5 Trades That Would Blow Up Our Latest 2026 NBA Mock Draft

You could run a million and one different NBA mock drafts and still never quite capture the chaos of the actual talent grab.

But maybe adding some chaos-creation to the process could bring us closer to the real thing.

With a draft class as highly regarded as this, there's sure to be no shortage of teams looking to climb up the draft board. While potential sellers are harder to find, it's possible to sniff out a few franchises who'd either prefer win-now talent over unproven prospects or might favor multiple darts to throw at the board over a single, all-or-nothing toss.

With the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman as our guide, let's find five potential trades to disrupt the opening round. Since payrolls and cap situations will change before these deals would be finalized, the focus is on trade concepts and not necessarily fully fleshed out dollar-for-dollar trades.

First Round Mock

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To get a full grasp of the draft board, here's how Wasserman's mock first round went down.

(Scroll to the right to see entire table >>>>)

Pick	Team	Player	Pos.	School
1	Pacers	AJ Dybantsa	SF	BYU
2	Wizards	Cameron Boozer	PF	Duke
3	Nets	Darryn Peterson	SG	Kansas
4	Kings	Caleb Wilson	PF	UNC
5	Jazz	Darius Acuff Jr	PG/SG	Arkansas
6	Mavericks	Keaton Wagler	SG	Illinois
7	Grizzlies	Kingston Flemings	PG	Houston
8	Hawks (via NOP)	Mikel Brown Jr.	PG/SG	Louisville
9	Bulls	Brayden Burries	SG	Arizona
10	Bucks	Labaron Philon Jr.	PG	Alabama
11	Warriors	Braylon Mullins	SG	UConn
12	Trail Blazers	Koa Peat	PF	Arizona
13	Hornets	Yaxel Lendeborg	PF	Michigan
14	Heat	Nate Ament	SF	Tennessee
15	Thunder (via LAC)	Jayden Quaintance	PF/C	Kentucky
16	Grizzlies (via ORL)	Karim Lopez	PF	New Zealand Breakers
17	Spurs (via ATL)	Thomas Haugh	SF/PF	Florida
18	Thunder (via PHI)	Cameron Carr	SG	Baylor
19	Hornets	Hannes Steinbach	C	Washington
20	Raptors	Ebuka Okorie	PG	Stanford
21	Pistons (via MIN)	Christian Anderson	PG	Texas Tech
22	Nuggets	Amari Allen	SF/PF	Alabama
23	76ers (via HOU)	Aday Mara	C	Michigan
24	Hawks (via CLE)	Chris Cenac Jr.	PF	Houston
25	Lakers	Meleek Thomas	PG/SG	Arkansas
26	Knicks	Morez Johnson Jr.	PF	Michigan
27	Celtics	Bennett Stirtz	PG	Iowa
28	Timberwolves (via DET)	Dailyn Swain	SF	Texas
29	Cavaliers (via SAS)	Motiejus Krivas	C	Arizona
30	Mavericks (via OKC)	Juke Harris	SF	Wake Forest

Hawks Trade Up To No. 4, Kings Add Future Swap and Prospect

Atlanta Hawks receive: No. 4 pick and Malik Monk

Sacramento Kings receive: No. 8 pick, 2031 first-round pick swap (top-four protected), Asa Newell and Buddy Hield

If the Kings are denied a top-three pick like they were in this mock, they'll almost certainly want to draw from this draft's prospect strength to fill their De'Aaron Fox-sized hole at point guard. They could also have hesitations about doing that at No. 4, where majority opinion holds that Wilson might have a tier to himself.

So, Sacramento might be up for a scenario like this.

It moves down a touch, but still stays high enough to grab whichever lead guard from the next tier drops (in this mock, it'd be Brown). And in addition to a potential franchise floor general, it also gains a lightly protected future swap and a first-round pick from last year (Newell, who has impressed in limited minutes) while shedding salary commitment by flipping Monk for Hield.

As for Atlanta, it could see Wilson, an ATL native who's as athletic and energetic as any prospect in this class, as an excellent open-court fit with ascending All-Star Jalen Johnson. Wilson's bounce, finishing and all-around activity could make him an instant impact addition, while the hopes for more creation and shooting in his future might allow him to eventually hold second-star status.

Or maybe the Hawks would take this opportunity to put their post-Trae Young plans at point guard into practice. Regardless of what type of team they want to build, there should be a snug-fitting guard for it with Acuff, Wagler, Flemings and Brown all on the board.

Bulls Move Up, Grizzlies Gain Picks

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Chicago Bulls receive: No. 7 pick and Brandon Clarke

Memphis Grizzlies receive: No. 9 pick, No. 38 pick, 2029 first-round pick (top-four protected) and Isaac Okoro

Are the Grizzlies fully convinced that their Ja Morant replacement is in this draft? Because if not, they might not sense there's a big drop-off between the seventh and ninth picks. They could still get a lead guard like Philon if they wanted, but they'd have other options, like maybe taking a swing on Tennessee's own Ament or adding a tone-setter and culture-creator like Peat.

For moving back two picks, the Grizzlies would gain a second-rounder, plus a lightly protected future first 25-year-old wing defender in Okoro. That's a healthy haul, and maybe they could squeeze out an even better one if the Bulls wind up collecting the lottery-protected first they're owed from the Trail Blazers.

Is the price too steep for Chicago here? Not if the Bulls see a player like Flemings or Brown being key to finally escaping the middle class. If they're really making a "meaningful shift in terms of roster building," as Arturas Karnišovas has characterized it, an aggressive move like this could put real ink on the paper for their long overdue next chapter.

