Three Teams who Could be in Position to Trade up at 2026 NBA Draft

The dust has settled following the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, and teams now know where they’ll be selecting on draft night.

The lottery went phenomenally for some, but was disatrous for others. There was more margin for error given the depth and as many as four No. 1-level talents, though that didn’t stop heartbreak for teams like Sacramento, Brookyln and more.

Still, there will be opportunity to trade up. Below, we’ll evaluate three teams who could be in position to do so:

Brooklyn Nets

Lottery night went worse for few teams than the Nets, who needed one last bite at the apple before seemingly spending some cash and looking to compete. Instead of jumping into the top four, they slipped three spots to No. 6.

Brookyln will be uniquely positioned to want to spend assets at the draft. There’s no guarantee that the top-four teams in the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies and Bulls will be looking to trade down — history says it will be near-impossible — but the Nets are certainly going to try.

In the least, a swap with the Clippers could be in order to grab the team’s top player outside of the quartet.

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets saw a surge in the 2025-26 season, missing out on the postseason narrowly, but showing growth across the board in the process. With LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, they now have a three-headed monster of perimeter scorers.

The Hornets currently have picks No. 14 and 18, and may not necessarily have the room to develop two prospects at once. Should they value anyone higher, they could move up a few spots from 14 with both.

Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg and Jayden Quaintance all jump out as potential trade-up targets, able to add immediate defensive boosts to the frontcourt.

OKC Thunder

The OKC Thunder are in a similar position to the Hornets, owning a late-lottery pick at No. 12 and a mid-first selection at No. 17, without real roster space to add two players.

The team will have to shift things around if it they do opt to add two prospects, but kicking one pick down the road, or packaging to trade up both feel realistic.

The Hawks, Mavericks and Bucks ahead of OKC all feel like teams who could seemingly add two prospects, while still grabbing value in the late-lottery.

The 2026 NBA Draft will be held on Tuesday, June 23, and Wednesday, June 24.

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