The Milwaukee Bucks enter the 2026 NBA Draft armed with the tenth-overall pick. At least for now. Between now and June 23rd, a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade is expected, which could certainly land the Bucks another first-round pick in the draft. The Bucks could also separately trade up or down from their spot, depending on their evaluation of the draft class.
For now, however, let's assume that the Bucks are standing pat at No. 10, regardless of what happens with Antetokounmpo. What would the perfect draft scenario look like for Milwaukee at the top of the draft, and who should they select?
1. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa
2. Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson
3. Memphis Grizzlies: Cam Boozer
The top three of this draft will be Dybantsa, Peterson, and Boozer in some order. This has been predetermined for months, and it would take a major surprise for another prospect to get into the top three.
Dybantsa is the most popular Wizards selection in mock drafts, and he has only conducted formal visits with Washington and Utah, making it unlikely that he will fall to three. Peterson, on the other hand, only visited the Wizards. So, it's safe to say that one of those two will be going No. 1.
Whoever is left at No. 3 will be going to Memphis. In this scenario, it's talented big man Cam Boozer out of Duke.
4. Chicago Bulls: Caleb Wilson
This is arguably the easiest decision in the draft. Barring a miracle in the top three, UNC's Caleb Wilson will be the best player available for Chicago, and it's difficult to imagine them passing on such an elite athletic prospect.
It gets interesting after this pick. The next five picks before it's Milwaukee's turn can go in any number of directions. There are several lead guards who are expected to go in the 5-10 range. The Bucks have to hope that one of the guards with the superstar upside falls to them at No. 10.
5. LA Clippers: Keaton Wagler
6. Brooklyn Nets: Kingston Flemings
7. Sacramento Kings: Darius Acuff Jr.
8. Atlanta Hawks: Aday Mara
9. Dallas Mavericks: Brayden Burries
Wagler is considered to be the most likely choice for the Clippers. Unless they trade their pick, the Clippers will probably select the all-around offensive creator with good positional size.
Then, it gets more complicated, but the Nets and the Kings will presumably both select on-ball guards. They could go with Flemings, Acuff Jr., Brayden Burries, Mikel Brown Jr., or Labaron Philon Jr. as both teams will reportedly take the best guard available to them, per Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. This is likely to be Flemings and Acuff Jr. in some order.
The Hawks need a point guard and a center. They could certainly go with one of the guard prospects, but there have been plenty of Mara-to-Atlanta rumors. Plus, if we are talking about an ideal scenario for the Bucks, Atlanta choosing the Michigan standout would help things fall into place for Milwaukee.
Dallas reportedly wants to keep Kyrie Irving for now, which suggests that they will at least try to be as competitive as possible. Brayden Burries is the perfect complementary prospect for them who fits perfectly next to Kyrie in the backcourt as an excellent three-and-D option.
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Mikel Brown Jr.
Which leaves Louisville star Mikel Brown Jr. to Milwaukee. With the No. 10 pick, it's hard to imagine a better outcome for the Bucks than landing Brown.
There are certainly concerns about Brown's game. He missed a ton of games last season with a nagging back injury. His defensive tape is inconsistent. His decision-making can be erratic as he likes flashy passes and audacious shots. However, the talent is absolutely undeniable.
Brown is the perfect mold of a modern NBA point guard. He has solid positional size at six-foot-four and can do it all with the ball in his hands. He can dribble, pass, and shoot as well as any prospect in the draft class. He projects to be a three-level scorer, an elite passer, and a crafty pick-and-roll operator.
If he works out, Brown is the type of young player the Bucks can build the future on. He would be an excellent fit next to Ryan Rollins to lead the next era of Bucks basketball.
Milwaukee should be thrilled to land any one of Brown, Flemings, Acuff, or Wagler in the draft. Let's hope that one of them falls to No. 10 like Brown did in this mock draft.
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