Now, there could be some eyerolling by connecting to Chicago to yet another guard, considering how many the club just added at the deadline. But the cold truth is the Bulls didn't add anyone with upside like the aforementioned freshman floor generals. Besides, Chicago is so new to this rebuilding business that it's way too early to prioritize roster fit over talent collection.

Bucks Make Major Move to Appease Giannis, Mavericks Focus on Young Core

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Milwaukee Bucks receive: Kyrie Irving

Dallas Mavericks receive: No. 10 pick, Ryan Rollins, Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis

The latest disagreement between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks is, in the eyes of The Athletic's Sam Amick, "the clearest sign yet that these two parties are headed for a divorce in the summer." But when Bucks governor Wes Edens discussed the two-time MVP's future with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne recently, he offered an ultimatum that, notably, leaves the door wide open to keep this going: "Either he will be extended or he'll be traded."

Milwaukee is never going to force Antetokounmpo out. And his hesitance to take a trade demand public suggests he might still be looking for reasons to say. Reasons, perhaps, like this exact type of trade, which mortgages more of the future but does so in pursuit of Antetokounmpo's aim for maximum competitiveness.

No, his first pairing with a score-first star guard didn't go great, but Irving is more accustomed to sharing the floor with ball-dominant elites. This wouldn't be a fight for the spotlight, but rather a willingness from Irving to support the lead actor as best he could. Provided he's healthy, of course, which you'd hope he would be considering we've passed the year mark since his March 2025 ACL tear.

For as much as the Mavericks might want to see how Cooper Flagg would look with a healthy Irving, they should be more eager for the opportunity to add potential long-term building blocks. Adding a second top-10 pick in a class as celebrated as this could be enormous, and that's before factoring in what the future might hold for Rollins, a 23-year-old in the thick of the Most Improved Player race.

Remember, after this summer, Dallas won't control its own first-round pick again until 2031. The time to chase high-end young talent is right now, especially if they could potentially gain two keepers in exchange for a 34-year-old with a long injury history and the money owed to Kuzma and Portis.

Warriors Find a Star Spacer, Nets Add Assets

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Golden State Warriors receive: Michael Porter Jr.

Brooklyn Nets receive: No. 11 pick, Kristaps Porziņģis (sign-and-trade) and Brandin Podziemski

Would it be reckless for a team as badly in need of youth and athleticism as the Warriors to trade out of this loaded lottery? Maybe, but if the goal is competing at the highest possible level for however long Stephen Curry sticks around, who would help more: a lottery pick, an oft-injured Porziņģis and the inconsistent Podziesmki, or Porter, a 6'10" scoring forward with a career 49.3/39.8/81.2 slash line?

Porter's per-game numbers with the Nets and his pay rate are both inflated, but that may not matter to Golden State. Not when it has a standing need for spacing so long as Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are still around. Not to mention a nagging itch for scoring assistance for Curry, who, before being sidelined by a pesky knee problem, was shouldering his heaviest usage rate in five seasons—in his late-30s.

Some might note Porter has had injury trouble of his own, but honestly, most of that was a distant memory before he joined a Brooklyn team with obvious incentive to lose. If you include the playoffs, these were his games played totals between 2022-23 and 2024-25: 82, 93 and 91. By Golden State's standards, Porter would basically be Cal Ripken Jr.

Some Nets fans will say this isn't enough for Porter, as if the shoot-first (and shoot-second) swingman wasn't salary-dumped upon them last summer. He had a solid season, obviously, but not a reputation-reversing one. If they can get positive value for him, they should probably take it.

Podziemski is a polarizing player, and Porziņģis is a walking question mark, but they can be legitimate pieces (for the roster or the trade-chip collection). The No. 11 pick is the biggest draw, though, giving Brooklyn a second crack at this lottery and the chance to pair Peterson and all of last year's first-round picks with, say, a sharpshooter like Mullins, a dot-connector like Peat, a big-wing-scorer like Ament, an elite defensive anchor like Quaintance or whomever they'd prefer at that spot.

Thunder Climb Into Lottery, Blazers Double Their Pick Count

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Oklahoma City Thunder receive: No. 12 pick

Portland Trail Blazers receive: No. 15 pick, No. 18 pick

With the phrase "embarrassment of riches" befitting both OKC's draft pick collection and roster depth, the Thunder seldom have a need for their full selection allotment in a single talent grab. That's why they're so often packaging picks to move up or sending them out for future firsts.

They don't always move up at the right time (Aleksej Pokuševski waves hello), but if they have a non-top-tier prospect they want, they can usually go get them. While it's hard to say for certain whom they'd want at No. 12, it's not hard to see them coveting any one of Peat, Lendeborg or Ament.

For that matter, they could also be big fans of Quaintance, Lopez, Haugh or Carr and simply not want to risk their preference being taken just in front of them. You don't have to go far to find mocks putting these prospects into the lottery and therefore just out of OKC's reach.

The Blazers, conversely, could use more draft capital, especially if they don't sense a tier drop between picks 12 and 15 (or even 18, for that matter). They're only slated for a single pick in this draft at the moment, and if they hang onto the lottery-protected first they owe the Bulls this season, that debt will carry over.

It'd be one thing if this roster was one player away from contending for the Western Conference crown, but not even the most optimistic Rip City resident would make that claim. So, Portland might prefer two bites at the apple, perhaps eyeing a combo of Lopez and Carr or something similar that boosts both the backcourt and the wing rotation.