The Brooklyn Nets have one day left before they have to make a decision on what they will be doing with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft that begins on Tuesday. Brooklyn has been linked to various players over the course of the pre-draft process, but after all of the workouts and rumors, it seems the Nets could be taking one of the best shooters.
“Keaton Wagler is right now earning looks in the No. 5-9 range with his crafty creation, special shotmaking, high IQ and adaptable game,” Jonathan Wasserman wrote on Illinois guard Keaton Wagler for Bleacher Report. In Wasserman’s final mock draft, he projected for the Nets to take Wagler with the No. 6 pick and that could make sense if the Los Angeles Clippers take Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. with the No. 5 pick.
“Wagler will be considered interchangeable with his size and shooting, but he showed enough off-the-dribble navigation, passing, pull-ups and floaters at Illinois for the Nets to feel confident that they can give him initiator duties,” Wasserman continued on Wagler. Outside of the consensus top-4 prospects, Wagler was among the first of the next tier of players to come off the board, along with players like Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. and the aforementioned Brown.
Wagler is coming off a freshman season with the Illini in which he averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 44.5% from the field and 39.7% from behind the three-point line in 37 games played (all starts). Wagler, who Wasserman compares to Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, projects as one of the best shooters in the Lottery with the upside to provide more for an offense through his passing and ball-handling.
Wagler, listed at 6-foot-6 and 188 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine last month, also brings positional size, something that the Nets have valued under general manager Sean Marks. While players like Brown and Acuff have gained steam in relation to Brooklyn, if Brown is off the board, it could be a tough decision for Marks and the front office to pass on a player in Wagler that has the ability to contribute on both ends of the floor immediately.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets projected to take G Keaton Wagler No. 6 overall in 2026 NBA Draft
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
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By Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire | USA TODAY Network
