The Draft Starts Here: Mocking picks 5-8

Pick five is the moment the 2026 NBA Draft stops being predictable and starts exposing front offices. We jump into picks five through eight of our mock draft GM series and get honest about what each team can actually do, not what fans wish they could do, once the salary cap, the apron, and draft equity come into focus.

We start with the Los Angeles Clippers, a team living with the aftermath of years of “go for it” moves. Their cap sheet is tight, their flexibility is thin, and this pick matters because they cannot afford another long runway project. We talk through cap holds and Bird rights, why that stuff shapes every decision, and then stack up realistic options like Mikel Brown as the next probable star tier, plus the bigger swing conversations around a Aday Mara or Yaxel Lendeborg.

Then we pivot to the Brooklyn Nets, where the story is the opposite: cap space, roster spots, and an absurd stash of picks. Fourteen first-rounders and twenty-two second-round picks turns rebuilding into leverage, whether that means trading up, buying picks, or targeting upside like Darius Acuff if the board breaks right. From there, we hit the Sacramento Kings’ expensive roster purgatory and what pick seven needs to accomplish, before closing with the Atlanta Hawks at pick eight and how a post Trae Young direction changes the types of prospects that make sense.

If you want NBA mock draft analysis grounded in salary cap reality and team-building logic, press play, subscribe, share it with a draft-obsessed friend, and leave a review so more hoops sickos can find us.

Transcript

Why Pick Five Changes Everything

SPEAKER_00 0:27

What is up, everybody? Welcome back to the Draft and Stash podcast. It is May 27, 2026. We are continuing our mock draft uh you know GM series with picks five through eight. So we're getting into the Los Angeles Clippers, we're getting into the Brooklyn Nets, the Sacramento Kings, and the Atlanta Hawks. And I kind of think this is where a lot of people agree that the draft really starts. The first four picks, while they're all very great, all those teams are very exciting for having them. We already know pretty much who those four guys are. It would be the shock of the NBA century if anybody doesn't go in the top four in some kind of like combination there. But

