New NBA Mock Draft 2026 Drops by AP, How Does It Compare & Contrast to B/R?

The Associated Press and Bleacher Report are in agreement on which players are projected as top-five picks in the 2026 NBA draft.

The Washington Wizards are projected to select BYU's AJ Dybantsa at No. 1 in both the mock draft published Tuesday by the Associated Press' Aaron Beard and Brian Mahoney and the latest mock from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.

The Utah Jazz are then projected to select Kansas' Darryn Peterson before the Memphis Grizzlies draft Duke Cameron's Boozer in both mock drafts.

Both mocks also project Chicago Bulls drafting UNC's Caleb Wilson at No. 4 and the Los Angeles Cippers selecting Illinois' Keaton Wagler at No. 5.

That's where the consensus ends between the two mocks, which predict different outcomes for the back half of the top 10 picks.

B/R mock	AP mock
1. AJ Dybantsa	1. AJ Dybantsa
2. Darryn Peterson	2. Darryn Peterson
3. Cameron Boozer	3. Cameron Boozer
4. Caleb Wilson	4. Caleb Wilson
5. Keaton Wagler	5. Keaton Wagler
6. Darius Acuff Jr.	6. Nate Ament
7. Kingston Flemings	7. Darius Acuff Jr.
8. Mikel Brown Jr.	8. Kingston Flemings
9. Brayden Burries	9. Mikel Brown Jr.
10. Nate Ament	10. Brayden Burries

Both mock drafts project Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr., Houston's Kingston Flemings, Louisville's Mikel Brown Jr., Arizona's Brayden Burries and Tennessee's Nate Ament as top-10 picks, although in different orders.

Wasserman projects Ament falling all the way to No. 10, while Beard and Mahoney project him going to the Brooklyn Nets at No. 6.

Acuff was mocked by Wasserman to go to the Nets, although Wasserman noted that Burries is also "is being looked at as high as No. 6."

Wasserman also noted that the Nets are most likely going to try to trade up into the top four picks.

Whether the Nets stay put at No. 6 could ultimately have a ripple effect on what the rest of the first round looks like when the 2026 NBA draft kicks off June 23 in Brooklyn.