All articles tagged with #nba draft
As the 2026-27 NBA season begins, fantasy experts diverge on high-value picks. NBC Sports highlights Darius Garland and Domantas Sabonis as top targets, while CBS Sports flags Cooper Flagg as a potential bust and Walker Kessler as a sleeper. Usage shifts from major trades, including Kawhi Leonard’s return to Toronto and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s move to Miami, are reshaping draft values.
As the 2026-27 NBA fantasy season approaches, analysts provide detailed guides on category punting strategies and low-risk draft targets. While elite stars like Nikola Jokić, Victor Wembanyama, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remain top picks across most formats, specific punt builds elevate the value of players like Luka Dončić, Cade Cunningham, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Additionally, several durable veterans and role players, including OG Anunoby, Derrick White, Jaden McDaniels, and Neemias Queta, are highlighted as safe, undervalued options for managers seeking consistency over high upside.
Former NBA power forward Michael Sweetney has died at age 43. Selected ninth overall by the New York Knicks in 2003, Sweetney played four seasons in the NBA before transitioning to overseas play and coaching. He is remembered for his standout college career at Georgetown and his significant impact on the Jewish basketball community through his work with Yeshiva University.
Michael Sweetney, a former Georgetown University standout and 2003 NBA Draft pick, has died at age 43. His wife, India Sweetney, announced the news on social media, describing him as a devoted family man. Sweetney averaged 18.2 points per game at Georgetown before being selected ninth overall by the New York Knicks. He later played for the Chicago Bulls and internationally, eventually transitioning to coaching and mental health advocacy after his father's death.
76ers No. 22 pick Labaron Philon Jr. impressed in Summer League with 18 points and seven assists, including 11 points in the first quarter, signaling NBA-ready scoring and playmaking that could bolster Philadelphia’s bench this season.
Yaxel Lendeborg, the Warriors’ 2026 first‑round pick, erupted for 19 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting (4-for-4 from three) in 22 minutes, plus five rebounds, six assists, a block and a steal, as Golden State routed the Los Angeles Lakers 104-72 in the California Classic, signaling a strong, ready-to-impact rookie showing in his summer league debut.
The Bucks drafted Brayden Burries at No. 10 and Nate Ament at No. 13. Ament, a polarizing top prospect, faces scrutiny and a path to transformation, aided by mentorship and a Bucks rebuild under a new coach, as he works to carve out a defensive niche and sharpen his shooting to realize his high upside.
Clippers selected Narcisse Ngoy with the 57th pick, but the 7'0" French prospect announced on Instagram that he will honor his Auburn commitment and play for the Tigers in the 2026–27 season, effectively making this a draft-and-stash situation as he develops in college under Auburn coach Steven Pearl.
Footage from Golden State’s draft war room shows owner Joe Lacob passionately weighing options alongside GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. as the clock ticks, with trade offers swirling and Kerr quietly observing. The moment underscores a tense, high-stakes but cohesive process in which Lacob’s influence is felt but not dictating the pick, culminating in the selection of Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11 and illustrating strong organizational alignment between ownership and the front office.
The Atlanta Hawks acquired the draft rights to 6-11 center Henri Veesaar (52nd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft) from the LA Clippers in exchange for Narcisse Ngoy’s rights and cash. Veesaar starred at UNC in 2025-26, averaging 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 blocks per game, earning All-ACC Second Team honors and a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year finalist nod, with notable shooting efficiency and 15 double-doubles.
Atlanta Hawks selected UNC transfer Henri Veesaar with the 52nd pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, after a breakout season at North Carolina (17.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 42.6% 3PT, 60% FG) that included a 28-point, 17-rebound performance in the ACC Tournament and a 26-point, 10-rebound showing in the season finale.
Three underclassmen who missed the first round—Isaiah Evans, Henri Veesaar and Meleek Thomas—are expected to be drafted early in the second round, costing them roughly the rookie minimum ($1.36M) in Year 1 versus a first-round deal and its guarantees. Others who stayed in college, like Milan Momcilovic, could see substantial NIL-era earnings (roughly $6–7M next season), illustrating how NIL and a fifth year of eligibility have shifted the math around leaving school. The piece argues that if you can secure NBA money with minimal risk, you should take it, but the choice is personal and outcomes vary.
Indiana acquired the No. 38 pick to select Purdue guard Braden Smith, sending Kam Jones plus 2028 and 2030 second-round picks and cash to Chicago. Smith, the NCAA all-time assists leader, will sign a two-way contract and be eased into action behind a guard-heavy rotation led by Haliburton, Nembhard, McConnell and Jackson.
Atlanta used cash to move up to No. 52 in the 2026 NBA Draft to select seven-foot stretch big Henri Veesaar from North Carolina, addressing the Hawks’ need for size and defense after last season’s Porzingis experiment.
With 30 picks down and 30 to go, Duke wing Isaiah Evans and UNC big man Henri Veesaar sit among the top remaining prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft, with mocks projecting them toward the late first or early second round; Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas and several others are also viewed as early-second-round targets, and teams may trade into picks around 31–32 as the two-day format unfolds.