Clippers Stuck In The Middle

SPEAKER_00 1:07

pick five with the Los Angeles Clippers is where things get really, really spicy. So we're going to get into that today. So basically, the Clippers, you know, I don't say like the bill has come, but you know, it's the over the last couple of years, they're still suffering the effects of that terrible trade with the Thunder and a few others, actually. You know, so that they've kind of spent some years here sacrificing draft control and flexibility to chase a title around Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and you know James Harden, and now Darius Garland. Uh, they're now in this really uh dangerous territory where they're like stuck in the middle with no path, that they have no path to get better. Moving up for this pick is such a big deal for them. It gives them a chance. I don't know. So when I talk to Anthony Sain, like you know, he he fully believes that they should trade out of this pick, that you know, they're gonna go for it, they should just go for it. And I I honestly am confused. I would love to hear from some Clipper fans on what they would prefer to do, because I don't think there's a chance of them even competing. So, you know, trading out unless you know the person they're gonna trade out for is like Giannis, you know, straight up for the for the pick, which is not possible, but let's just say like in some kind of weird world, then I mean, yeah, I think that that would be huge for them, and they would definitely be all of a sudden go from not even a playoff team to a possible contender with you know quite leonard, dear, Scarland, and you know, Yannis Nakumbo. I don't think that that is something that can happen, though. So you just begin to like kind of look and see like, okay, well, do they just go after immediate rotation help? Do they go for somebody that's really good defense? Do they just trade out? You know, is this about lineups? Do they start to, you know, it's I I just I don't think the Clippers can can afford another project player. Their cap sheet is already crazy. So let's get in their cap sheet really quick here. Basically, as we are looking here, uh man, I mean, like White Leonard is on here for you know $50 million. They've got uh Darius Carlin's at 42. They they uh have a team option on Bogdan Bogdanovich, Derrick Jones is still available, and then that pick at five is right, it's right under $10 million. And then they got Rick Lopez, who's a team option, Nicholas Batum. Oh, I can't believe he's still in the league. He's a team option. So basically, with with like just bringing back all of those current pieces, they're at $172 million, which is crazy. Then you get into their cap holds, which is John Collins at around 40, but it did at Madrin's around 30. And so for people that don't know, a cap hold is kind of the league's way of not allowing a team to kind of cheese. So the caphold is basically this is a salary that is on your books currently if you have the intention of resigning this player, and it puts in that player's bird rights, which is a team's ability to go, I think, up to like 20 to 30 percent over the cap based on like age and everything of the player. So you can renounce this and get back that money, but every other team now has basically the same chance to sign them at an equal deal. So if you're afraid that they're gonna bounce on you, it's best to like hold on to that to keep though that that cap holds so that you can come to like a higher amount of agreements. Kind of helps teams that are like in small markets, like you know, keep players and stuff, right? Going down from just this basic contract structure here. I mean, they could maybe waive Bogdanovich for an extra 16 and a couple of these team options, but you know, we get into their draft picks here, they've got eight over the next seven years, which is like not a lot. That's crazy, right? So they they they lucked into this pick, which they didn't have originally. So their their draft equity was even worse. And then next year, they're gonna have the least favorable of their own or the Thunder. So the Thunder get another good. Oh, sorry. Excuse me. Uh the Thunder get another good pick off them. Then they don't have a pick in 2028, and then they get the Pacers in 2029, which may or may not be good. You know, the Pacers not getting obviously this pick, I think, really hurts them. And they're not that old, but that that pick might be a little juicy. And then basically at 2030 is when they they start to get all their picks again, right? We get into the second round, they actually have the Grizzlies pick this year. There's a whole bunch of like weird trade stuff that went back and forth. The Grizzlies end up with the Pacers at like 32, and the the Clippers get this one. It was a whole bunch of stuff. Then next year they have Cleveland's and they don't have one tilt in 27. So basically, they only have six second round picks in the next seven drafts. And what we've kind of learned is second round picks have been a lot more valuable because you're able to kind of grab what could be cheap, you know, free agent options of like older players in in the second round, and you can get them at like smaller deals, right? You look at Memphis with you know Cam Spencer, who's a guy that could probably get a little bit more on the market. So a lot of these guys could be, you know, in other years will be like these undrafted, you know, free agent rookies, but now teams are just grabbing them in the second round to lock them up to like you know shorter term you know money and then like you know, maybe like a few extra years. You know, so it's those those have become very, very helpful. And and we'll talk about the X team, the Brooklyn Nets, and how they've got like just 8,000 you know, second round picks, which is absolutely crazy. So I mean, looking at this team, I just this is not a a contender. It's just not. I mean, even if they just bring back everybody and their and their owner, you know, Balmer wants to pay all this money. I mean, like Yannick was okay as a rookie eventually, like you know, I finally getting like you playing time. I still like Isaiah Jackson, but you know, he can't be your starter. Derek Jones was hurt half the year, and but he was you know really good like a year or so ago, and I still think he has value. It's just hard to trust Darius Garland, right? He he's he's really electric when he plays, but his defense is not great. He's another small guard, and he gets injured a lot, right? Uh Bogdan has he's been so hit or miss. It's been a few years since he was like really killer. Chris Dunn has been, you know, a super good staple of theirs, you know, on defense. I just don't know what they do here. You know, it's it's so rough, you know. So

