With the draft lottery out of the way and the selection order set, intrigue about the 2026 NBA Draft is rising.
Cameron Boozer is going to go early, and just how early depends on priorities. But he almost certainly won’t fall below Chicago at #4.
Apparently, there are rumors suggesting that the Bulls might take Darius Acuff, but Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says don’t buy it: “Problem is there are talking heads in Chicago that don’t know ball, selling themselves on Acuff at No. 4. Ignore them.
Talking puppets.
“I love Acuff … and if the Bulls were picking #5, I’m in. But this is a big man’s league. Steph and Zeke the only small guards to win rings … and you have to build an exact team around that. Boozer or Caleb (Wilson) … no brainers.”
That assumes that Boozer falls past Memphis, and we’ve seen some pretty convincing arguments for the Grizzlies. That said, they might finish their research and decide that Wilson is the better fit.
By the way, Isaiah Evans may be moving up a bit himself. At least one mock draft has him moving up from going to Dallas with #30 to the Lakers at #25.
As we always say about mock drafts, it’s all ridiculous, but it’s less ridiculous after the order is set by the lottery.
The other thing which we think is absolutely true for any rookie is that it’s better to go to a well-managed franchise than one that is poorly run.
Take the Washington Wizards, for example.
We don’t know much about the current ownership group, but the Wizards/Bullets have struggled for decades. Maybe the current group is better, but they’ll have to prove it.
On the other hand, Memphis seems to be building intelligently, and Boozer along with Zach Edey and Cedric Coward, would be a credible frontline.
That could work out well for Evans, too. If he falls to Dallas at #30, the Mavs have overhauled their front office, and it looks impressive. But if he ends up with the Lakers, JJ Redick is proving to be a good coach, and he would be a great mentor for Evans. It could be a win-win either way.
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