NBA Mock Draft 6.0: The latest projections with intel from the Draft Combine

The NBA Draft Combine was last week, and if there’s one clear takeaway it’s that this year’s participants are anything but set in stone. There are 18 players ranked in my top 60 flirting with a return to college. That’s the aggregate number after a week of working the phones and meeting with executives, scouts, and agents.

The NIL has changed the math because players know to the dollar what’s waiting back on campus, and for some players those bags comfortably outweigh the rookie-scale money attached to a pick in the late teens, 20s, or second round. So the debate becomes whether to get paid more now, or start the clock on your second NBA contract — the money that sets up players for generational wealth.

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Some of those names on the fence with their draft decision are big ones, such as Michigan forward Morez Johnson, Arizona forward Koa Peat, and Arkansas wing Meleek Thomas, according to league sources. Others are more unsurprising names, such as Louisville transfer center Flory Bidunga, Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic, and North Carolina transfer wing Matt Able.

The early entry withdrawal deadline is on May 27, so there’s still over one week to decide. It might shake out to two players going back. It might be five. It might be 15. Regardless, this class is about to thin.

The lottery is still going to be loaded with talent that stretches into the late teens and possibly the early 20s. The bleed-out will largely show up after that. But before this class loses pieces to next year, here’s my latest two-round mock based on the intel coming out of Chicago.

(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

AJ Dybantsa, 6-9, BYU freshman forward

Wizards president Michael Winger has already said on the record that the front office will consider trading down to accumulate assets. Over the past 46 years, the team holding the No. 1 pick has traded down and stayed in the lottery only three times: in 1980, 1993, and 2017. It is a rarity and would take a lot of guts for Washington to make such a decision. For now, the most likely scenario is staying at the first pick and taking Dybantsa, who could become one of…

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Author : Kevin O'Connor

Publish date : 2026-05-18 19:26:00

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