Draft 2026 NBA Draft Prospects Thread

Do we trade away our pick or draft a player?

  • Draft

    Votes: 50 84.7%

  • Trade

    Votes: 5 8.5%

  • Cash Considerations

    Votes: 4 6.8%
  • Total voters
    59
Not watching, how does he compare to Clingan/Edey/Maluach?

Kornet is turning 31 this summer, having a young big take over from him in a couple of years would be the natural course of things.
 
LeBowen said:
Not watching, how does he compare to Clingan/Edey/Maluach?

Kornet is turning 31 this summer, having a young big take over from him in a couple of years would be the natural course of things.
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He’s the same ilk as those guys. By virtue of being an immovable object - he’s an impactful player just being on the floor.
 
OK Computer said:
He’s the same ilk as those guys. By virtue of being an immovable object - he’s an impactful player just being on the floor.
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The biggest questions is will he be mobile enough to defend the space?
And is he good enough offensively to prevent teams from running small lineups agianst him.

I like the idea of Wemby having someone his size matching up with him in practice every day.
 
LeBowen said:
The biggest questions is will he be mobile enough to defend the space?
And is he good enough offensively to prevent teams from running small lineups agianst him.

I like the idea of Wemby having someone his size matching up with him in practice every day.
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Opposing teams with strategies to pull our center out and teams running small lineups is no new thing against our lineups with Kornet on the floor, and Aday is no slower than him. We’re a top defense in the league against all sorts of offenses and that’s with us running with a guy that size in the lineup. I don’t believe we try to match up by going small often this season (only when someone in our center rotation is injured).
 
Now to watch the Houston v Arizona game for Cenac vs Peat (i prefer Cenac over Peat)
 
Coach is barely playing Cenac and im not sure why… defensive liability?
 
Peat is the obvious Spur pick that I’d hate to see happen 🤮 but I feel like there’s a strong chance it will. I will have to watch more tape on him in an attempt to be more open to accept it
 
OK Computer said:
Peat is the obvious Spur pick that I’d hate to see happen 🤮 but I feel like there’s a strong chance it will. I will have to watch more tape on him in an attempt to be more open to accept it
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Please not another player that has half of his tech-tree locked
 
Correct Crusader said:
Please not another player that has half of his tech-tree locked
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I follow all potential picks on IG and what’s interesting is that Peat has the most Spurs following him: Dylan, CB, Steph, Harrison Ingram.

If I’m being honest, Peat is the guy @LeBowen is looking for. He’s got a bigger body, a little more mobile than someone like Cenac, is used for DHO and even creates sometimes. I can see him playing C in small ball lineups. He’s 19 so if the Spurs continue that trend of drafting young players then @BatManu20 would love that. My only complaint about him right now is he isn’t remarkable at anything. But if I squint my eyes hard, I see some Julius Randle in his game. The only “issue” is if his team goes far into this tournament, then all of this is moot point because teams above us will want to draft a winning player and he won’t even be available.

Any Peat fans would have to hope his team loses this game against Houston.
 
I see some Paul Millsap in Koa Peat if he continues to develop. Don’t hate the archetype. Spurs rarely draft from the same programs though. I’d be equally open to a young backup center. Will be interesting to see how the playoffs might affect who we draft.
 
onechance87 said:
Dont think thats good.Hopefully we learn from our past mistakes.
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For us, probably not good. Sochan and Peat are both great, active disruptors at the college level. Sochan fell off in the pros. Maybe Peat has a different trajectory.
 
OK Computer said:
Pre-March Madness personal rankings:
  1. Nate Ament. While I don’t think his current lack of strength is ideal for the 4, the talent may simply be too good for the Spurs to pass up.
  2. Cameron Carr. Vassell insurance. His style of play fits like a glove. He’s an off-ball player with enough on-ball ability to make a real impact. He has all the tools to become a strong defender capable of locking down 2s and 3s, and he’s versatile enough to bother some 4s as well.
  3. Amari Allen. Another form of Vassell insurance. He’s a bit more on-ball but has shown he can play off-ball effectively. The key here is that he’s already comfortable as a catch-and-shoot option. He has the kind of diverse skill set the Spurs consistently value.
  4. Joshua Jefferson. If it were up to me, he’d be number one. Realistically, though, there are factors that might make him less preferred than the players above him: not enough made threes on his resume, and at times it looks like he conserves energy on defense, though that may be a result of carrying a heavy offensive load. Otherwise, he’s the definition of a Spur: high-level processing and basketball IQ, an exceptionally gifted passer to the point of being game-changing, and a strong defender who is physically imposing while still able to stay with smaller players on the perimeter.
5 and 6: Hannes Steinberg and Aday Mara. These two leapfrog everyone from 1 through 4 if the Spurs’ priority is preserving Wemby and Kornet’s health next season. Otherwise, there isn’t much talent (combined with fit) at other positions in this draft that makes more sense than these two. Adding a talented third (true) center who can step in when needed and grow with the team over the next few years makes a lot of sense.
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After tonight, my updated rankings:

1. Nate Ament - you know, this kid might actually drop. He’s actually on top of this list because of what I think what the Spurs will do vs me liking the kid.
2. Zuby Ejiofor - he’s stepping up big time during the tournament AND doing it defensively. I think this is the type of player the Spurs love. Also a good kid from what I’ve seen in interviews.
3. Joshua Jefferson - I’ve already expressed a lot here.
4 and 5. Aday Mara and Hannes - Multiple ways a third C can get playing time next season: if either Wemby or Kornet get injured, double big lineups, if a guard gets injured this also makes Mitch play the double big lineups too
6. Cameron Carr
7. Koa Peat - on this list because I fear he’s on the Spurs’ list
8. Thomas Haugh
9. Tounde
10. Swain
 
Aday Mara doesn't spread the floor (2/7 from 3 in 93 games), struggles at the FT line (career 57.4%), is likely to struggle defending in space in the NBA, and doesn't project to share the court with Wemby for a significant amount of time. He doesn't look as dominant as Edey did, and Spurs didn't seem interested in his archetype when they passed on him in 2024, I don't see why they'd go for Mara now. As for Ejiofor, undersized centers don't usually translate well to the NBA even when they were productive in college.

Bottom line I don't get the appeal of drafting a third center who won't mesh well with Wemby with a possible lottery pick, when there are options available just about every year through free agency or with lower picks that yield good results (or are looking at least decent early on):
16: Zubac (32)
17: Jarret Allen (22), Hartenstein (43), Kornet (undrafted)
18: RWIII (27), Mitchell Robinson (36)
19: Claxton (31), Gafford (38)
21: Neemias Queta (39), Jay Huff (undrafted)
22: Walker Kessler (22), Jaylin Williams (34)
24: Oso Ighodaro (40), Hukporti (58)
25: Niederhauser (30), Kalkbrenner (34), Raynaud (42)
Signed as free agents: Brook Lopez (Milwaukee 18), Hartenstein (Denver 20, NY 22, OKC 24), Kornet (Spurs 25)

This is all the more relevant when you already have your franchise center in place and a competent backup. For Kornet insurance it'd be much more cost efficient to draft / sign / trade for one for much cheaper. Barring star upside, Spurs should target in the draft archetypes who are otherwise hard to acquire, not those who are readily available.
 
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