Brooklyn lands inside the top five. But where do the Nets take the Kansas star?
The Brooklyn Nets and Darryn Peterson stay attached to one another in mock drafts.
J. Kyle Mann of The Ringer posted his mock, which has the franchise taking the Kansas star. But at which spot this time?
The Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings helped alter the draft momentarily, with the former winning the tiebreaker. This situation increased the Nets' chances of landing the first overall pick by 14 percent.
The Ringer's updated mock has the Nets picking at No. 3 overall. And that's where Mann has Brooklyn taking the KU freshman star.
"If they do finally earn some lottery luck this year and land in the top three, the Nets might go with Peterson regardless of which spot they get," Mann predicts.
He adds this notable hurdle, though.
"It’s still early, but the returns from their 2025 class have been cloudy at best, with the occasional 'Hey, that might be something' spurts. This front office needs a big bet to hit big, and Peterson has the kind of superstar-scorer upside that is unmatched in the 2026 draft," Mann said.
But he also dove deeper into how Peterson could mesh with the current roster.
"Not to mention, his game would pair well with those of Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton and click some things into place," Mann said.
There's still a lot up in the air draft wise. Including Peterson potentially pulling a stunner and returning to Lawrence for his sophomore season. He can't enter the NCAA Transfer Portal as Tuesday represented the final day to submit paperwork .
"Things can obviously change, but as of this moment, I still have Peterson at the top of my board," Mann said. "He’s the type of offensive catchall that could bring purpose to their casserole of pass-first prospects, and he’d give their bigger and longer athletes enough spoon-fed offense in the pick-and-roll to at least launch the team in a direction."
Peterson remains a high-profile possibility. But this isn't the first time his name has become linked to Brooklyn.
He's been hailed as a ticket seller because of his stellar play. However, his Brooklyn arrival could create a potential logjam of scoring options at the disposal of head coach Jordi Fernandez.
Brooklyn remains linked to other possibilities ahead of the draft, including Duke star Cameron Boozer.
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