NBA Draft grades: Grizzlies, Kings, Bulls earn raves, while the Knicks disappoint

Handing out NBA Draft grades is guaranteed to make a writer look silly. And yet, I do them every year because you love and read them. And ultimately, even the best talent evaluators get things wrong regularly. Still, grades are a great way to reflect on how each team handled the draft and take a bigger-picture look at its roster-building goals and the overall process.

I broke down the performances of all 29 teams that participated in the draft — the Portland Trail Blazers were the lone team that did not make a pick — and explained what I liked, didn’t like and what was interesting about their decisions. My grades tend to be based on two factors. First, did I think the process on how they got to their decision was right? Second, does it line up with my evaluation of the player(s)? This year, my grades are all pretty strong. Even if I disagree with a specific player’s evaluation, I could almost always see a case for why the team made that choice from a process perspective.

Teams are in letter-grade order, and I tiered them according to how I’d evaluate them. I didn’t spend a lot of time parsing how to order each team within the same grade, so I wouldn’t say I “ranked” them. But I did dive deep into my thought process on the draft and the week leading up to it with any deal that involved picks.

Here are my 2026 draft grades. And for a deeper look at this year’s group of prospects and how I had them ranked, check out my NBA Draft Guide.

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A grades:

Memphis Grizzlies

• Selected Cameron Boozer (No. 3), Richie Saunders (No. 32)
• Traded No. 16 to Oklahoma City for No. 17 and two future second-round picks
• Acquired Isaiah Stewart and Karim Lopez (No. 21) from Detroit for No. 17

From a process and value perspective, this was my favorite draft. The Grizzlies entered with Nos. 3, 16 and 32 and ended it with my Nos. 2, 24, and 26 prospects while also acquiring one of the best backup centers in the league and two additional second-round picks. Typically, president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman works the board by trading up for what he wants. This time, he did it by moving down.

We can start with Boozer. It’s hard to find a more Grizzlies player under this Kleiman-led front office. Memphis has been among the best teams at drafting, largely sticking to players who produce at a high level while being elite competitors. Boozer is among the most productive college basketball freshmen of all time, and if you ask anyone about him, they speak remarkably highly of his maturity and desire for greatness. He’s a versatile offensive chess piece who will immediately become the Grizzlies’ franchise player and will be the favorite to win Rookie of the Year in this situation.

No. 16 is where the fun really started, though. First, they traded down one spot to No. 17, getting two second-round picks for their trouble. Then they traded down from No. 17 to No. 21, picking up three additional second-rounders from Detroit in the process. On Wednesday, Memphis sent those same picks back to Detroit to take Stewart into the trade exception it created in the Jaren Jackson Jr. deal at the February deadline. Stewart is a fantastic get for essentially only moving down four slots in the draft, as he’s one of the league’s best backup centers and per-minute defensive players. He is also exactly the kind of tough, competitive player the Grizzlies seem to be prioritizing in this rebuild, while also giving them a remarkable amount of Zach Edey insurance.

It’s a home run of a deal in totality, even if I didn’t love that the Grizzlies took Lopez at No. 21. Lopez is solid value here, as I had him ranked No. 24. I probably would have taken Koa Peat, as I think Peat is better in all facets than Lopez outside of shooting. But the NBA did not agree with me on that, as Peat fell to No. 30. The real cherry on top, though, was Memphis staying put at No. 32 and taking Saunders, who was my top-ranked player who went unselected in the first round. He’s a terrific 3-point shooter off movement who can also defend his position and possesses that competitive character the Grizzlies love.

Memphis now has a roster crunch to figure out. It has 17 players under contract, potentially 18 if you include Saunders. But those are problems for another day. No team brought in more talent over the two days of the draft.

Grade: A+

Sacramento Kings

• Selected Darius Acuff Jr. (No. 7), Emanuel Sharp (No. 45)
• Acquired Alex Karaban (No. 29) for No. 34 and a future second

This is my second-favorite draft. First and foremost, we can’t overemphasize that an awesome player preferred to go to the Kings over other landing spots and ended up there. I had Acuff as my fifth-ranked player and think he’ll turn into a terrific lead guard with All-Star upside. This is a home run for the Kings.

But the Kings also ended up with two more players out of the 35 I gave guaranteed contract grades to, and they did for the mere price of three second-rounders. The Kings chose to surround Acuff with winning players. Karaban is the all-time winningest player at UConn. He’s a sharp team defender who passes well, makes all the unselfish plays and knocks down 37 percent of his 3s.

Sharp is the second-winningest player in Houston basketball history and an awesome defender who won All-Defense honors in the Big 12, plus he’s a terrific 3-point shooter.

Sacramento needs players who do the little things after a little mini-era of signing those who didn’t always help in that respect. Both Karaban and Sharp should play real minutes for stretches this year on what figures to be a bad team. The Kings entered the draft with picks Nos. 7, 34 and 45 and exited with my Nos. 5, 33 and 34 players. Great work from general manager Scott Perry.

