Draft 2026 NBA Draft Prospects Thread

[BatManu20]

With the ATL pick looking like it's going to fall out of the lottery and into the 16-20 range, I think we should seriously consider taking Mo Krivas out of Arizona with that pick. Posted about him last week and how important he's been to their team this season, especially their defense. With Kornet's recent (slight) regression and his age/health potentially becoming an issue in the near future, another good backup Center and third-string Center is becoming increasingly more important and Krivas would give our bench a big boost in that regard imo.

One of the best defensive Centers in CBB with great size and length and who excels in drop coverage. Elite physical profile at 7'2 260 lbs with a 7'5 wingspan. Big, strong body. Increasingly good 3-point shooter. Impressive 78% foul shooter. Lots to like there.

Much like Aday Mara, defending in spacing is going to be his biggest hurdle at the next level. But unlike Mara, Krivas is actually a very good foul shooter and a decent 3PT shooter as well (33% on 1 attempt per). Krivas might be a good option for us in that range as a rim-protecting backup big and spot-starter who can stretch the floor out to the 3PT line, and an eventual replacement for Kornet.

Another backup Center prospect who's really come on as of late is Motiejus "Mo" Krivas of Arizona. Elite physical profile at 7'2 260 lbs with a 7'5 wingspan. The 21 y.o. big man from Lithuania is currently averaging 11 pts, 8 rbs, 1 asts, 2 blks, & 1 stl on nearly 60% from the floor. He's also shooting 36% from 3 this season, albeit on low volume as well (a little under 1 attempt per). He's a really impressive 80% FT shooter though on 7 attempts per game which bodes well for his 3PT shooting prospects at the next level.

He anchors that elite Arizona defense while providing some spacing and nice touch around the basket. Finishes well with either hand which is important. He's also one of the better Offensive Rebounders in the country with a 14.2% Offensive Rebounding Rate. Not sure he'll be available at pick 35, as I think he might end up sneaking into the First Round when it's all said and done, especially if Arizona makes a deep run in the tournament like I think they will, but I'd seriously consider him there if we was.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2028314648424980791

 

[BatManu20]

If Arizona makes a deep tourney run and Krivas shows out, his stock is going to rise into the top-20 range of the draft imo.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2031526591206142338

https://twitter.com/x/status/2032627744672989203

https://twitter.com/x/status/2028679784394522831

 

[LeBowen]

Homer take, but I'm starting to like our current roster enough to not want another top prospect which would guarantee a tough decision in the future because we wouldn't be able to pay everyone.
Wemby, Castle and Harper are our big3, we don't need any more all-stars. Ethical basketball is where it's at.
Give me a couple more Bryants, tbh.

 

[Ariel]

Homer take, but I'm starting to like our current roster enough to not want another top prospect which would guarantee a tough decision in the future because we wouldn't be able to pay everyone.
Wemby, Castle and Harper are our big3, we don't need any more all-stars. Ethical basketball is where it's at.
Give me a couple more Bryants, tbh.

If all goes well, a tough decision is coming either way in the next few years: Spurs can't afford to keep Wemby at 30%, Castle and Harper at 25%, and Fox at ~30%, plus Carter at a good 3&D salary (say 20-25 million in today's money), plus decent depth. So the "problem" is there regardless.

With that said, I would agree with favoring long term fitting pieces over "star upside" which usually means more on-ball play (worse fit) and more variance (given where the Spurs would pick). But if there's a clear no brainer that slips through the cracks, then I'll take that "problem" 100 times out of 100 and deal with it later.

 

[bozhemoi]

Homer take, but I'm starting to like our current roster enough to not want another top prospect which would guarantee a tough decision in the future because we wouldn't be able to pay everyone.
Wemby, Castle and Harper are our big3, we don't need any more all-stars. Ethical basketball is where it's at.
Give me a couple more Bryants, tbh.

Definitely. We're in a great situation where we have three to four high level offensive players, a great defense, and only need to add around the edges. Fortunately, rookies are cheap, and getting someone (or two) who can fit into needed slots and perhaps grow for more is great.

 

[Exstatic]

Homer take, but I'm starting to like our current roster enough to not want another top prospect which would guarantee a tough decision in the future because we wouldn't be able to pay everyone.
Wemby, Castle and Harper are our big3, we don't need any more all-stars. Ethical basketball is where it's at.
Give me a couple more Bryants, tbh.

What I’d love is to draw #4, and cash it out down the road. I mean, we got an unprotected pick and #1 protected swap for the #8 pick in an absolute crap draft. What could be get for #4 in this draft to help Wemby in 6-7 years?

