7. Sacramento Kings - Darius Acuff
- 2025-26 stats (Arkansas): 23.5 ppg and 6.4 apg
After trading away DeAaron Fox to San Antonio, the Kings have needed a new franchise guard. Acuff, who arguably was the best pure scorer in college basketball after the start of conference play in January, will get the opportunity. Sacramento badly needed an explosive scorer, and Acuff was the best option to take outside of Peterson.
Grade: A+
8. Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans) - Kingston Flemings
- 2025-26 stats (Houston): 16.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, and 5.2 apg
The Hawks don’t have Trae Young anymore, so even with Jalen Johnson being an all-around playmaker from the wings, they still need a true point guard. Flemings had an outstanding freshman campaign at Houston and is the best available point guard in the draft, making this an easy pick for Atlanta.
Grade: A+Â
9. Dallas Mavericks - Morez Johnson
Multiple teams had been trying to move up inside the top 12 to grab Johnson, and now he adds immediate energy and depth for Dusty May's new squad alongside Cooper Flagg.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) June 24, 2026
Never doubt Mike Schmitz and Masai Ujiri! https://t.co/3K1tju6YgO
- 2025-26 stats (Michigan): 13.1 ppg and 7.3 rpg
The first true surprise from the draft was that brand new head coach Dusty May selected his own former Michigan forward Johnson in the top-10. He had a standout sophomore big man who could defend and run the rim. He and Cooper Flagg will be a great defensive frontcourt, but with Kyrie Irving's long-term status in doubt, it felt as if taking a guard was the better move.
Grade: C
Add us as a preferred source on Google