Clippers Big Board And Best Fit

SPEAKER_00 7:04

if we just look at my big board, so let's just say that you know, for you know, just argument's sake, that they decide to keep their pick in the at five, right? And let's assume that Cameron Boozer, Darren Peterson, AJ DeBanza, and Caleb Wilson are all off the board. Let's talk about a few names that have come up, and that would be, you know, we you've got Michael Brown, everybody's starting to talk a lot about. You've got a dai Mara, Keaton Wagner is in there. So people have even said that maybe they just take a Yaxel since he might be the best bridge of like being a player that has some veteran ability based on his age, and then also he's a rookie, so that that contract, you know, would be like you know, uh it would be a below market value for a player of his of his worth, right? I am certain to hear some stuff about Yaxel where even though he is 24, he's pretty immature. But you know, some people that are scouting and everything are are kind of like swearing that you know things are not as bad as they were ever since he got to Michigan. That they've been really they they worked hard to get a lot of that immaturity out of him. We'll see at the next level when he doesn't have people you know policing him, you know, in terms of his his you know approach to the game. You look at somebody like Gigi Jackson, who was very immature as well, and that that also hurt his draft stock. But you know, it took Gigi three years before he really started to understand how to be a pro. And he's a second round pick. So you know, imagine taking the axle at five. You can't wait three years. For one, he's 24, so you can't wait until he's 27 before he finally gets it. And then also, like, you can't be paying somebody, you know, you know, what what little money you have, right? So I think a lot of people believe that Mikel Brown will be their pick at five. And I'm I'm also that's probably where I'm gonna mock that as well. Just after the the top four, I kind of view Michael as the next probable star. You look at every like thing that is like an indicator for him in terms of his size, his athleticism, his shooting, his his next play like ability. He does a really good job at seeing the the correct outcomes of things. Uh he has it looks to be he's gonna be a very projectable outside threat, a person that can really, really get it going. You know, his numbers were not great, but there's enough of a sample size in certain parts of the season that you know he shows the ability to be a really strong person from outside. Maybe like at worst, he might be like a J.R. Smith or something, but you know, he should be better than that. Like, I personally don't believe he's gonna be a point guard. I just I mean I know that he played on the ball about like 30% of the time, I believe, uh, which is is a large chunk. But I think he might just be better off the ball. You know, playing with Garland, I think would be a good way for him to kind of like get slowly get worked in. But if you don't go at Aymara, I'm sorry, uh Mike Up Brown, maybe a Daimara could be a person who's getting a lot of buzz. I'm I I die currently out of my top 10. A lot of people have him at eight, at seven, at six. You know, he's being slowly pushed up as this next great big man. I think he has a lot of a lot of problems. Uh, you know, mainly on uh like on offense. I don't know how he's gonna score at a consistent clip. He's not a great free throw shooter, he's not great from range, he can't really shot create for himself. He's really great at passing uh around people, over people. He's got a really good feel for the game in terms of just processing. So I think you know he'll he'll be able to find his way at some point. Uh he's gonna need to be with uh uh like a pretty dynamic guard as well to help him out, which you know, Garland could be, but on defense, he he's really, really effective. I think that he would be a crazy REM deterrent. He's basically his standard reach was like 10 feet. So, you know, I I think that could be maybe uh something for them. I mean, if that's the case, maybe they they trade back a little bit. I just don't know. I mean, like if it's not one of those three, you know, it it can't be Darius Acuff, obviously, because you can't have him and you know Garland playing together. It's just not really gonna work. You know, I just I feel like if it's if you're not gonna take a swing on Michael, you should probably just either trade back from this pick and maybe try to try to pick up a couple of extra assets here. Let us move on.

