The 2026 NBA Draft is next week. The top four picks belong to the Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls. There’s been a strong sentiment since the lottery that the top four picks will be some combination of BYU wing AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson.Then there’s the LA Clippers at No. 5, via the gift that the Indiana Pacers supplied as part of February’s Ivica Zubac trade. By all accounts, this draft really starts when the Clippers get on the clock.Before we get into what could happen at No. 5, let’s set the table with the Clippers roster:
LA Clippers pre-draft roster Clippers pre-draftPoint guardShooting guardSmall forwardPower forwardCenterStartersDarius GarlandKris DunnKawhi LeonardJohn CollinsBrook LopezRotationKobe SandersBennedict MathurinJordan MillerDerrick Jones Jr.Isaiah JacksonBackupsBogdan BogdanovicCam ChristieNicolas BatumTwo-waySean PedullaTyTy Washington Jr.Norchad OmierInjuredBradley BealYanic Konan Niederhauser
All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard turns 35 at the end of the month, is extension-eligible and is entering the final year of his current contract. Point guard Darius Garland, acquired midseason in exchange for James Harden, is extension-eligible and has two years remaining on his current contract. Just about everything else is up in the air.Defenders Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. are both extension-eligible as well, with Dunn’s contract for next season becoming guaranteed at the end of the month. Starting power forward John Collins was extension-eligible but will likely head into unrestricted free agency. Shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin is headed towards restricted free agency. The Clippers hold team options on starting center Brook Lopez, backup power forward Nicolas Batum, backup shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, 2025 second-round pick Kobe Sanders and 2023 second-round pick Jordan Miller. Injured shooting guard Bradley Beal has a player option that he is likely to exercise. Cam Christie’s contract isn’t guaranteed until June 30, and the draft may determine whether he retains that spot. Backup center Isaiah Jackson is under contract for two more seasons, while 2025 first-round center Yanic Konan Niederhäuser will spend his entire offseason recovering from Lisfranc surgery. Sean Pedulla is the lone two-way contract signed for next year.This Clippers team could use help at every position. No, really:• Point guard: The lack of ballhandling depth, especially after Chris Paul fell out of favor, put the team at a disadvantage all year.• Shooting guard: The Clippers don’t have accuracy problems, but they have a lack of volume shooters annually.• Small forward: Plenty of viable options, but their best player is in his mid-30s.• Power forward: The Clippers were a bottom-10 rebounding team, and that was with Collins.• Center: The trade of Zubac, the age of Lopez, the size of Jackson, and the injury to Konan Niederhäuser leave the Clippers without a legitimate starter.It would have been nice for the Clippers to have a top-four pick in this draft. Dybantsa could have been their next star wing. Peterson would have fit seamlessly into a starting spot next to Garland. Boozer averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds, while Wilson averaged 19.8 points and 9.8 rebounds; both ACC freshmen would have been starters up front for the Clippers.But it’s not like the Clippers were seeking a top-four pick. The protections on Indiana’s pick was from 1-to-4 and 10-to-30. LA is at the top of the range it was satisfied being in.The Clippers now have three realistic paths: stay at No. 5 and draft a player, trade down and accumulate assets, or use the pick as part of a larger move. The most-likely outcome remains the simplest one.Stay at No. 5Just because the Clippers like the options at No. 5 doesn’t mean I have to agree or be as excited about it. The best players available in the 5-10 range, especially when you look at The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie’s draft guide, are guards. The Clippers happen to have a small guard who they consider a franchise player. Garland, the No. 5 pick in 2019, is champing at the bit to have the keys to an offense after sharing the ball with small guards Collin Sexton and Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland.No. 5 is a tricky spot — Dunn was also selected there 10 years ago, and it took him a while to understand what kind of player he needed to be to stick. Garland is the last player selected fifth to be named an All-Star; the only other All-Stars selected fifth in the last 15 years were also small guards: De’Aaron Fox (2017) and Trae Young (2018).Darius Acuff is the most polished point guard in the 2026 NBA DraftSam VecenieDarius Acuff Jr.
