Good Morning, Illini Nation: Keaton Wagler's potential NBA landing spots
Apr. 10—The end of the NCAA tournament brings a full pivot to the 2026 NBA Draft, with the combine set to run May 10-17 in Chicago. Whether Keaton Wagler (and perhaps some of his Illinois teammates) will head to Chicago next month remains to be seen.
The Illini freshman has yet to make any announcement about his intentions for next season. What we do know is Wagler is still projected as a top 10 pick. The post-March Madness mock draft from has Wagler going No.
6 overall to the Atlanta Hawks. An updated draft board from slots Wagler in the No. 5 spot.
The projection of Wagler to the Hawks, of course, is simply based on the current NBA standings. Atlanta is one of several organization participating in rather shameless tanking since the All-Star break. The draft lottery, set for May 10, will dictate the draft order.
So how would you evaluate potential landing spots for Wagler? I ran the lottery simulator 20 times at (a truly lovely site for draftniks and obsessives) and tracked who would wind up with Wagler in those various scenarios: Los Angeles Clippers The Clippers have a substantial amount invested in Darius Garland, who has two years remaining on his contract, after acquiring him from Cleveland in the James Harden deal in January. Where Wagler would make sense is as a Kris Dunn replacement.