Nets Cap Space And Pick Arsenal

SPEAKER_00 11:07

The Brooklyn Nets, they they might be able to weaponize their flexibility. They are gonna have money, they'll have spots, they've got a lot of second-round picks, which we will get into here in a second, as you can kind of see on my screen to a certain degree there. Their you know, salary cap will allow them to take on a large deal here and there, which is also pretty big that they wanted to like and facilitate or that they can buy draft picks. But after last year, when they had five first-round picks, and I I personally feel like they they missed on all five of these picks. They just even in like real time, people were like, What are they doing? Like these picks were just not good. So they still have Michael Porter Jr. I believe this is like the last year of his current deal. They had uh like 41 million. You've got Nick Claxton, Terrence Mann, who's still there. The pick they're gonna have is right around 9 million. You got uh, you know, Yikor Demon. I I really like Dan Ron Sharp. I I thought he signed for like a smaller amount last year, but they have a team option on him. I assume that that they just take that on him because he's a really strong backup center. Uh Zara Williams, this is probably like his last, you know, hoorah here. I don't expect them to pick that up. Noah Clowney, Nolan Treur, Drake Powell, Ben Sarah, Danny Will. So you just got like all these young guys. You're just like, oh my God, like this team is so so even without them, them holding anything, they've got about 131 million. So they're about like 30 something million dollars under the current salary. Then they've got some other guys that are cap holes and like free agents. I don't assume that they pick Peck O'Chi uh uh Abhaji up. That is a crazy cap hold on him. So they should have around like you know 30 or so million dollars to like go and sign somebody, maybe, or it I would maybe just take this next year to just kind of you know retool and just keep keep slowly rebuilding because you are finally out of the massive hole that you were in after the James Harden stuff and the Kevin Durant and the Kyrie Irving stuff, and before that with the Paul Pierce and the Kevin Garnett stuff. So like they're finally in a in a way that they can get you know back into things. I I think that they just need to be patient, you know, which I know is not fair for Nets fans because they probably feel like they've been patient for a long time now. And their last time that they saw any type of you know real substance was when Kevin Durant shot that three, but it ended up being a two, and they you know lost that game and then ended up losing all those players like the next year. I I think that they are in a place where they can swing for upside. It makes perfect sense here for them. You know, the uh the the floor is pretty open. You know, I think you just go for a player that you think will be able to maybe be that that face. I don't think it's gonna be Michael Porter Jr., especially after he came out and said that he stopped trying after not being an all-star, which is I mean, like that guy, man, he's just like he had so much talent and such an ego maniacal douchebag. Like, you know, just going back and watching so many clips, all the podcast stuff, like, oh my god, like this this guy needs to be in therapy. It's just it's crazy. Watching like him interact with oh man, who was it? It was like Lonzo and LaMelo, and Lonzo is the adult in the room as they're talking about like not wanting to tip, and Lonzo's like, why? Like, you know, you like and they're just I it it was it's just crazy how how just there's not a level of maturity to him whatsoever. So I mean, I I think getting off of him and getting censorable assets would be really, really good. But beyond that, let's let's look at their team here. So you look at their first round picks, they've got 14 first round picks over the next seven years, which is killer. They're gonna have their own this year. Next year, they're gonna have the Knicks, which is unprotected, and they're gonna have their own or Houston on a pick swap. So next year, it's not a great draft, but with these new rules, man, I think every lottery pick is now all of a sudden live. It's it's so weird, right? Uh 2028, they they have another two picks, 2029, they're gonna have two pick, they're gonna have three picks in 2029, and then you know, 30 and 31 is just theirs. Uh, you know, sorry, and 30 is theirs, 31, they have two, 32, they have two. So their GM, while I don't think his processing for talent evaluation was very good, his wheeling and dealing has been really good in terms of being able to get assets. I think he needs to get a person in the room that understands quality in the draft to be able to like really help him out. I just don't think they, I mean, in a draft that was great last year and you had five picks, none of them make the all rookie team or even come close, like like in my in my opinion. And so, like, you know, you can't have, you know, almost like almost a third of the first round and not get you know one of the 10 spots. That is like that that's crazy. But you look at their second round picks, they have I like I have to scroll here because there's so many. They have 22 second-round picks over the next seven years. That is insanity, people. I like that's that's that's wild, man. They have in this one, 2026, they have three, 2027, only one. But then in 2028, they have another three, 2029, they have another, they have four. 2030, they have four, 2031, they have three, 2032, they have four, you know, and then in 2033, they they have one. It is insane how many second-round picks. I think that they have so much ammo to really go and do something. And you know, seeing the type of moves that they've made, I I can see them cashing in on some of these. That there's definitely some teams that would, you know, really take those picks. I'm sure that they can sell some if they're you know wanting to be cheap. But yeah, I mean, like Brooklyn should be in a pretty good spot here. Uh maybe in like two to three years, if they'll play this right, to be you know, like right back in the thick things. And also by that point, uh, you know, the East might have cooled to some you know degree. Uh so I I think that you know it's uh I think it's it's a it's a really good chance that they can get back to where the owner wants to be, and you know, that they've just really never been almost and now with the Knicks in the finals, they've just never really had a chance at you know being that actual, you know, big brother, I guess, you know, so to speak. So let's move on to the uh Sacramento Kings.

