We are about 24 hours away from the 2026 NBA Draft, and huge news broke that could affect an Illinois basketball player.
Keaton Wagler is guaranteed to get his name called on Tuesday night in the first round, but it is a matter of how high the former Illini can go. That is the question we are all waiting to get answered.
I have seen Wagler as high as No. 4 in the draft, but in the recent Yahoo! mock draft by Kevin O’Connor, Wagler is dropping down another spot to No. 8 in the draft. No one really knows until draft night, but this drop has me intrigued.
On Monday, Dusty May made headlines by shocking the world and bolting the Michigan Wolverines to go coach the Dallas Mavericks and Rookie of the Year, Cooper Flagg. This news was crazy.
Illinois is going to benefit greatly from this news because May is out of the Big Ten, but there is another reason we could benefit from this huge news.
May, now the coach of the Mavericks, has the No. 9 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. In that same mock draft by O’Connor, he has Dallas taking Houston’s Kingston Flemings. The notes about the pick are that the Mavericks are looking for a big guard to go along with Flagg.
Do you know who is a big guard and could help May and the Mavericks immediately?
Keaton Wagler.
Flemings is only 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-4 wingspan. Wagler is 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-6 wingspan. That is a big difference.
May is also very familiar with Wagler’s game. He coached against Illinois and Wagler last season, in which the Wolverines won 84-70. Even in the loss, Wagler was able to torch Michigan for 23 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals while shooting 7-of-17 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range.
The fact that May knows Wagler and his abilities is a huge benefit to potentially drafting the young and talented guard.
There is just one issue with the whole scenario. Wagler needs to drop down to the No. 9 pick. I am not sure that will happen. There hasn’t been a single mock draft that has Wagler dropping that far in the first round.
The Dallas Mavericks would easily be one of the best landing spots for Keaton Wagler in the 2026 NBA Draft
A little over a week ago, I laid out the three teams I think would be best for Wagler. The No. 3 option on the list was the Mavericks.
This list was put together way before May took over in Dallas. With him at the helm, I think the Mavericks are an even better landing spot than before.
I mentioned all of the reasons that May and Wagler would be a good fit. I think the roster construct fits Wagler, too.
Wagler does provide that big guard that Dallas needs. Kyrie Irving will eventually be back in action, but he is a quick and shifty guard who is more ball-dominant. Wagler doesn’t have to play that way. He moves well without the ball, and he has proved he does whatever the team needs him to do to win.
If I had a choice, Dallas would be the landing spot for Wagler. He would fit in well with this franchise, but let’s see where the chips fall on Tuesday night.
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