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2026 NBA Draft team grades: Which front offices did the best in both rounds?
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- 2026 NBA Draft team grades: Which front offices did the best in both rounds?
Now that the 2026 NBA Draft is behind us , let's get our report cards ready for each front office based on all the decisions made in their war rooms.
After ranking the best and worst picks from the first round of the draft at Barclays Center in New York, with both rounds complete, let's take a look at the final hauls for each team:
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Atlanta Hawks
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No. 8 — Kingston Flemings
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No. 23 — Zuby Ejiofor
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No. 52 — Henri Veesaar
The Hawks got a potentially franchise-changing point guard in the lottery who should play a strong defensive role alongside Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker . While they may have reached for Ejiofor in the first round, Veesaar was a huge steal that late in the second. They improved their frontcourt.
GRADE:B+
Boston Celtics
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No. 27 — Chris Cenac Jr.
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No. 40 — Dillon Mitchell
The Celtics targeted two former high school standouts who both tested well for their positions in terms of verticality and agility at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine. Mitchell is probably ready to contribute sooner than Cenac but both are immensely talented with developmental promise.
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GRADE:B
Brooklyn Nets
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No. 6 — Mikel Brown Jr.
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No. 28 — Joshua Jefferson
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No. 43 — Tyler Bilodeau
Despite not getting one of the coveted top-four picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Nets still had a fairly impressive draft. Brown and Bilodeau are two of the most impressive 3-point shooters in the class and Jefferson brings ready-to-contribute versatility and above-average playmaking for his position.
GRADE:A-
Charlotte Hornets
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No. 14 — Hannes Steinbach
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No. 18 — Christian Anderson
The Hornets walked away with two top-20 picks who both have an elite skill that should carry over to the pros. Steinbach is the best rebounder in the class, without a doubt, and Anderson has a very strong case as one of the best shooters. Even if they just got two specialists, it's enough to improve both aspects for Charlotte.
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GRADE:A-
Chicago Bulls
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No. 4 — Caleb Wilson
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No. 15 — Dailyn Swain
During his first draft, Bulls executive Bryson Graham walked away with two players who are potentially able to contribute at a high level as soon as next season. He made a significant improvement to their young core and perfectly hit their goals for size, length, athleticism, and physicality.
GRADE:A
Cleveland Cavaliers
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No. 34 — Meleek Thomas
All things considered, the Cleveland Cavaliers walked away with a fairly good value with a talented one-and-done freshman by snagging the Arkansas sharpshooter on the second day of the draft. The Cavaliers surely considered selecting him before trading out of the first round, so even if he is not a hit, this was savvy maneuvering to pick up extra assets.
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GRADE:B+
Dallas Mavericks
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No. 9 — Morez Johnson Jr .
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No. 25 — Sergio De Larrea
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No. 48 — Tobi Lawal
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No. 56 — Vsevolod Ishchenko
If we learned two things about the new Dallas Mavericks front office during the 2026 NBA Draft, it's that they trust new head coach Dusty May ( reuniting him with one of his collegiate national champions ) and they value verticality. Johnson and Lawal were two of the bounciest prospects at the combine, which is notable. They also may use their other two picks as draft-and-stash candidates.
GRADE:B
Denver Nuggets
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No. 35 — Trevon Brazile
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No. 49 — Bryce Hopkins
You can make the case that Brazile was one of the most athletic prospects at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine, so adding someone like that to the roster in Denver should help next season and beyond. Otherwise, however, this was a fairly forgettable draft for the Nuggets.
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GRADE:B-
Detroit Pistons
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No. 17 — Ebuka Okorie
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No. 53 — Ugonna Onyenso
The Pistons returned solid value outside of the lottery with Okorie, who could exceed expectations from his draft position based on what we saw during his one season at Stanford. Onyenso is a big man who fell a bit further than expected, so this was good value.
GRADE:B+
Golden State Warriors
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No. 11 — Yaxel Lendeborg
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No. 54 — Lajae Jones
Golden State valued ready-to-play prospects to play alongside Stephen Curry , which makes sense as his window for contention nears its end. Lendeborg should earn a lot of minutes for the Warriors next season but there are still concerns about how well he scales considering he will turn 24 years old at the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
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GRADE:B-
Houston Rockets
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No. 31 — Bruce Thornton
While he didn't get a ton of pre-draft buzz, Thornton actually had the best analytical profile of any prospect drafted outside of the first round. He was absolutely worth trading for as early as they did, especially considering how badly they needed a point guard last season.
GRADE:A
Indiana Pacers
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No. 38 — Braden Smith
There is not exactly a great track record of success for NBA players under 5-foot-11, though if someone were to buck that trend, Smith is a fair candidate. He was impressive during his time at Purdue and the former Indiana high school star will get a chance to shine for his hometown team.
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GRADE:C+
Los Angeles Clippers
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No. 5 — Keaton Wagler
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No. 36 — Baba Miller
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No. 55 — Nick Martinelli
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No. 57 — Narcisse Ngoy
There was not much of a clear strategy here by the Clippers, who got different types of players in this class, including a player they may plan to use as a collegiate draft-and-stash at Auburn next season. It seems likely Wagler will translate well to the NBA and NCAA veterans Miller and Martinelli could carve out roles, too.
