NBA Draft grades: Ranking all 30 teams' 2026 draft classes

[ASFN Admin]

The two days of the 2025 NBA Draft are over, with all 60 selections being made. There were a few trades here and there, but not a ton (unless you count the Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster).

And now, after we graded every pick in the first round and watched Day 2 play out, it’s time to hand out some grades and rank all 30 teams by their draft classes. Some teams, as you'll see, were big winners. Others did not in what feels like a mixed bag when it comes to draft classes. So we’ll rank each of the teams by how they did, and we’ll count trades in these, too. And if you didn't draft anyone? You'll end up with a low grade, of course.

Away we go, from worst to first:

30. Portland Trail Blazers (D)​

No picks

What a weird offseason for this franchise so far, right?

29. Indiana Pacers (D)​

Braden Smith (38)

They got a bad grade mostly because their No. 5 pick wasn't lottery-protected enough and went to the Clippers. And Smith is just OK.

28. New Orleans Pelicans (D+)​

Jaron Pierre Jr. (58)

They dealt away their first-rounder in the Derik Queen trade last year, so let's factor that in here. Pierre is slightly intriguing.

27. Orlando Magic (C-)​

Izaiyah Nelson (51)

A stash for the future.

26. New York Knicks (C)​

Jack Kayil (39), Tyler Nickel (47)

The champs actually did what they were supposed to do and traded a ton out of the first round and down the second to stay below the second apron. I do think Nickel could become a solid off-the-bench shooter.

25. Denver Nuggets (C)​

Trevon Brazile (35), Bryce Hopkins (49)

Another contender trading out of the first. Maybe these two develop into bench players?

24. Minnesota Timberwolves (C)​

Isaiah Evans (33), Trey Kaufman-Renn (59)

Getting Evans where they did was a nice grab, but the Wolves are tinkering more with the contending roster than building for the future.

23. Boston Celtics (C+)​

Chris Cenac Jr. (27), Dillon Mitchell (40)

We'll see if Cenac develops into anything down the road.

22. Cleveland Cavaliers (C+)​

Meleek Thomas (34)

I dig the Thomas pick a lot. If the Cavs were going to trade back, at least they made it count.

21. Houston Rockets (C+)​

Bruce Thornton (31)

Seems like he could be an immediate backup on a contender. Good pick.

20. Miami Heat (B-)​

Ryan Conwell (37)

We have to factor in a certain trade for a certain superstar big man. So they'll land here.

19. Phoenix Suns (B-)​

Koa Peat (30)

Is Peat going to be a sleeper or did he slide for a good reason? That's why this pick lands here.

18. Los Angeles Lakers (B-)​

Cameron Carr (24)

What's with him sliding? But I do like the pick at this point in the draft.

17. Philadelphia 76ers (B)​

Labaron Philon Jr. (22)

There's a lot of guards in Philly, but also: This is a team that has developed guards well. I like it.

16. Toronto Raptors (B)​

Allen Graves (19), Jaden Bradley (50)

A lot of mixed reports on Graves, but ultimately... it makes sense?

15. Charlotte Hornets (B)​

Hannes Steinbach (14), Christian Anderson (18)

Two good, not great picks here.

14. Dallas Mavericks (B)​

Morez Johnson Jr. (9), Sergio De Larrea (25), Tobi Lawal (48), Vsevolod Ischchenko (56)

This all depends on Johnson developing under his Michigan coach, Dusty May. But it felt like a reach at the time.

13. Detroit Pistons (B+)​

Ebuka Okorie (17), Ugonna Onyenso (53)

They moved up to grab Okorie, who could end up being a steal.

12. Golden State Warriors (B+)​

Yaxel Lendeborg (11), Lajae Jones (54)

Count me as someone who liked the Lendeborg pick. He can help the aging Dubs right away.

11. Milwaukee Bucks (B+)​

Brayden Burries (10), Nate Ament (13), Malique Lewis (60)

The Giannis trade factors in and the Bucks' first-rounders are swings for the fences. That's good when you're figuring out what's next.

10. Atlanta Hawks (A-)​

Kingston Flemings (8), Zuby Ejiofor (23), Henri Veesaar (52)

I love the Flemings pick and getting Veesaar late feels like a steal.

9. Brooklyn Nets (A-)​

Mikel Brown Jr. (6), Joshua Jefferson (28), Tyler Bilodeau (43)

I know there are concerns about Brown, but I see a whole bunch of upside there, as did the Nets.

8. Chicago Bulls (A-)​

Caleb Wilson (4), Dailyn Swain (15)

Is Wilson secretly going to be as good as the three other players taken ahead of him? And is Swain going to find his shot?

7. Los Angeles Clippers (A)​

Keaton Wagler (5), Baba Miller (36), Nick Martinelli (55), Narcisse Ngoy (57)

Wagler was a really good pick and the others felt like they had a lot of upside.

6. San Antonio Spurs (A)​

Jayden Quaintance (20), Tarris Reed Jr. (26), Ja'Kobi Gillespie (42), Maliq Brown (44)

This felt like a bunch of moves to help out Victor Wembanyama, and that can only be a good thing.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder (A)​

Aday Mara (12), Bennett Stirtz (16), Otega Oweh (31)

The Mara pick felt like a move to battle Victor Wembanyama, and that can only be a good thing.

4. Sacramento Kings (A)​

Darius Acuff Jr. (7), Alex Karaban (29), Emanuel Sharp (45)

Acuff might be the steal of the draft.

3. Utah Jazz (A+)​

Darryn Peterson (2)

An easy choice to take the Kansas guard when Dybantsa was gone.

2. Washington Wizards (A+)​

AJ Dybantsa (1), Felix Okpara (46)

I was a Dybantsa over Peterson guy, so this feels like the right spot.

1. Memphis Grizzlies (A+)​

Cameron Boozer (3), Karim Lopez (21), Richie Saunders (32)

Boozer might be the best player in this draft and they maneuvered so well in trades to get Lopez. You have to hand it to them: It was perfect.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: NBA Draft grades: Ranking all 30 teams and 2026 draft classes

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