The 2026 NBA mock draft is a long ways away, but the college basketball season is nearing closer. Now could be the time to start gaining familiarity with the draft class for the New Orleans Pelicans.
New president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has shown no fear in doing what must to done to complete his own vision, so the Pelicans might make some moves on draft night.
They will be limited in what they can accomplish though, as Dumars already traded away next year’s unprotected first round pick to acquire Derik Queen. That leaves them with their first and only selection coming at the No. 36 overall slot in the second round.
With that selection, Bleacher Report’s draft expert Jonathan Wasserman has New Orleans selecting Arkansas Razorbaks guard Boogie Fland.
This would be solid value from a pure talent standpoint, because Fland was once viewed as a potential lottery selection. He had 13.5 points on 37.% from the field, 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds as a freshman.
That dreadful efficiency is likely what is holding him back in draft evaluations. He shot five three-pointers a game, but made just 1.7 of those attempts. He shot well from the free throw line, but did not draw many fouls.
Fland will need to step up his touch at the rim if he wants to climb out of the second round after his freshman campaign. He has an intriguing playmaking skillset, so any sort of reliability on offense could go a long ways.
It would be another move to a younger, quicker backcourt that Dumars is putting together. He has already added Jordan Poole and Jeremiah Fears this year. Clearly, though, that room still needs work in the future. I would not be shocked if their first pick in 2026 is a guard.
With all of the conversation around the Queen trade, it could be interesting to look at just who they could be passing up with that decision. Wasserman has the Pelicans pick falling to No. 6 for the Atlanta Hawks.
With that selection the Hawks would add Arizona Wildcats power forward Koa Peat. While Peat is a great player in his own right, that’s probably not the direction New Orleans would go in. Adding another young, dynamic guard makes sense.
Louisville Cardinals freshman Mikel Brown Jr. was taken the pick right after, which would be much more of a gut punch to New Orleans.