GRADE:B
Los Angeles Lakers
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No. 24 — Cameron Carr
It surprised some fans that Carr was still available this late into the first round but his fall was a blessing for the Lakers, who suddenly have a hyper-athletic young wing who is also more than capable of shooting 3-pointers, as well. This was a solid draft for Los Angeles .
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GRADE:A
Memphis Grizzlies
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No. 3 — Cameron Boozer
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No. 21 — Karim López
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No. 32 — Richie Saunders
All three of these players may have gone too low in the 2026 NBA Draft. Boozer could have gone No. 1 overall in many other classes, López could make his opponents look foolish for letting him fall this late, and Saunders was only still available in the second round because of an injury he has already nearly recovered from.
GRADE:A+
Miami Heat
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No. 37 — Ryan Conwell
This was a solid pick by the Heat, who still will walk away with someone who should earn minutes in their suddenly depleted rotation despite trading a lottery pick in order to land Giannis Antetokounmpo before the draft began.
GRADE:B+
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Milwaukee Bucks
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No. 10 — Brayden Burries
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No. 13 — Nate Ament
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No. 60 — Malique Lewis
Milwaukee chose two necessary gambles on Burries and Ament and if even one of them hits, it will put the Bucks in a much better position than they otherwise were. It is possible neither looks particularly great next season but both should get strong opportunities to develop.
Grade:B+
Minnesota Timberwolves
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No. 33 — Isaiah Evans
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No. 59 — Trey Kaufman-Renn
Minnesota likely considered Evans in the first round before trading into the second but otherwise came away with a fairly underwhelming draft class after trading away Julius Randle in a salary dump. It's unclear what the long-term plan is right now for the Timberwolves.
GRADE:B-
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New Orleans Pelicans
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No. 58 — Ja ron Pierre Jr.
There is not much to say about the Pelicans, who traded away their first-round pick to get Derik Queen last season. While they reportedly did whatever they could to get in the first round this year and potentially wanted Ament, they only had a late second-round pick to add to their young core.
GRADE:C+
New York Knicks
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No. 39 — Jack Kayil
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No. 47 — Tyler Nickel
The Knicks seemingly used this draft to duck tax penalties, avoiding opportunities to add young players to their core and instead finding a potential draft-and-stash candidate in Kayil while also adding a handful of second-round picks in the process.
GRADE:C+
Oklahoma City Thunder
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No. 12 — Aday Mara
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No. 16 — Bennett Stirtz
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No. 41 — Otega Oweh
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Once again, the Thunder managed to add talent in the draft, grabbing multiple players who have obvious ways they can contribute at the next level. Mara is massive and he knows how to play within his role while Stirtz was one of the more NBA-ready floor generals in the class.
GRADE:A
Orlando Magic
No picks
Philadelphia 76ers
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No. 22 — Labaron Philon Jr.
Philon effectively fell into the lap of Philadelphia's new front office and should project as someone who can easily outperform his draft position both next season and beyond.
GRADE:A-
Phoenix Suns
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No. 30 — Koa Peat
Even if he isn't exactly ready for NBA minutes, the Suns took a swing on Peat, who went to college nearby. It was a smart move for a team that could use young talent.
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GRADE:B
Sacramento Kings
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No. 7 — Darius Acuff Jr.
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No. 29 — Alex Karaban
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No. 45 — Emanuel Sharp
The Kings did a great job finding shooters, adding Acuff as well as Karaban and Sharp. All three should knock down big shots at the next level. Acuff and Karaban do not project as good defenders but Sharp should help in that regard.
GRADE:B+
San Antonio Spurs
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No. 20 — Jayden Quaintance
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No. 26 — Tarris Reed Jr.
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No. 42 — Ja'Kobi Gillespie
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No. 44 — Maliq Brown
The Spurs did a great job improving their already impressive defense by adding Quaintance, Reed and Brown. All three should make for a fearsome fit next to Victor Wembanyama .
GRADE:A
Toronto Raptors
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No. 19 — Allen Graves
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No. 50 — Jaden Bradley
Even if this may have felt a little high for Graves after he came off the bench as a freshman in a non-major conference, the Raptors got a skilled and impactful player. They also found a capable backup guard in Bradley.
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GRADE:A-
Utah Jazz
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No. 2 — Darryn Peterson
Any time you walk away with the player some consider the most talented player in the class, you're going to deserve good marks. Peterson is potentially the missing piece to turn the Jazz back into an exciting team.
GRADE:A
Washington Wizards
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No. 1 — AJ Dybantsa
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No. 46 — Felix Okpara
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No. 51 — Izaiyah Nelson
This was a great draft for the Wizards, who not only landed the No. 1 overall pick in Dybantsa but also managed to find two NBA Draft Combine standouts with Okpara and Nelson.
GRADE:A
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA Draft grades by team: Which front offices did the best?