Kings Direction Crisis At Seven

SPEAKER_00 17:12

Sacramento Kings, you know, choose a lane, I guess, is more so what they need to be doing here. Sacramento has become one of the NBA's most confusing rosters. The Kings have veterans, expensive contracts, multiple offensive creators, no, no true direction, no real franchise player. Their current core of Devontae Stobonas, DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, Dionya Hunter. It's there's talent, you know, but it's not cohesive in any type of way. Their salary cap situation is not great. The Kings are incredibly expensive. They are pushing right into the apron territory. So they have no flexibility and they're not elite and they aren't young. You know, they're they're in a worse purgatory than the Clippers. At least the Clippers, you know, top-end talent is still valuable enough to make them competitive. Then you look at their future draft picks and they have traded away other picks. So even that's not great, you know. So, you know, here here pick seven, they're they're really in a in a place where it's unfortunate that they didn't move into the top four with the lottery odds. You know, they are, you know, I don't know, man, like they need such a hit here. You know, it's it's absolutely crazy. Let's look at their cap sheet. So Zach Levine almost at $50 million. He has a player option, he's definitely going to be taking that. DeMontas Sabonis at almost $46 million. Dearno Rosen is restricted. I assume that they will gladly move off of him if they're able to. Killing Hayes is a restricted free agent with a team option. Maybe they keep that, maybe they don't. Need Clifford from last year, one of their picks, Dylan Cardwell and Maxime Renaud. It's funny that Dylan Cardwell and Maxime Renaud were two of their better players, and they're the lowest salary-wise and the lowest in terms of draft capital spent. So even with that, they're at $213 million, which is a bonkers amount of money to be so unbelievably bad. You look at the all other cap holes and the players coming off, you know, there's Trey Lyles, Precious Achua, Jay Crowder, finally, Andrew Eubanks, Marco Foltz, just on and on and on. You know, even with all this cap hole being renounced, you're still going to be over right around that that like you know, first apron. Absolutely crazy. You look at their picks in the first round. They do have 10 picks in the next seven years. They have two picks in the 2027 draft, and then they have two picks in the 2031 draft. So uh, you know, they they have a little bit of ammo, but the picks they have are not great because it's one one from the Spurs, you know, actually two from the Spurs, won't one's from Minnesota. You know, it just doesn't look great, right? And then you get into second-round uh picks and they've got seven over the next seven years. They will not have one for like a three-year stretch between 2028 and 2030. So it's it's pretty like you know, basic stuff. They have a little bit of ammo to go and do something. I don't know if they will. Uh, you know, it's man, it's just gonna be so tough in general for them to build this roster out. The Kings fans are some of the best fans in the entire NBA. This is very rough to look at. The fact that they built this roster, how they built it, thinking that Dennis Schroeder was gonna be this good piece for some reason. Russell Westbrook gets picked up last second. He's one of their better players all year. It's just this roster had no chance in any type of capacity of ever being good this year. They're gonna have to do a lot here. I didn't really talk about players for Brooklyn, maybe also drafting, but you know, we just kind of mixed them and the Kings together here. With Brooklyn, I can see a world where they maybe go after Darius Acuff. I think it's funny that you know they drafted like four guards last year and none of them were good. So now they might have to draft another guard. But you know, you you could definitely point to maybe Jaeger like and Keaton Walger could play together. You know, there's also if Brown falls here, I think that that would be a like a killer pick for them. Darius Acuff, like I just said, I think could also be good here. You know, looking at the Kings. I I definitely think Darius Acuff goes seven. I think there I do not think that there is a world where he falls past the Kings. He is the type of player that ownership will look at and say, oh, like he is a big name, he's a high scoring threat, he's gonna put butts in the seats, he will make us valuable from a financial perspective again, even though I don't think I just don't think that Darius would be in a position where he could really elevate that franchise, unfortunately. You know, I think that there's a couple teams he could go to and really do some stuff, but I I just I do not think that it's uh it's anything with the you know Kings here. You know, if for me, I think Yaxel makes a lot of sense at seven for the Kings. He's a person who could come in and basically do a lot of roles, which is what they need. They they they need a people who could. Do a lot of stuff, you know. So, you know, I I could see that you maybe like a dime Margo's here, you put him and Sabonis next next to each other. So Sabonas can just play the four, you know, put Keegan at the three, and then probably, you know, start Neek at this point. You know, I I could see that happening. I think that that that might be kind of cool. I kind of like the idea of, you know, maybe Maris Johnson going here. I think you know, he could be a bully as well for Sabonis. Plus, he can do a lot of other things that a Dimara can't do. Uh that could be an option. Maybe maybe Kingston Flemings here is also a person that that can maybe be an option. You know, the based on their roster, they they have a lot of you know, a lot of room here. I think if they can you know somehow convince somebody to take Zach Levine, that would be really helpful for them, maybe being able to, you know, maybe make a couple moves to add a few other pieces. So for either of those teams, I think that those will both be pretty good, you know, options for them. And then we're gonna move into the Atlanta Hawks here.

