The Brooklyn Nets still have some time before they learn their fate of where they will be picking with the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery happening on Sunday prior to some playoff games. Brooklyn has not given any indication of which way they’re leaning when it comes to which player they will be selecting in June, but there’s a possibility of them making a surprising choice.
“Wilson is the most gifted athlete in the draft class. He’s 6-foot-10 with springs for legs. When he’s flying above the rim, finishing through contact, and chasing down every shot in his area code, he looks like a future franchise cornerstone,” Kevin O’Connor wrote in his mock draft for Yahoo! Sports. While the Nets choosing North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson with the third overall pick isn’t entirely surprising, it’s who Brooklyn chose him over in the mock.
“That’s exactly what the Nets need. They drafted a ton of guards last year, and they still hope one of them will pan out — which plays into the decision to put Wilson ahead of Kansas guard Darryn Peterson in this mock,” O’Connor continued. “Having a guy like Wilson could help, but he still needs to figure out his jumper, and he hasn’t shown any consistency as a shooter at any level. Still, even without the jumper, his athleticism alone gives him star upside.”
O’Connor’s latest mock draft has the Washington Wizards taking BYU forward AJ Dybantsa with the first overall pick and the Indiana Pacers selecting Duke forward Cameron Boozer with the second pick. Assuming that both of those players are off the board by the time the Nets pick, O’Connor suggests that Brooklyn would take Wilson’s upside over Peterson given that he plays at the same spot as so many of the Nets’ 2025 draft picks.
Granted, one could argue that Brooklyn doesn’t have to worry about fit at this point in their rebuild, but taking someone like Peterson could take opportunities away from someone like Nolan Traore or Egor Demin. Either way, Sunday’s Lottery will determine where the Nets will pick in June’s draft and if it is third overall, it will be interesting to see if their pick matches what O’Connor is predicting.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: 2026 NBA mock draft has Nets taking Caleb Wilson over Darryn Peterson
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