 

[LeBowen]

If all goes well, a tough decision is coming either way in the next few years: Spurs can't afford to keep Wemby at 30%, Castle and Harper at 25%, and Fox at ~30%, plus Carter at a good 3&D salary (say 20-25 million in today's money), plus decent depth. So the "problem" is there regardless.

One year of luxury isn't the problem, the issue is when it starts piling up.
Depending on how Fox ages, our only luxury year would be the last one of his contract. We could even keep him if he agrees to take a significant paycut.
If not, we can keep Wemby/Castle/Harperand role players.

What I’d love is to draw #4, and cash it out down the road. I mean, we got an unprotected pick and #1 protected swap for the #8 pick in an absolute crap draft. What could be get for #4 in this draft to help Wemby in 6-7 years?

Eh, then we'd feel bad if Wilson becomes legit.
I'm not saying we shouldn't hope we move up, I'm just saying that I don't like being too greedy with these things and that we've had more lottery luck in just these 3 years than a lot of franchises did in their entire history.

 

[Guru of Nothing]

Homer take, but I'm starting to like our current roster enough to not want another top prospect which would guarantee a tough decision in the future because we wouldn't be able to pay everyone.
Wemby, Castle and Harper are our big3, we don't need any more all-stars. Ethical basketball is where it's at.
Give me a couple more Bryants, tbh.

An option that grows less attractive the better Atlanta plays, but I'd be interested in trading down or out if this year's first if if meant acquiring a first round pick( or pickS) in the future, and of course we could still grab a couple of high-end 2nd rounders to develop (so the theory goes).

 

[LeBowen]

An option that grows less attractive the better Atlanta plays, but I'd be interested in trading down or out if this year's first if if meant acquiring a first round pick( or pickS) in the future, and of course we could still grab a couple of high-end 2nd rounders to develop (so the theory goes).

I think it's going to come down to who's available, much like in the two previous drafts.
We didn't like anyone at #8 in 2024.
We liked CB at #14 in 2025.

 

[Ariel]

An option that grows less attractive the better Atlanta plays, but I'd be interested in trading down or out if this year's first if if meant acquiring a first round pick( or pickS) in the future, and of course we could still grab a couple of high-end 2nd rounders to develop (so the theory goes).

I initially thought the same, but now I'm leaning towards using the pick: there's depth this year and there's going to be reasonably good talent available regardless where the pick lands (I'm not in love with anyone but I like just about a dozen guys in the 10-30 range, which doesn't happen every year).

On the other hand, Spurs should probably think hard about moving picks in 2027-2029: with Atlanta rising and the real possibility of having the expansion draft in 2028, it's the ideal year to punt the pick and avoid having to use a protection on a player you're likely to be undecided on with just one year of experience. Also, 2028 and 2029 picks should be considered as movable, given Boston's recent addition of youth and depth, and the Spurs own growth. If there's something interesting on the table using those assets, I would seriously consider it.

 

[bozhemoi]

An option that grows less attractive the better Atlanta plays, but I'd be interested in trading down or out if this year's first if if meant acquiring a first round pick( or pickS) in the future, and of course we could still grab a couple of high-end 2nd rounders to develop (so the theory goes).

I don't think teams generally trade into the mid to late teens range, do they? I don't remember it happening too much.

 

[OK Computer]

Homer take, but I'm starting to like our current roster enough to not want another top prospect which would guarantee a tough decision in the future because we wouldn't be able to pay everyone.
Wemby, Castle and Harper are our big3, we don't need any more all-stars. Ethical basketball is where it's at.
Give me a couple more Bryants, tbh.

I’m still waiting on my favorite role player to come to this team - that’s why i’m dedicated to the draft. I’m looking for my Chuck Hayes. DJG was the chosen one.

 

[Guru of Nothing]

I don't think teams generally trade into the mid to late teens range, do they? I don't remember it happening too much.

Probably not, but for a bit there it was looking like the Atlanta swap could land us at the tail end of a tier of highly sought prospects (say it fell into the 10-12 range), but if we're dropping down into 14-18 territory, not so much.

 

[Vienna]

I have this theory that good players on good college teams tend to get somewhat underrated in the draft process because their counting stats aren’t as good. But by the time they turn pro, they reveal just how good they really are. Several recent examples come to mind: Castle, Clingan, Knueppel, Edey, McCain.

If this is correct, then some players in our range that we really ought to be taking a hard look at include Koa Peat, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Thomas Haugh. These are the star players of college teams seeded 1 in the NCAA tournament.