Hawks Needs After The Trae Era

SPEAKER_00 23:04

All right. The Atlanta Hawks, the uh Trey Young crossroads are over. Everything Atlanta comes down on one question. You know, now that Trey Young is gone, are they a real championship team? You know, I guess we'll we'll see at some point here. Their roster didn't have any elite offensive players. This really came out in the playoffs as Jalen Johnson, you know, kind of got shut down. Dyson Daniels could not hit a jump shot whatsoever. Nikhil Alexander Walker looks like you know one of the steals last year, you know, was just amazing. He was one of the players that I really wanted that the you know Grizzlies to get. But the Hawks get lucky and they they go and grab him and they pay for him. And he was just killer for them. You know, so now at pick eight, they kind of had this, you know, they they have some some needs, but they're also really young. And they have the they're they're building a really like athletic squad down there, you know, if you look at everything. So I mean I'm excited to see which direction that they might go in here. You know, it's like they're not true contenders how they are now, and I don't think this number eight pick is really going to make them true contenders, but you know, it's definitely a step in the right direction. And you know, as we look at their you know, cap sheet here in the uh, you know, 2026-2077, uh Jalen Johnson's now at 30, Dyson Daniels will be at 25, John DeCabinga is at 24, but he is a team option, and I doubt that they pick him up. I don't think that, you know, I think the Warriors were correct in not paying him. He just doesn't do enough, you know. But he's probably somebody that'll get like 14 or 15 million, but you know, anything over 20 is just it's just hobby robbery, you know, from his camp. Anyeka Kanwu, you know, I I'm always hesitant about big men that begin to fade to the three-point line. You look back to, you know, a guy like Sergei Baca, who was this incredible defender, blocked every shot, and then as he slowly worked his way out there, I think it ruined what his like new superpowers were, which was high athletic, you know, activity in the paint and rebounding and things of that nature. And then I don't know, I I feel like I hope that doesn't happen with him. You know, he's really athletic, but you know, it looks like they're trying to use him as this, you know, purely you know, pick and pop guy that's hanging over like in the corners. Hopefully that's not what he's gonna be doing here. Corey Kisper saw his large deal here. Isaac Risa Shea, I don't know how long he is for Atlanta. I think he might just need a better place to go. But even with all that said, they they should have some good money here. You know, that they're gonna move off of CJ and these other players. I don't think that they bring back, you know, I can't talk. Uh, how can I bring back Jonathan Kaminga? So they should have around like 20 to 30 million dollars, probably, which which allows them to use most of their exceptions and everything else. Beyond that, let's look at their picks. They have nine over the next seven years. This year, they they get the Pelicans pick because for whatever reason the Pelicans decided to just give away their pick this year, and they also traded away that like Indiana. Like it's crazy that there's a world where the Pelicans have number eight and number five, and their their franchises in such a such a great spot, and instead it's like complete dire straits out there. You look at 2027, they're gonna have another pick there, and then 2028, they have the they have roll of theirs and Cleveland's, and then pretty much just their own picks after that. Yeah, and so then we go into the second round picks here, and they you know have nine of seven as well. So, so uh, you know, they're gonna have two picks in this current draft, which I think both can really help them here. You know, I imagine that they'll still try to bring in a veteran because CJ was really, really good for them. I don't know if they'll bring him back. There's probably other options that are cheaper that I think could like you know really like work for them. Like you know, I think like a Ty Jerome would be like, you know, like a player of that caliber could really work for them. If we're looking just at the draft picks