basketball

Yahoo! Sports projects Nets to take Keaton Wagler in 2026 NBA Draft

โ€ขYahoo Sports

The Brooklyn Nets have the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and Yahoo! Sports' Kevin O'Connor projects Brooklyn to take guard Keaton Wagler.

The Brooklyn Nets have the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after the Lottery gave them disappointing results for the second year in a row despite the percentages. In a draft that some pundits consider to be deeper than others in the past, Brooklyn could go with a variety of options, including one of the best shooters in the draft that has had quite the rise.

"The Nets shocked a lot of people when they took Egor Dั‘min with the eighth pick one year ago. And maybe they will shock again this year... in this mock, weโ€™re sticking with the best guard available," Kevin O'Connor wrote in his latest mock draft for Yahoo!

Sports. O'Connor projected the Nets to take Illinois guard Keaton Wagler with the No. 6 pick after the Los Angeles Clippers pass up on Wagler to take Arizona guard Brayden Burries.

"Wagler showed up at Illinois as a four-star recruit with no expectations of becoming a one-and-done. But he quickly became the orchestrator of a high-powered Illinois offense with his high-IQ playmaking and crafty scoring," O'Connor continued. "To become an NBA star, Wagler needs to overcome a lack of traditional athleticism.