Cameron Boozer is too, of course, but he’s a pipe dream at this point.

Isaiah Evans comes to mind. Might be the best off ball mover in college. Has been shooting lights out lately. And Vassell contract will become to expensive soon.

 

[SpursBills]

A new day brings new rankings once again for me.

Last night’s game and comments in the game thread said a lot of how fast the Spurs were attacking. This makes me want to move “faster” players higher such as: Carr, Swain. @spurraider21 ‘s words on Carr swayed me to move him up as well.

Another reason and perhaps the biggest reason I’m making this adjustment is again, how Mitch tells us again and again what scheme and strategy they’re going for:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2033775712998420539

“Timing, spacing, not letting the ball “stick”, probing”… all of this sounds like the ideal type of fit in the draft is once again an offensively versatile player. That means a player with some ball handling and uses it to probe (sorry Cenac), less projection of good shooting but has shot good volume (sorry Morez, Peat, Ejiofor).

New rankings:

1. Ament
2. Carr
3. Swain - if we want to see more crossovers or “sauce” like we saw from Castle last night, Swain is an additional weapon for that.
4. Joshua Jefferson
5. Haugh
6. Tounde
7. Cenac
8. Hannes

Carr-pool and Swain Train have such nice rings to them - these two should be ranked highly just purely for this reason

 

[bluebellmaniac]

Yaxel took part in the predraft process last year. Logic tells me that if the Spurs weren’t interested then, they wouldn’t be now with how intensive their background checks are.

The decision to go back to college after no team would give him a promise (he was seeking a promise, he said) says a lot of things about Yaxel. One is he wasn’t confident about his ability to play in the NBA at the age of 23, and two is he went back for the money he was being offered (which says a lot about his mindset, too).

Edit: one more thing I’ll add is that you have to ask what he had to gain (aside from the money) from going back to college. Raise his draft stock? That didn’t happen - he’s still in the same range and he didn’t improve much as a player. Win an NCAA championship? Let’s be real. That’s not a high bar and he isn’t even a defacto number one guy on his team. Red flags on top red flags, tbh.

Good luck with what's left after eliminating every player who'd like to make money in the NBA.

 

[LeBowen]

The Ringer 2026 NBA Draft Guide

Explore this year's best NBA prospects, broken down in depth and ranked.

www.theringer.com

 

[Exstatic]

I don't think teams generally trade into the mid to late teens range, do they? I don't remember it happening too much.

Derek Queen, NO, #13 last year.

 

[Exstatic]

Probably not, but for a bit there it was looking like the Atlanta swap could land us at the tail end of a tier of highly sought prospects (say it fell into the 10-12 range), but if we're dropping down into 14-18 territory, not so much.

You can’t trade a swap.

 

[Guru of Nothing]

You can’t trade a swap.

I meant it as, trade the pick with the swap attached.

 

[spurraider21]

The Ringer 2026 NBA Draft Guide

Explore this year's best NBA prospects, broken down in depth and ranked.

www.theringer.com

they have the most creative comps lmao. same way last year iirc

cam boozer as "the tim duncan of antoine walkers"

 

[Uriel]

The Ringer 2026 NBA Draft Guide

Explore this year's best NBA prospects, broken down in depth and ranked.

www.theringer.com

For Peterson: Kobe B…ufkin

 

[OK Computer]

"The guys get a lot of credit for that, cause we have a lot of guys that are very dynamic with the basketball in their hands, and we knew the only way that it was gonna work was if we played together, and set screens for each other, and space for each other, and pass to each other," he said.

This Mitch quote is JJ, Swain, Carr music

 

[OK Computer]

Peep the insane pass at the 0:20 mark

 

[Vienna]

Sergio de Larrea is an interesting case IMO. considering the most mocks he will be available in the 2nd round, so he will be definitely on the Spurs radar.
(some team might pick him 1st round though)
he is now listed at 6'6", I wouldn't be surprised, if he came taller, he is definitely tall enough to play SF, he also bulked up this season. If I look for a comparison, I see a smaller version of Avdija.(I don't claim he is as talented)
he plays the two best competitions outsinde the NBA (Euroleague and Spanish league ACB) and his team valencia ist one of the best in Europe. (currently #2 in ACB and #4 in Euroleague).
so getting minutes isn't easy for a 19/20 years old kid, but he worked his way into the regular rotation, at least in the ACB games. (Euroleague he plays less minutes)

point is, he can do a bit of everything. handle the ball, pass, shoot. so, he might either become a poor man's Deni Avdija, or a rich man's Sam Hauser. both archtypes would find a niche with this Spurs, right?