around eight, everybody is saying a Daimara, a Daimara, and maybe uh, you know, it's I have some issues with his level of conditioning as well. He didn't play a lot of minutes for Michigan. Atlanta's pretty damn athletic and they like to get after it. I don't know how long of stretches he could play. Would he be good? Sure. You know, but you look at somebody like Donovan Klingon, who has issues and Portland doesn't play like a crazy fast pace, but he still looks to be behind a lot. And, you know, he he's going on like his third year. A die, you know, is you know, 21 at this point. I just I don't know if that would be the direction I would go. If we're not going that way, you know, some other players that we've already mentioned, like you know, Jaxel, I think obviously would be here. I wouldn't go Darius Acuff. That's another person that you know you you just got out of the Trey Young business. You know, Darius might be better, but you know, I just I don't think you you get right back into that. You know, Kingston Flemings also here could be a lot of fun. Braden Burries, I I think is for whatever reason like underrated. I I've got him highly ranked, but I think he could be really good here. I mean, like him, like and you know, like Alexander could be killer together on the wings, maybe like a Dalen Swain, you know, if they might be a little too rich at eight, but you know, he's definitely a player that I could see maybe you know moving up here and there. I don't know. So they they have some some pretty good options there. I mean, would they go like a Cameron Carr? I mean, he would fix some of their issues, you know, with shooting on the wings and this and that. And that guy is a pure gunner out there, but you might be able to get him at like a later with their second round pick. So I mean, maybe you could wait for something like that, you know. You know, also maybe, you know, LeBron Phylon could be at the at their second pick range. Maybe that's another person that you know that's a pure like offensive type of guard. I know, I mean, like they're having two picks here, it gives them some really cool versatile approaches in terms of what they want to do. So it's it's gonna be exciting for for the Hawks and the Hawks fans. You know, I like I was saying in the last episode, it's always more fun when the when the more historical name teams are good, you know, like the Celtics and the Hawks and the Knicks. It's like it's cool that the Knicks are in the finals. Like, I I mean, I I fully think that the Thunder will, you know, probably close out the Spurs tomorrow at this point. So I'm hoping that the Knicks, you know, maybe maybe like a puncher's chance. We'll see. You know, Keaton Wangler could also be good here with the Hawks. You know, he he he fits a lot of what they do, you know, like taller players. His shooting will also be like like very, very, you know, valuable. But who knows, man? The draft is a little under a month from now. Uh, so it's just it's just gonna keep getting more exciting, man.

Next Mock Draft Picks And Plans

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You know, yeah, players should be fully pulling their names out today. So I'll be able to get my big board entirely ready and then probably a mock draft next week. We are going to continue our series on mock draft with picks nine through 12. And then the week after that, I'll be doing uh 13 and then the rest of the first round. So I'm I'm only gonna go into 13 and 14's cap stuff, and then we'll kind of just talk about the rest of the first round. I might have a guest on as well to kind of break down the Charlotte Hornets, the person that is really close with all that stuff. He he lives in that region, also does a lot of draft stuff. So that could be really fun. I'm trying to hook hook that up and we'll see how it goes. But yeah, you know, just we're just gonna keep charting along, guys. Um, I'm excited. You know, next month, of course, I'll be doing probably a live draft, you know, watch as it's going on. I'll be going to Vegas in July. So I'll be doing some summer league stuff there. And just gonna keep coming with more and more stuff. I might have more exciting news later on, you know. Just gotta keep hanging out with me until next time. Remember to watch more 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.