Grade: A+

Washington Wizards

• Selected AJ Dybantsa (No. 1)
• Acquired Felix Okpara (No. 46) for No. 51 and No. 60

Obviously, Tuesday will be remembered as an exceptionally important night in Wizards’ history as they selected Dybantsa at No. 1. That’s the decision that I would have made too. I had very similar grades on Dybantsa, Boozer and Darryn Peterson, but I gave Dybantsa the slight edge and think he was the best fit for Washington. Last season, the Wizards were 27th in the league in free-throw rate and 25th in average shot distance from 2-point range, which is to say they typically took longer shots when they actually did take 2-pointers. They were also 30th in defensive rebounding rate. These are all skills that Dybantsa brings to the table at an elite level for his role, and they’re skills that the Wizards’ current young core lacks.

Washington combined picks No. 51 and 60 in a trade with Orlando to take Okpara. I had Okpara right around this range, and I really like his fit with the Wizards’ frontline as a two-way player. He is the kind of above-the-rim athlete who Washington doesn’t have and gives them depth in case of injury — an important factor if they’re going to continue employing Anthony Davis. The Wizards did very well both nights.

Grade: A+

Utah Jazz

• Selected Darryn Peterson (No. 2)

The Jazz kept it simple this week, just using the No. 2 pick and calling it a draft. Even though I had Peterson ranked third on my board, he would have been my pick if I were Utah. The team desperately needed a big-time scoring guard to slot in at the off-guard position next to Keyonte George. More than anything, Utah needed a secondary ballhandler who could share the load with George and make plays for teammates, as Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. don’t profile as high-level ballhandlers or passers. Peterson will be that player.

Grade: A+

Chicago Bulls

• Selected Caleb Wilson (No. 4) and Dailyn Swain (No. 15)
• Acquired Kam Jones, future second-round pick swaps and cash from Indiana for No. 38
• Acquired cash for No. 56
• Acquired Nic Claxton in three-team deal with Wolves, Nets

The Bulls stuck to new president of basketball operations Bryson Graham’s principles. He cares most about size, length, athleticism and physicality and certainly showed that by taking Wilson and Swain. Wilson is arguably the most explosive athlete in the class, a powerful leaper who dunks everything around the rim and is a fearless competitor who wants to be great. He’s an elite building block and potential franchise player. I had Swain ranked right where the Bulls took him, and he was the last player in a tier for me, so I thought this pick was the right one. Graham added a ton of talent to the Bulls roster this week.

And yet, to maximize Wilson’s game, you need to surround him with pristine spacing. He’s best in an uptempo scheme where he has room to operate. He’ll be excellent in transition and will have a great partner in Josh Giddey. But in the half court, I worry that teams will sag off the non-shooters Chicago has assembled — including Giddey, Swain, Noa Essengue, Tre Jones, Isaac Okoro, Patrick Williams and Claxton — and make Wilson’s life harder.

This is Graham’s first offseason in charge, and it won’t all get sorted immediately. The Bulls should focus on acquiring shooting in the next 12 months to help Wilson. Matas Buzelis can’t be the only reliable shooter out there with him.

I didn’t think Jones looked like an NBA player last year with Indiana, as his shot seems to have abandoned him after his first three seasons at Marquette. I would have rather the Bulls stood pat and picked.

Grade: A

Charlotte Hornets

• Selected Hannes Steinbach (No. 14) and Christian Anderson (No. 18)

The Hornets did about as well as they could have, taking players who were strong values at the spots they were selected, who fit the team’s philosophical identity and who filled needs.

Steinbach was the top player remaining on my board and the lone player left in my top 14 after the draft went extremely chalky in the first 13 picks. He’s the best rebounder in the draft at over 6-foot-10 barefoot with good length and a massive frame that seems like it will continue to fill out. He’s big, coordinated and skilled. He catches everything you throw at him, his footwork is strong and his touch is terrific. He gives the team a good upside bet at the center position long-term, although he needs to improve his rim protection. I think he’ll eventually be a double-double threat every night for a team that has put a huge emphasis on ending possessions and creating extra ones on the glass.

At No. 18, they took his German national team teammate Anderson, who for my money was the best shooter in the class. He’s incredibly smart and a lights-out pull-up scorer, using the constant threat of his shot to open angles for drives and passes out of ball screens. He averaged 19 points and seven assists last year and at least tries on defense, even if he’s undersized. Additionally, the team needed more depth at the lead guard spot, especially given that its plans to trade LaMelo Ball came to fruition on Thursday morning. At the time Anderson was picked, he was the second-best player remaining on my big board.

Tuesday night was yet another example of this front office being exceedingly sharp and setting up this organization for success long-term.

