🏀 5x5 | Royce Webb

🏀 5x5 | Royce Webb

NBA Draft: Predicting 3 Massive Trades That Shake Up the Lottery

Here’s why I think 5 of the top 6 picks could change hands

Jeremias Engelmann's avatar
Jeremias Engelmann
May 15, 2026
∙ Paid
Darius Acuff Jr. , Darryn Peterson, and AJ Dybantsa. (Soobum Im/Mitchell Layton/John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

A number of NBA teams find themselves in an awkward situation after Sunday’s draft lottery — they have a potential mismatch between what they want and who will be available.

As a result, we might see an unusual flurry of draft-day trades at the top of the lottery, with teams moving up — and down.

Here’s how I think things could play out, with three big trades right at the top of the draft:

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
Jeremias Engelmann's avatar
A guest post by
Jeremias Engelmann
Basketball analyst. Creator of ESPN's Real Plus-Minus. Formerly with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks
Subscribe to Jeremias
© 2026 Royce Webb · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture