Answering 13 big questions on the NBA draft: Best ...

playDusty May pumped after Thunder draft Aday Mara (1:25) The 2026 NBA draft might be over, but that doesn't mean we have to stop talking about it. While the lottery didn't offer many surprises -- I hit the first eight picks in my final mock draft -- this was a deep and interesting class, and there were a few compelling themes throughout. The first: There were zero trades in the lottery. It's clear teams really liked this class and valued taking the top guys on their boards instead of acquiring future assets. That trend might not change with the new lottery system coming in 2027. Another theme: The NBA is valuing big men again. Which team had my favorite pick -- in the top 10 and outside it? Which team drafted the best class? What are execs buzzing about? And which players will be named first-team All-Rookie? I've spent years studying these prospects, and I have a few opinions about how things turned out. Let's dig into the fallout of this draft by answering 13 big questions: Jump to a topic: Favorite picks | Ideal situation | Best value Biggest surprise | Top class | Execs buzz Where were the trades? | ROY pick All-Rookie team | Undrafted underdog Big prediction | Overall takeaway Let's separate this into two categories. My favorite high-profile pick was Darryn Peterson to the Utah Jazz at No. 2. I would have taken him first, so it's hard not to like this outcome for the Jazz. I've explained this plenty -- check out my writeup on him after Round 1. He's going to get right and be extremely good. My favorite pick outside the top 10 was Aday Mara to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No 12. Color me fascinated by how the chess match between OKC and San Antonio is going to evolve over the next few seasons. I enjoyed watching it unfold in the draft. I don't think it's a coincidence both teams loaded up on size. Mara was the only prospect in the class who could give the Thunder the type of lineup they didn't already have. He will give them more size and skill at center, and they have the depth to optimize his minutes. Jayden Quaintance to the San Antonio Spurs at No. 20. I liked what the Spurs did from an upside perspective. Quaintance confirmed to reporters this week that he will need another surgery to repair his injured right knee after tearing an ACL in February 2025. Multiple teams told me during the predraft process that he might end up having to miss all of next season. But he's a player who scouts rave about, with excellent physical skills and defensive upside. The healthy version of him is exactly what the Spurs need, but there's no guarantee he will be healthy soon. There are a lot of ways this can break since an injury recovery is hard to predict. But if this works out, San Antonio will have a stellar long-term frontcourt pairing, and Quaintance could also prop up the Spurs defense with Victor Wembanyama off the floor. It'll be a while before we know for sure, but this was the correct gamble for a team that can afford the risk. Yaxel Lendeborg to the Golden State Warriors at No. 11. In a way, Lendeborg was predestined to land on a winning team, purely due to his age (he will turn 24 in September). But if the Warriors are going to have a chance to win big, they'll sorely need him at his best since he will immediately be their best option at the other forward slot next to Draymond Green. We should know quickly if this pick is going to work out, but he's exactly what they need on paper. play1:05Is Yaxel Lendeborg the perfect fit for the Warriors? Morez Johnson Jr. to the Dallas Mavericks at No. 9. This was one of the few picks I didn't see coming. I actually liked how shrewd it was for Dallas, though. No one was sure of the level of influence new coach Dusty May -- who coached Johnson at Michigan -- would have on this pick, and there were several good options available for the Mavericks. It should tell you plenty that Johnson, the youngest and least flashy of the Michigan trio, was the player Dallas selected. While there were bigger upside swings on the board -- Nate Ament and Aday Mara in particular were fits I thought were interesting for the Mavericks -- Johnson was a culture pick who will match Cooper Flagg's intensity and help Dallas win games right away. The Hawks were the team that most inspired me, adding Kingston Flemings (No. 8) and Zuby Ejiofor (No. 23), two players who will raise the bar for intensity and toughness as Atlanta continues to configure a winner. But I should note that I thought teams generally drafted well -- I didn't see any decisions that defied logic. One interesting thing I caught wind of is that the LA Clippers were apparently taking calls up until they used the No. 5 pick on Keaton Wagler. My understanding is that the Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies were in pursuit. However, teams really loved this draft -- and highly valued their lottery picks -- and LA's asking price was justifiably high. The Clippers stood pat with Wagler, who I believe was the correct pick.

Answering 13 big questions on the NBA draft: Best ...

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