Grade: A

Atlanta Hawks 

• Selected Kingston Flemings (No. 8) and Zuby Ejiofor (No. 23)
• Acquired Henri Veesaar (No. 52) for No. 57 and cash

The Hawks were one of two teams that took three players I had ranked in the top 30 by working hard in the second round; we’ll get to that in a moment.

After being extremely active in trade negotiations all week leading up to the draft, the Hawks stood pat at No. 8. They took Flemings, who was the top player on my board and would have been my selection at the pick. Flemings’ ability to pressure the rim with his speed will fit well with Jalen Johnson, Jonathan Kuminga and other high-level athletes on the Hawks’ roster. Atlanta could use a downhill, athletic guard next to CJ McCollum, Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker who can get half-court paint touches. This was a great pick.

I didn’t love the team’s second pick of Ejiofor. The player and the value here are fine, as I had Ejiofor No. 28. He’s a good player who has a chance to be a high-motor backup. But I don’t love the fit with Onyeka Okongwu and find it too duplicative. It’s possible Atlanta could look to move Okongwu before the end of his deal, but he’s a drastically better player who has more ways to score offensively than Ejiofor. For a team looking for a backup center, I prefer a player who is a bit more stylistically different to give opposing teams a different look than what Okongwu brings.

The good news is that the Hawks found that center in the second round. They traded up to take Veesaar, the player I ranked at No. 29. Most teams had a strong grade on him, but Veesaar’s representation, The Team, worked out an arrangement ahead of the second round to float him down to the Hawks, a tried-and-true practice that I think far too many teams fall for. Essentially, the agent asked teams not to take Veesaar in the second, knowing that they had a positive landing spot for him in Atlanta. Teams should be much more aggressive in calling bluffs from agents in situations like this. For instance, in my opinion, Orlando should have stayed at No. 46, called Veesaar’s agent, Jason Ranne, and told him that they were taking Veesaar and trading backup center Goga Bitadze, who only has one year left on his contract. The Magic would have gotten a talented player at a great value on a cheaper contract, while likely cutting some salary at the position.

But, hey, as long as teams are willing to play by rules set forth by agencies, teams like the Hawks should keep taking advantage. Excellent work by Onsi Saleh here to get the kind of floor-spacing big who has potential to work well with Johnson — if he can figure out how to put on some weight and defend in ball-screen situations.

Grade: A-

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B+ grades: Teams that exceeded the value of their assets

LA Clippers

• Selected Keaton Wagler (No. 5) and Baba Miller (No. 36)
• Acquired Nick Martinelli (No. 55) for cash
• Acquired Narcisse Ngoy (No. 57) for No. 52 and cash

The fifth pick was where people thought the draft would really begin, and I think the Clippers made the right choice in selecting Wagler after getting this pick in the Ivica Zubac trade. Wagler’s ability to play both with and without the ball made him the best fit next to Darius Garland, as I don’t think that Acuff and Garland could have successfully played together. Wagler’s upside is better than many of the other guards in this class thanks to his pull-up gravity and how quickly he processes everything happening around him. He moves the ball incredibly quickly and seems to make the right decision every time. I’m a big believer in his game.

LA had an incredibly active second round, starting with Miller. He’s a long forward with a 9-foot-3 standing reach who might develop into a high-motor, rebounding four man who can switch on defense and cover ground. He’s an excellent passer, but I don’t believe in the shot. I thought he was a priority two-way player, but we’ll see if the Clippers roster him. Martinelli was a solid pickup worth a two-way because of his work ethic and off-ball instincts. He needs to reshape his game, but I like his motor and effort.

Finally, the Clippers made one of the most baffling picks I’ve seen in a while, selecting Narcisse Ngoy out of Poitiers in France’s second division. The good news is that Ngoy is nearly 7-foot with incredibly long arms and is headed to Auburn next season, meaning Clippers fans will get to see him play. The bad news is that he averaged four points per game as a 21-year-old in the second division last season, which does not scream NBA prospect. He has improved this season and does an awesome job on the glass with his size and length. But, yeah, I’m skeptical he’ll move remotely well enough to play in the NBA.

Still, the Clippers got the big decision right, which is all that matters.

Grade: B+

Milwaukee Bucks

• Selected Brayden Burries (No. 10) and
• Acquired Nate Ament (No. 13) as part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade
• Acquired Malique Lewis (No. 60) for cash

The Bucks finally entered a new era this week by trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, which put some added pressure on these picks. And they made the same picks that I would have made.

Burries was one of my favorite players in the draft. I had him at No. 8 and love his two-way game. He’s a tough, physical defender with a well-rounded offensive game. He can play both on or off the ball, attack out of triple-threats and does well scoring from all three levels. He’s going to be an awesome partner with Ryan Rollins if the team can keep Rollins around long-term; they’re terrific two-way guards who can do a little bit of everything.

