The Brooklyn Nets recently finished up with a 2025-26 season in which they recorded a disappointing 20-62 record that could allow them the chance to draft their next franchise player. Brooklyn has a myriad of matters they have to address before the 2026-27 season comes around, but they could be in an interesting situation depending on where their pick falls in the 2026 NBA Draft.
"Front office executives around the NBA increasingly believe Wilson could be the second player taken in June’s draft," Kevin O'Connor wrote for Yahoo! Sports when discussing North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson in his latest mock draft. O'Connor took a different approach to the draft as he has the Chicago Bulls with the No. 1 pick instead of the Washington Wizards, but the main point is how the NBA is comparing Wilson to Duke forward Cameron Boozer.
"While his exact spot won’t be clear until after the Draft Lottery, once each pick is determined, some teams value the high-flying North Carolina freshman above the more ground-bound Cam Boozer from Duke," O'Connor continued. "Others view Wilson as having similarly high upside as Kansas guard Darryn Peterson with dramatically lower downsides due to Peterson’s availability concerns."
To be clear, O'Connor has Wilson being taken with the second overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks, by way of their trade with the New Orleans Pelicans, before Boozer and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson. While the pre-Draft cycle always presents interesting bits of information prior to the actual event, it is notable that some executives are as high as they are on Wilson given that he is generally regarded as the fourth-best player in the class after BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Peterson, and Boozer.
As this relates to the Nets, it will be interesting to see where general manager Sean Marks and the front office leans if they end up with the third overall pick and have to choose between Boozer and Wilson. Both players have profiles that are intriguing to most teams for a variety of reasons, but because their style of play vary significantly, the Draft could give an indication of where Brooklyn is heading as they continue their rebuild.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Should Nets choose Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson in 2026 NBA Draft?