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Nets rumors: Why No. 6 pick viewed as ‘wild card’ around NBA as trade buzz gets louder
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- Nets rumors: Why No. 6 pick viewed as ‘wild card’ around NBA as trade buzz gets louder
Nets rumors: Why No. 6 pick viewed as 'wild card' around NBA as trade buzz gets louder appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Brooklyn Nets have no shortage of options with the No. 6 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. ESPN draft analyst Jeremy Woo projected the Nets to select Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. in his latest mock draft , but admitted that there's little consensus about what direction Brooklyn will go.
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"After a second straight disappointing lottery result dropped the Nets three spots, this pick is viewed around the league as a potential wild-card spot, with Brooklyn needing star power and still developing young players at every position after rostering five first-rounders a year ago," Woo wrote. "What direction the Nets wind up going might offer insight into how they view their current prospects. They also have cap space and a supply of tradable future firsts at their disposal. Acuff Jr. doesn't fit Brooklyn's established positional-size philosophy, but he has a best-available case if this is how the board falls. It's not viewed as a given that the Nets select a guard, however, and they could find value in trading back."
After falling in the lottery for the second straight year, the Nets can pick from a talented group of guards, including Acuff, Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr. and Kingston Flemings.
Nets viewed as 'wild card' team with No. 6 pick in 2026 NBA Draft
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Each player would offer different high-end traits to a young Brooklyn backcourt. Acuff is one of the most talented offensive guard prospects in recent memory; Wagler has great size and poise as a lead ball-handler; Brown offers unlimited shooting range and high-level playmaking ; and Flemings was a two-way star for Houston this season.
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However, there was speculation at last week's draft combine in Chicago that the Nets could trade down from No. 6. Brooklyn selected four guards in the 2025 draft: Egor Demin (8), Nolan Traore (19), Drake Powell (22) and Ben Saraf (26). If the front office remains high on those players, they could move down the board and acquire more assets while adding a player at a different position.
Michigan center Aday Mara, Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg, Tennessee forward Nate Ament and New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez are among the top non-guards projected in the mid to late lottery.
Related: Nets' 2026 NBA Draft target with most star upside at No. 6