With the No. 13 pick they acquired from Miami in the trade, they took Ament, who is a polarizing player given his lack of strength and his struggles shooting this season. But he is still a 6-foot-9 wing who has a lot of potential ways to be a useful NBA player. He’s a good defender who covers ground fluidly, which allows him to be a sharp team defender. His jumper is a work in progress, but he has touch. He’s comfortable handling the ball. Even if he’s not quite a true shot creator, the odds are that he can be an Andrew Wiggins or Jaden McDaniels type of big wing. He needs to get more physical on defense, as both those players have made their mark on that end. But even if he doesn’t become the shot creator he was at Tennessee, he was a better swing for Milwaukee than one of the bigs like Steinbach.

I’m not really a Lewis guy, having watched him play several times in Australia. He’s a big, long athlete who plays with a terrific motor. However, I don’t know that he processes the game quickly enough or has enough skill.

Grade: B+

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Selected Aday Mara (No. 12)
• Acquired Bennett Stirtz (No. 16) for No. 17 and two future second-round picks
• Acquired Otega Oweh (No. 41) for No. 37 and cash

Tuesday night was an interesting one for the Thunder. Oklahoma City was the team whose decisions were most complicated by the draft going as chalky as it did. By the time No. 12 was on the clock, every one of my top-11 players had been selected, which essentially never happens. You can make the case that the Thunder — a team with an overwhelming number of future-facing assets — could have tried to overpay to get into that top group to take someone like Burries. But the price to move up the board in the lottery was high.

So they took Mara, which is about as good as the Thunder could have done in a vacuum. He fits their scheme perfectly as a big man who can protect the rim and step away at the top of the 3-point line to pass and make decisions for his teammates. If you were picking one player in this class who could be a long-term replacement for Isaiah Hartenstein, it would probably be Mara.

The selection creates interesting questions about how the team will handle its center rotation, as it now has Hartenstein, Mara, Thomas Sorber, Jaylin Williams and Chet Holmgren at the position, with Hartenstein possessing a team option for next season. Most league sources believed entering the draft that the Thunder wanted to keep Hartenstein and saw him as a key part of their core. Could the selection of Mara and recovery of Sorber from his knee injury change the calculus? Could Sorber become available in a trade? What about Williams, even though he is the only one who can shoot outside of Holmgren and plays more of his minutes at the four? They don’t have to decide now, but they are staring at a massive luxury tax bill both now and into the next four years that Mara could help alleviate.

The Thunder also traded up one spot to No. 16, using two second-round picks to select Stirtz. The Iowa lead guard embodies basically everything that OKC has built this core around as an elite processor with dribble, pass and shoot skills. He fills the team’s needs for more shooting and ballhandling around its star players. He makes an incredible amount of sense, and I ranked him in the ballpark of this pick. But that the second-rounders the Thunder gave Memphis to move up one spot could end up being valuable, particularly the 2030 one that is the best of Denver, Miami or Houston’s pick.

The Thunder traded down four spots for cash and took Oweh. I thought there were better players available. He is the kind of stout, physical wing they tend to like, but I didn’t love the way he processed the game or shot at Kentucky.

I don’t think the Thunder could have done much better than this. But this is something of an incomplete grade until we know what they decide about their center rotation.

Grade: B+

Phoenix Suns

• Acquired Koa Peat (No. 30) for No. 47 and two future second-round picks

I loved Phoenix jumping in to grab Peat for only three second-round picks, one of which was No. 47 this year. I had Peat ranked No. 16 and think scouts overreacted drastically to changes in his shooting mechanics during pre-draft workouts. This was probably my biggest draft-day value for any team.

Peat fits exactly what the Suns want to be because he’s a team-first, selfless player and a winner. At 6-7 with a 6-11 wingspan and a strong 245-pound frame, Peat is a smart basketball player who can dribble, pass, defend and think on the court. I wouldn’t call him a standout in any of those qualities, but he does a little bit of everything in an era when teams want versatility. He moves well without the ball, does the little things, can take advantage of mismatches with his strength and excels in the midrange. Even if you think NBA teams are more right than I was by ranking him No. 16, I don’t think anyone can complain about the price point Phoenix paid, especially since the Suns entered the draft with only a late second-rounder.

Grade: B+

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B grades: Teams that got the value they should have

Golden State Warriors

• Selected Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 11) and Lajae Jones (No. 54)

I loved the Lendeborg pick and think he’s a perfect scheme fit for the Warriors. He’s a switchable defender who will work perfectly in conjunction with Draymond Green, if that’s the scheme they choose to run, and is excellent at scrambling. I think he has as much defensive potential as any player in the class, and getting to learn for at least a year at the feet of the best defensive player of the era will be invaluable. Lendeborg’s passing ability and unselfishness will also endear him to Steve Kerr, while his ability to cover ground in transition and run the court should fit well. The value is right, the player is good, and the scheme fits.

