Caleb Wilson of North Carolina will be one of the first names selected in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The only question remaining now is where he'll end up, as there are some better landing spots than others. I've been on record stating a few times that I'd like to see Wilson be a star on his new team, but it's very possible that doesn't end up being the case if he were to get drafted by a team like the Indiana Pacers.
Not to say that Wilson can't be a star in Indiana, but there's a much better chance of him being one if he were to be drafted to a team similar to the Utah Jazz.
The Jazz have some talent and guys who you can qualify as above-average stars, but probably not a true superstar. In the latest mock draft, that's exactly what would happen with Wilson. There's reason to believe that he could really be an excellent fit in Utah with Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr.
“Wilson's pair of hand injuries didn't impact his standing on draft boards, with lottery teams continuing to debate internally how he projects relative to the other top prospects, particularly the more polished but less physically gifted Boozer. He will have an opportunity to make his case in predraft workouts, where his athletic gifts should stand out, and teams will want to better assess his skill level and shooting. There are potential scenarios where he can go higher than this, depending on how the lotto order breaks.
“Utah won a draft tiebreaker with Sacramento, meaning its 1-8 protected pick can fall further than No. 8 -- extinguishing the Jazz's obligation to the Thunder. They don't control their own pick in 2027 and should be thinking best-available prospect here, with Wilson making sense as a long-term centerpiece, even with the addition of Jaren Jackson Jr. to strengthen their frontcourt at the deadline,” Jeremy Woo of ESPN wrote.
Utah has been searching for talent over the past few years and made that all-in move when it traded for Jackson. Adding Wilson to that mix would give them one of the more impressive frontcourts in the NBA, filled with size and guys who can score the basketball in multiple ways.