And then you you also throw in the fact with you know Trey Young, Davis, and everything. I think, man, they they could definitely be obviously back in the playoffs next year as long as health is there. But at the very least, so you know, the one like you know Alex Tsar, they had, you know, I think a pretty good pick last year in Trey Johnson. He just you know kind of didn't really pop, you know, for most of the year, but like you know, he was very you know, just quietly solid. Uh, but just in general, it's crazy how things you know really shook out here. And like I don't want to show my bias, but I'm I'm just you know over the moon about the Grizzlies going into the third spot here. You know, Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson is gonna be awesome at Memphis. If Cameron goes higher than that, then you know if Darren Peterson falls there. Uh, that would also be great here. You know, you know, like him and Coward on the wings would be super cool. But it's

Combine Next Episodes And Big Board

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gonna be really fun. The the draft combine started, I believe, yesterday, but but the games should start today. So we're gonna start to get a lot more of the measurements, a lot more of the drill combine scores. We're gonna see how these guys are playing together. And that's really gonna also affect my big board going forward. So I'm gonna give it this week and then I'm gonna update my my big board. I'll be having a mock draft out in a couple of weeks. And we're just gonna really gonna be moving and grooving here. Now that we we have this in place starting next week, so so not not the not the episode right after this, which I'm doing another one this week. I'm gonna kind of put on the you know GM hat. I'm gonna go through each team from you know one through four and then five through eight. And so, like I'm gonna do these little like sections of teams acting as their you know GM. I'm gonna go through their entire roster, salary cap picks, all that stuff, and try to kind of just figure out the best moves for them going forward and and who most fits them in terms of this pick, maybe trading back, blah, blah, blah. Right. So a lot of you know fun content if you're very into specific teams or if you're really just into data, I or just like you know, the the overall process of thought in terms of what teams could do. I think that's a really good, you know, experience as well, just to kind of hear maybe somebody not in your current like ear or in your echo chamber. So thank y'all so much with the 2026 image draft lottery. It looks to have shifted the future of several franchises overnight. You know, so Washington is gonna get their superstar. Memphis somehow becomes even scarier, Chicago has hope again, and the Brooklyn fans are staring at the ceiling, wondering what could have been. But now the really exciting part starts because we're gonna get starting getting into all the workouts, draft combine, and just nothing but buzz, guys. Please come back because I need somebody to talk to. So, as always, keep watching basketball. I've been doing this for 10 years. This is he's two years away from being two years away, and then we'll see.