Jones is a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none by NBA standards who will need to be a lights-out shooter to stick. I had him ranked 99th in the class and would have gotten a different direction. But, hey, I get it.

Grade: B

Los Angeles Lakers

• Acquired Cameron Carr (No. 24) for No. 25 and cash
• Acquired No. 56 from Chicago for cash; traded No. 56 to Dallas for cash

The Lakers did well to get Carr, trading up one spot to make sure the Knicks didn’t take him — even though New York seemed hellbent on not selecting in the first round.

Carr is a terrific shooter who should blend well with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves long-term on the offensive end, as his game tends to work best in straight lines. He is a standout shooter who might develop into a 40-percent-from-3-type sniper while also attacking closeouts and covering ground quickly with long strides. But he must improve on defense to maximize his playing time next to those two. While he’s extremely skinny and wasn’t good on that end at Baylor, he has the best tools of that trio to become a good defender.

Still, he was my 18th-ranked player, so this was strong value.

Grade: B

Philadelphia 76ers

• Selected Labaron Philon Jr. (No. 22)

The team acquired No. 22 from the Thunder in the much-maligned trade-deadline deal for Jared McCain. The 76ers came out looking strong in this trade, even if the person who completed the deal, Daryl Morey, is no longer around.

Philon is an awesome value for a team that needed more ballhandling in the backcourt behind Tyrese Maxey. Yes, Philon is slight. I have some concerns about his upside on a winning team because of that. But he was remarkably productive this season at Alabama and has an inherent creativity to his game. I would rather have him on a four-year rookie scale contract than McCain with two years left on his, plus the 76ers got three additional second-rounders in the deal. Philon is at least going to be a valuable backup guard with potential to become a starter, especially if he can get back to the level he was at defensively for Alabama as a freshman, as opposed to having to carry the load offensively as a sophomore.

Grade: B

Dallas Mavericks

• Selected Morez Johnson Jr. (No. 9), Tobi Lawal (No. 48)
• Acquired Sergio De Larrea (No. 25) via trade for No. 30 and two second-round picks
• Acquired Vsevolod Ishchenko (No. 56) for cash considerations

With their first pick, the Mavericks reunited Johnson with Dusty May, his coach at Michigan last season. Everyone around the Wolverines raves about the intensity and effort that Johnson brought to the court every day. He was my No. 11-ranked player and the top big on my board, so I don’t mind the value here. He’s a power player and rebounder who can play in a variety of defensive coverages at the four and the five and has a chance to turn into an All-Defensive-caliber player. He screens well and finishes efficiently on the interior, too, although he is limited on offense beyond that.

Armed with the No. 30 pick entering the night, Dallas traded it in a three-team deal to acquire De Larrea out of Spain, a smart, skilled combo guard who is effective playing both on and off the ball. At 6-6, he has great positional size, and if he gets stronger he will be a terrific fit next to Cooper Flagg. New general manager Mike Schmitz said after the draft that he was not sure if De Larrea would stay overseas for another year or come over immediately, but I like the bet on his skill set regardless of timeline.

In the second round, the Mavericks took two players ranked outside of my top 60, but in this class I can’t really fault any of the last 15 selections. Lawal is a superb athlete who plays with a high motor but needs to improve his overall skill and processing speed. Ishchenko is a big, skilled wing who can dribble, pass and shoot, but he played in a weak league and hasn’t been that productive for his age. I like Ishchenko as the better upside swing.

Dallas did well to start building an identity around budding superstar Flagg and new coach May. It wasn’t sexy, but it was solid.

Grade: B

Brooklyn Nets

• Selected Mikel Brown Jr. (No. 6) and Tyler Bilodeau (No. 43)
• Acquired Julius Randle and Joshua Jefferson (No. 28) for No. 33

The Nets started their week on Monday by acquiring Randle and moved up five slots to No. 28. It’s clear their goal is to be more competitive this season, and Randle will help that. I’m not excited about watching him and Michael Porter Jr. take turns on the offensive end, but they’re both good players who will raise this team’s floor.

The Nets had been connected with Brown for about a month. He was a polarizing prospect for scouts league-wide. Some loved his talent level as a shot-maker and as a passer out of ball screens. Others worried about his decision-making and whether he can score consistently from about 15 feet. I lean toward the latter of those camps and would have taken Acuff and Flemings ahead of Brown, but he’s unquestionably a gifted player. If it all hits for him, he has All-Star upside, and I had him in the same tier as those other guards I referenced. So I’m not going to crush the Nets, even if I lightly disagree with their choice.

Jefferson is a forward with tremendous basketball IQ and feel for the game. He’s arguably the best passer among the forwards in the class and has enough size, processing and strength to defend. He needs to find a consistent way to score, but I like his game. Brown and Jefferson, along with last year’s first-rounder Egor Demin, will help get a lot of Brooklyn’s young players in better positions to score by organizing the offense and making quick or creative decisions.

