The official NBA Draft entry deadline came and passed over the weekend, giving us a preliminary look at the 2026 field. Tennessee star Nate Ament was one of those early entrants, announcing his intentions to leave Knoxville after one season.
Wake Forest’s Juke Harris, who also entered the transfer portal, was another one of those early entrants. Both Ament and Harris saw their name appear in a new NBA Mock Draft from ESPN this week. Felix Okpara also found himself in the projection after a strong
senior season.
10. Nate Ament — Milwaukee Bucks
While Ament’s stock has slipped from an early top-five projection, he had productive stretches this season within a tricky team context and has room to help himself in workouts. Although scouts are split on whether he has star upside or projects better as a long-term supporting player, there is still plenty of intrigue around the opportunity to select a prospect of his caliber later in the lottery. As a tall skill player with real shotmaking upside, Ament fits a player archetype that teams often love to swing on. — ESPN
Ament ended up scoring 16.7 points per game, a number that was held back from a slow start during the November and December months. Ament really came on during SEC play as Barnes and the staff leaned on him during the second half of games exclusively. You saw that scoring ability in the paint, along with the touch from deep. Ament will have to get stronger, but a 6-10 frame with shooting and ball-handling skills will be hard to pass on in that 8-12 range.
33. Juke Harris — Brooklyn Nets
Harris declared for the NBA Draft upon announcing his entry into the transfer portal. This one feels like an information-gathering mission for Harris, who could benefit by coming out next year in a more shallow class. There seems to be a lot of momentum towards Harris ending up in Knoxville — stay tuned.
60. Felix Okpara — Washington Wizards
A bit of a surprise here for Okpara, who we haven’t really seen talked about as a draft pick. His 6-11 frame and elite rim protecting do bring some value here as a potential rotational piece down the road. Teams will likely want to see him develop more offensively, however.
Harris and Ament have until May 27th to officially withdraw their names from the NBA Draft, but they’re free to go through the process and gather information. Based on the tone of Ament’s statement on Thursday, it feels like he’s already made his decision. Harris, however, has some things to consider. A borderline first round pick, the 6-7 guard could make significantly more money following a strong season at Tennessee in a weaker class.
The NBA Draft is set for June 23rd and June 24th in Brooklyn. ESPN will have the coverage for both nights. The NBA Draft Lottery, which will finalize picks 1-14.
