With our Chicago Bulls now landing not one, but two picks in the first round (plus two in the second), it’s more important than ever to assess how 2026 NBA Draft prospects are shuffling around.
The draft lottery is slated for May 10 in Chicago. The Bulls have a mid-first-round pick via Portland, plus their own lottery selection. How will the club’s new front office look to build its personnel this summer? Time will tell. First, we need to actually hire that new front office.
And hey, if you want to run a few mock NBA drafts yourself, go ahead and give our new simulator a try!
2026 NBA Draft Prospects — Stock Up
Aday Mara, C, Michigan
This isn’t necessarily a reflection of how I feel, having watched Mara sort of squander his obvious physical gifts at UCLA for two seasons. But he just leveled up mightily in Jeremy Woo‘s latest ESPN mock draft, landing at the bottom of the lottery. There were times I’ve had him outside the top 30 this year! In fairness, the jumbo-sized Wolverines champ made the cut in this week’s mock, thanks to his impressive run through the NCAA Tournament.
Across his last 24 bouts, he averaged 13.5 points, 6.1 boards, and 2.5 rejections. He scored an impressive 26 points against Arizona in a Final Four clash that, obviously, Michigan won.
Jayden Quaintance, C, Kentucky
Speaking of guys who aren’t on my board, Quaintance is out of my first round. But he’s shockingly still a staple on a lot of lists. He’s projected to be the No. 14 pick in Ricky O’Donnell of SB Nation’s most recent mock, and Woo predicts he’ll be drafted at No. 20.
So, like Mara, we’ll give him another look on this side of our stock-up/stock-down bracket.
© Jordan Prather – Imagn ImagesClearly, the athletic ceiling is so tantalizing that they expect someone to take a guy whose knee problems have cost him most of his two-year NCAA career. He suited up for all of four games this past season. He’s a talented defender, but cannot spread the floor and is a bit small for a center.
Labaron Philon, G, Alabama
The sophomore guard has been a bit up and down on draft boards this year.
Philon tied his career-best with 35 points during a Sweet 16 defeat against the eventual champs. He may have been a first-round selection following his freshman season, but he managed to mightily improve his shooting efficiency in 2025-26.
The Mobile, Alabama native averaged 22.0 points on .501/.399/.798 shooting splits, 5.0 dimes, 3.5 boards, and 1.2 steals a night for the Crimson Tide.
2026 NBA Draft Prospects — Stock Down
Braylon Mullins, G, UConn
By a similar token (as I discussed in the mock), Mullins took a massive dip in my own mock draft. The supposed sharpshooter was a brick machine in the Huskies’ 69-63 championship game loss against Michigan, going just 1-of-7 from distance.
The Big East All-Freshman selection was actually ice cold from long range throughout March Madness, averaging just 29.3 percent from 3-point land on a whopping 6.8 triple tries across those six bouts.
He’s a bit slight, which makes one wonder just how useful he’ll be beyond the jump shooting. He didn’t get to the line much during the Tournament, either, knocking down just nine free throws in those six bouts. In fairness, he didn’t miss a single shot.
Koa Peat, PF/C, Arizona
The Arizona freshman’s struggles containing Michigan’s frontline of Yaxel Lendeborg, Mara, and Morez Johnson Jr. may have hurt his draft stock a smidge.
He’s a talented defender with a solid midrange jumper, but he struggled to connect from the charity stripe and beyond the 3-point arc this year. Will he retain that defensive edge in the NBA, against bigger competition?
© Eakin Howard-Imagn ImagesHenri Veesaar, C, North Carolina
This draft seems to boast a preponderance of bigs and point guards. Invariably, that means certain wings will be undervalued, and some players at the surplus positions will slide.
Veesaar, 22, had been considered even a mid-first-round prospect in earlier parts of the NCAA season. But with the dust having settled following the Tar Heels’ 82-78 overtime defeat to No. 11 VCU, the Estonian junior may fall into the second round.
Still, he put up solid numbers this year, averaging 17.0 points on .608/.426/.615 shooting splits, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.1 dishes per bout. The Bulls do have two second-round picks this summer, you know…
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