Bilodeau can really shoot at his size but needs to max out his frame.

Grade: B

Toronto Raptors

• Selected Allen Graves (No. 19) and Jaden Bradley (No. 50)

I want to congratulate the Raptors for being the only team not to trade either of its picks in this draft. Toronto was also the only team that didn’t trade its second-round pick.

When a team takes a player I have ranked 30th at No. 19, I’m not typically going to be positive. But while I’m not as big a fan of Graves as some evaluators are, I get what the Raptors see for him within their scheme. They play an aggressive defensive scheme that revolves around players needing to process information rapidly. Graves can do that, and his truly elite hand-eye coordination will likely play up in a scheme like this. Graves needs to get lighter on his feet, get better at defending without fouling and continue to maximize his frame. But I think he’s likely to work better here on defense than he would elsewhere.

On offense, Graves is the kind of quick decision-maker that coach Darko Rajaković covets. He can help Toronto play five-out as a forward who can dribble, pass and shoot and could act as a replacement for Sandro Mamukelashvili if the team loses him in free agency. Even though it’s a value-based reach and I worry about his game translating to higher levels of competition, this is the exact type of team that should have taken the chance on Graves.

I also liked the Bradley pick, as his willingness to pressure offensive players in the backcourt will be good for Toronto. This organization clearly has top-down synergy with what it’s trying to accomplish under general manager Bobby Webster and Rajaković. They have a clear plan.

Grade: B

Miami Heat

• Traded No. 13 as part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade package
• Acquired Ryan Conwell (No. 37) for No. 41 and cash

The Heat finally got their white whale in Antetokounmpo and traded the No. 13 pick in the deal. Conwell is exactly what Miami needs to surround Antetokounmpo with as a lights-out shooter who can reasonably hold his ground defensively. Over his final three collegiate years, Conwell made 41.1 percent of his 567 catch-and-shoot 3s.

Maybe he’ll stick. Maybe he won’t. But Giannis rosters need to be specific in their construction, with shooting being an essential part of that. Conwell is exactly the kind of bet the Heat should be making.

Grade: B

Detroit Pistons

• Acquired Ebuka Okorie (No. 17) for No. 21 and Isaiah Stewart
• Acquired Ugonna Onyenso (No. 53) for cash

This is an incomplete grade until we know Detroit’s plans. After missing out on Austin Reaves, how will they get the playmaking they seem to want next to Cade Cunningham?  If it’s signing someone like Norman Powell in free agency, the Pistons can expand the Stewart deal and make it a sign-and-trade, include that player and give him a starting salary in excess of $20 million. That would allow them to stay over the cap and get even more creative in how they improve. But they also could have done that, potentially, with Caris LeVert’s salary instead of Stewart’s, which says to me that the Pistons wanted to rearrange their cap sheet with a large contract incoming for Jalen Duren.

Regardless, the price point of dumping Stewart to move up just four picks was steep. Stewart was a huge part of their culture as a tough, defense-first team. Maybe the other shoe to drop will make this look better. But right now, that’s an open question.

Detroit moved up for Okorie, who I ranked right around this area. This is a valuable player type for the Pistons to add, as they sometimes struggle to get consistent paint touches. That’s Okorie’s specialty as a unique biomechanical mover who can get in and out of tight spaces with ease. He needs to improve as a finisher and iron out his passing vision, but he’ll break down the defense in a helpful way. There are some similarities here to Dennis Schröder, who was successful in his stint next to Cunningham.

The team also paid to get No. 53 and take Onyenso. I had him ranked No. 50 and like his ability to protect the rim. Given that Detroit moved Stewart, it could use another body, even if Onyenso will likely just be on a two-way.

Grade: B-

San Antonio Spurs

• Selected Jayden Quaintance (No. 20), Ja’Kobi Gillespie (No. 42), Maliq Brown (No. 44)
• Acquired Tarris Reed (No. 26) for No. 35 and two second-round picks

It seems like the Spurs came into the draft with a clear goal of improving their long-term frontcourt depth around Victor Wembanyama. They certainly went a long way toward achieving that, although I’m not sure it wasn’t duplicative in a way that could cannibalize the long-term values of these players.

Quaintance is a terrific defensive prospect whom I would have had a lottery grade on if not for the torn right ACL he suffered in February 2025 that has plagued him since. At his best, he’s one of the most instinctive, aggressive ball-screen defenders at the big position whom I’ve evaluated, confusing space and disrupting the opposition with his 7-foot-5 wingspan. However, several teams who spoke with The Athletic had Quaintance red-flagged on draft night because of his knee, and Quaintance said after the draft that he needs another surgery to clean up his meniscus. If someone could afford to take a risk on Quaintance, it was the Spurs. But it’s still a risk, given that a lot of Quaintance’s value rests on his athleticism.

