An Arizona guard is now in the mix for the fifth pick after impressing Tyronn Lue in a private workout.
The Los Angeles Clippers have spent the past month doing their homework ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft, and for most of that stretch the conversation around the fifth overall pick has centered on a handful of familiar guards.
Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff Jr. and Mikel Brown Jr. have each been connected to the Clippers in mock drafts and league reports, but a new name has quietly entered the picture after a standout private workout earlier this week.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Arizona combo guard Brayden Burries impressed Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue during a private session on Tuesday.
Fischer reported that Burries is now "very much under consideration" to be selected by Los Angeles with the fifth pick alongside Wagler, Acuff and Brown.
Why Burries Fits Next to Garland
The Clippers went 42-40 this season after reshaping the roster at the trade deadline, sending James Harden to Cleveland for Darius Garland and moving Ivica Zubac to Indiana in the deal that eventually landed them the fifth pick.
Garland averaged 18.8 points and 6.7 assists on 46 percent shooting this season and gives the Clippers a dynamic lead guard, but at 6-foot-1 and 192 pounds he is one of the smaller starting backcourt options in the Western Conference.
That is where Burries becomes an interesting fit.
At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds with a 6-foot-6 wingspan, Burries would give Los Angeles the kind of size and defensive versatility that Garland does not bring on his own.
As an Arizona freshman, Burries averaged 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three, helping the Wildcats reach the Final Four for the first time since 2001.
His ability to score from all three levels and play on or off the ball has drawn comparisons to Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, the two-way guards who thrive as complementary pieces next to a primary creator.
The Case Against Picking Burries
The concern with this move is simple.
Most mock drafts and big boards have Burries going in the 8-to-10 range, with Dallas at No. 9 considered one of his most likely landing spots.
Taking him four picks earlier than where the consensus has him slotted would be a clear reach and could mean passing on a player like Wagler or Acuff, both of whom have been linked to the Clippers for weeks and are seen by many as having higher ceilings.
Still, if Lue and the front office believe Burries is the right backcourt partner for Garland and Kawhi Leonard going forward, the pick starts to make more sense.
The Clippers are not building from scratch.
They need someone who can step in and contribute right away, and Burries projects as one of the safest players in this draft class to do exactly that, even if he may not carry the star upside that the fifth pick typically calls for.