San Antonio also traded back into the first round to get Reed, who had a great season at Connecticut. Essentially, the Spurs spent three second-rounders to acquire Reed, which feels like a fair price. He profiles as a strong backup center who is versatile on defense, can pass and will crush the glass. He’ll be ready to play early in his NBA career and will be on a cheap rookie scale deal for four years. I like the pick, and thought that this was about where he should have been taken.

Gillespie is a guard who helps you win the possession game through his quick hands and sharp decision-making and can also shoot 3s. He looks like a potential replacement for Jordan McLaughlin. Brown is a player I really like. He has terrific hands and is exceptionally disruptive on defense as an undersized big. Brown, Quaintance and Reed can’t shoot, however, so it will be difficult to utilize all of them, even if Wembanyama is one of the best shooting bigs in the NBA.

Having frontcourt depth is a good thing, and it seems like San Antonio is going to play it slowly with Quaintance. I just wonder if the Spurs could have better used all these assets.

Grade: B-

Boston Celtics

• Selected Chris Cenac Jr. (No. 27) and Dillon Mitchell (No. 40)

After extremely active draft nights the last few years, especially in the second round, the Celtics were quiet and used just the two picks they had.

Cenac is a great scheme fit for Joe Mazzulla, although I worry that his lack of feel for the game will agitate Mazzulla early on. Cenac is a pure project who does a terrific job crashing the glass and has some serious potential as a floor-spacing shooter at the five given how massive he is. Cenac has tools most centers can only dream of at 6-10.25 with a 7-5 wingspan and a standing reach over 9 feet. But there isn’t any glue to his game, and he’ll need developmental time. He probably entered the draft a year or two too early, but if the Celtics are willing to be patient, they could end up with a seriously valuable big man.

I didn’t really get the Mitchell pick, though. The Celtics like quick decision-makers, which Mitchell is. He’s also a terrific defender. But he can’t shoot, and the Celtics have many players lower on the roster who aren’t great shooters in their five-out scheme, including Hugo Gonzalez, Jordan Walsh, Dalano Banton, Amari Williams and now Mitchell. I’m assuming he’s just a two-way guy, but there were better options at No. 40, including Emanuel Sharp or Veesaar, both of whom would have fit the scheme perfectly and would have been worth drafting to get on a guaranteed contract while cutting Max Shulga, Williams or Dalano Banton.

Grade: B-

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Traded Julius Randle and No. 28 to Brooklyn for No. 33
• Selected Isaiah Evans (No. 33) and Trey Kaufman-Renn (No. 59)

The Wolves big all-in move this week was the LaMelo Ball trade, which is genuinely one of the most interesting star trades in recent memory. I talked about that a bit more substantially here, but that move didn’t have anything to do with this 2026 NBA Draft outside of the fact that it may lead to the team rostering both players it selected. The Wolves are now hard-capped at the second apron, so creating flexibility could be vital depending on the rest of their offseason.

Evans is a sniper from distance, a serious movement shooter who gets his feet organized quickly before catching and firing quickly. He drilled 38 percent of his 3s at Duke on high volume with some high-degree-of-difficulty attempts. I buy him as a translatable NBA shooter. But the reason he did not go in the first round despite leaving school early was that the rest of his game is not great. He’s skinny and can be prone to ball-watching on defense while not holding up at the point of attack. Then offensively, he’s not an effective passer and isn’t effective attacking closeouts, even if that skill improved this year. My guess is he won’t be ready for the NBA this year, but hopefully he’ll add some weight in the coming years.

Kaufman-Renn won a lot of games at Purdue but needs to improve his jumper and max out his athletic twitchiness. I had Evans at No. 35 and Kaufman-Renn at No. 62, so the value here is fine, even if I think I would have taken a couple of different players.

Grade: B-

Houston Rockets

• Acquired Bruce Thornton (No. 31) for No. 39, No. 53, a future second-round pick and the rights to Mojave King

I understand this one for the Rockets. Thornton was one of the most efficient volume scorers in the country last season for Ohio State as a small lead guard. He’s only 6-foot tall, but he’s powerfully built at 223 pounds and does an incredible job maintaining his advantages on offense while scoring from all three levels. The Rockets needed an offensive firepower boost in the backcourt, and Thornton was probably the best bet available, even if his defense is questionable because of his size. I ranked him right around this range, even if I would have taken a couple of other guys over him. Given that picks in the 50s of this draft did not have a ton of value, I liked the price point to move up to No. 31.

Grade: B-

Indiana Pacers

• Acquired Braden Smith (No. 38) for Kam Jones, two future second-round pick swaps, and cash

The Pacers lost the No. 5 pick to the Clippers after the lottery went against them following the Zubac trade. While I love Zubac as a player, I don’t think that trade will look great long-term, even if the process of constructing the pick protections at the time wasn’t bad. I didn’t include that in this grade.

I liked the Pacers making a quick decision on Jones, though, and rolling over the roster spot with Smith. He just seems like a Pacer. He is an elite ball-screen passer and playmaker and a phenomenal transition passer. He can score from 3 and the midrange. He’s a basketball savant. The only issue is that he’s 168 pounds, and while he is feisty on defense, I struggle to see how he’ll defend effectively. Still, I like the Pacers sticking to their organizational principles and seeing what he can do.

Grade: B-

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C grades: Value-based or team-building-based questions

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Acquired Meleek Thomas (No. 34) for No. 29 and a future second-round pick

It was expected for the last two weeks that the Cavaliers would move back into the top part of the second round to save some cash. They’ll likely save around $1.7 million in salary and multiples of that in luxury tax by making this choice. And I think there was a strong likelihood that the Cavaliers would have taken Thomas at No. 29 had they stood pat. So this was nice maneuvering by Koby Altman.

I probably would have taken either Peat at No. 29 or Veesaar at No. 34 — the Cavs need frontcourt depth — but I get them saving money and taking a player they like. Thomas is very skilled for his age as a shooter and playmaker, but he needs to refine his game as a decision-maker and defender.

Grade: C+

Orlando Magic

• Acquired Izaiyah Nelson (No. 51) and No. 60 for No. 46 from Washington; traded No. 60 for cash to Milwaukee

The Magic traded their first-round pick to Memphis last offseason in the Desmond Bane trade. Bane was awesome this season for Orlando, so I don’t think the team has any regrets, even though it paid a bundle.

The Magic traded down from No. 46 to No. 51 while getting some cash and taking Nelson. The value of Nelson at No. 51 is good, as I had him as a top-45 player. He’s a versatile, athletic defender who plays with an awesome motor. But as I mentioned in the Hawks’ section, they could have been more aggressive and taken Veesaar, who I ranked in my top 30.

Grade: C+

Denver Nuggets

• Acquired Trevon Brazile (No. 35) and two future second-round picks for No. 26
• Selected Bryce Hopkins (No. 49)

This was clearly a cost-cutting move by the Nuggets to move down nine spots, pick up two extra second-rounders, and take someone who will cost about $2 million less in salary. That will then, in turn, save the Denver multiples of that figure in luxury tax.

I’m not opposed to the move. But I think you have to select someone better than Brazile. Undeniably, Brazile is an explosive athlete whose highlight reel is wildly impressive. But he’s never had the glue to his game because he’s skinny, which means he can struggle to anchor to his areas on the court and absorb contact. He’s also not an impressive passer or quick decision-maker. Defensively, you always expect more from him than what he brings. There were many better players available.

I had Hopkins ranked at No. 73. He’s probably not athletic enough to be effective defensively, on top of being a reluctant shooter throughout college. There were other players I’d rather have taken a flyer on.

Grade: C

New Orleans Pelicans

• Selected Jaron Pierre Jr. (No. 58)

After days of speculation regarding their attempts to move into the first round, the Pelicans sat out the first day a year after moving their 2026 first-round pick to the Hawks in a truly nonsensical move. We’ve already hammered the Pelicans for that move, and I don’t see the need to do it again.

In the second round, they took Pierre, a player I did not enjoy watching this season at SMU. He’s a gifted player with serious shot-making skill but doesn’t seem to play well with his teammates as he chucks shots with reckless abandon. I didn’t rank him in my top-100.

Grade: C-

New York Knicks

• Traded No. 24 to the Lakers in a four-team swap where they received No. 47, four future second-round picks, the rights to Melvin Ajinca, and cash
• Traded No. 31 to the Rockets for No. 39, No. 53, a future second-round pick, the rights to Mojave King, and cash
• Traded No. 53 to the Pistons for cash
• Selected Jack Kayil (No. 39) and Tyler Nickel (No. 47)

I really did not like this set of moves from the Knicks. I get that they’re working under financial constraints, as owner James Dolan has said the team will not go into the second apron to retain free agents. But, man, I think that the Knicks had a chance to acquire talent that could really help them. This forthcoming season is not the only one in which the cap will be a problem. It’s going to be even more important when Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns sign their extensions, because I can’t imagine they are taking discounts again.

So even though the Knicks picked up five future second-round picks, I would have preferred them to take players at No. 24 and No. 31. They could have selected Carr and Veesaar. Or, they could have had Reed and Evans. Or, they could have stashed De Larrea at No. 25 instead of trading him to Dallas in that four-team swap and then taken Emanuel Sharp, Thornton or Saunders. Even if they had ended up with just Carr, Kayil in the trade-down from No. 31 and an extra second-rounder, I would have felt better about it.

I had Kayil at No. 41 and Nickel at No. 55. So even though the Knicks added those five extra second-rounders, I think they flushed a significant amount of capital in this class down the drain. What they got in return wasn’t worth it.

Grade: C-