Daydream 2026 NBA Draft Outcomes for Bucks

As the Milwaukee Bucks circle top-ten pick waters, their season could still go a few different ways.

Maybe Giannis Antetokounmpo and this backcourt of bucketgetters surges back into the play-in, wins a few games, and is right back in the thick of things in a wide open Eastern Conference

However, with Antetokounmpo battling injuries and Milwaukee now within reach of a valuable top-10 pick, the team's goals the rest of the way are unclear; with a healthy Greek Freak ready to compete, its hard to see this team not trying its best to win any time Giannis is in the lineup.

So, let's keep an eye on how often Giannis is in the lineup the rest of the way.

If Antetokounmpo fails to play many games going forward, Milwaukee may even improve its lottery odds that are currently projected as the 9th-best of any team

What are the scenarios if the Bucks stand pat in the standing and Milwaukee ends up with the 9th-best odds in a loaded 2026 draft class?

Kobe Bryant's mentality

Kevin Durant's versatility

How did Giannis's NBA idols become his peers?

"Because he was not obsessed with them, he wasn't afraid of them... He wasn't afraid of anyone."@MirinFader on Today's 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 @SwishTheory Podcast pic.twitter.com/X3BSOaUe8E
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) January 29, 2025

The Bucks need a big splash talent one way or another

Milwaukee's current odds have roughly a 20% chance broken fairly evenly over the top-4 picks with a 4.5% chance at 1st, a 4.8% chance at 2nd, a 5.2% chance at 3rd, and a 5.7% chance at 4th.

There is also a minimal chance Milwaukee slips to 11th (3%) or a fraction of a chance the team slips to 12th or 13th. (> 0.1%)

The Bucks' likeliest outcome with the current odds is the 9th pick, which has just over a 50% chance at happening, a coin flip; the 2nd-likeliest outcome is 10th, with just under a 26% chance.

In the first two Daydream Draft Day scenarios in my 2026 NBA Draft series, we looked at the Top-4 projected picks Dybantsa, Boozer, Peterson, Wilson, plus Yaxel Lendeborg for the Indiana Pacers and Top-10 level guards for the Memphis Grizzlies; click the links to read those player profiles.

Milwaukee would be thrilled to add just about any major talent to pair with Giannis if it kept Antetokounmpo happy, whether rookie or experienced.

If the team wins a Top-4 pick, it's likely they value the Top-4 prospects in some order:

Cameron Boozer remains the #1 potential outcome for any franchise looking for a one man offensive engine downhill force defensive wrecking ball with the skill and strength of a dancing bull.

Darryn Peterson slides right in as an electric #2 scorer as the best overall 2-guard prospect to come along in decades, perhaps exactly what Giannis needs next as potentially the next Kobe to his Shaq.

AJ Dybantsa and Caleb Wilson provide two big wing options that would probably be the 3rd and 4th best outcomes in the draft for any team, including Milwaukee; even if Giannis also plays the 4, these are two big defensive wings and skilled scorers who would make it work.

Let's look at the 3 likeliest draft slots and 1 other marquee draft night move for Milwaukee.

4 Daydream 2026 NBA Draft Scenarios for the Bucks

4. 10th Pick – Ebuka Okorie, Mikel Brown Jr, Keaton Wagler... Best Guard Available

Mikel celebrates — Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) gets congratulated by teammate Louisville Cardinals guard Ryan Conwell (3) after Brown Jr. scored 45 points with 10-for-16 3-point shooting as the Cards roll past NC State 118-77 at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville February 9, 2026. Conwell finished with 31 points and six assists. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This is the deepest class of good-to-great guards in recent memory and in my opinion, of all time; it's also the deepest class of freshman talent to boot.

Milwaukee adding any top guard prospect would be a huge win this summer; a 9-12th pick in this class could be comparable to a top-4 pick any other year with how talented and deep this class is, especially with guards:

Ebuka Okorie combines elite skill as a rim finisher, advantage creator, floor general as a floor-stretching pull-up scorer point guard.

Mikel Brown Jr. can light it up from deep, run some offense as a walking heat check; pairing his 3pt shooting gravity with Antetokounmpo's downhill force gravity could prove fruitful.

Keaton Wagler is another guard skyrocketing up draft boards with incredible ability to walk into the pull-up jumper; Wagler makes up for lesser athleticism with skill, touch, and vision.

Other guard propsects like Tyler Tanner, Christian Anderson, LaBaron Philon, Acaden Lewis, Brayden Burries, and Meleek Thomas could be considered late in the lottery as two-way team-first talents with varying levels of walking bucket who can score, create, and force turnovers with good natural scoring and playmaking instinct to help steady the ship.

4th Pick – Guards Only 2026 NBA Draft

Ebuka Okorie !

"He can finish any shot you can think of at the rim" - @beyondtheRK

"Unbelievable handle, Exceptional burst, Can shoot...
High-variance upside...
Absurd scorer" - @bjpf_

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 @SwishTheory pic.twitter.com/DMhldLWc9T
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) January 27, 2026

3. 9th Pick – Dailyn Swain

Dailyn Swain reacts — Feb 14, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) reacts to a called foul during the second half of the game against the Missouri Tigers at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Dailyn Swain dropping to the Bucks at 9th would be a dream come true on draft night.

By the time the draft rolls around, Swain may be brought up closer to 5th pick talks than the 9th or 10th pick, but if he is somehow still available, this is a two-way wing who could walk into Milwaukee and maybe save the day.

Swain offers a dynamic two-way force who can match the toughness and tenacity that Giannis wants to play with on both sides of the floor. Swain can be an immediate force as a defender, a downhill finesse finisher with decelerating body control footwork, as a wing with good all-around skills as a connective passer, capable perimeter shooter, and sound rebounder.

Swain's style could complement Milwaukee's backcourt of floor-spacing bucket-getters with another two-way downhill force.

This is the kind of pick you make hoping you found a Jalen Williams type costar to run with your MVP candidate for the next era of Bucks basketball.

2. 4th Pick - Kingston Flemings

Flemings dribbles — Feb 14, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) dribbles against the Kansas State Wildcats in the first half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Kingston Flemings is another dream-come-true turnout for Milwaukee.

Houston's freshman point guard would bring an instant floor general dawg defender to run the offense, setting up Antetokounmpo and crew in the best position to succeed as an elite passer and shot creator for himself and others, while getting his own as a great scorer and good shooter.

Flemings quick first step burst helps him explode off the line as the gun fires while his decelerating body control helps him stop on a dime and get to any spot he wants to rise, fire, or dish.

A potential star two-way team-first bucket-getting point guard could be just what the Doc ordered for this halfcourt offense full of play-finishers which could help extend Antetokounmpo's career off the ball in this next phase.

With the #2 pick in the Guards Only 2026 NBA Draft...

Kingston Flemings!

"I think the defensive thing does put Flemings in a different tier than the other guards... Flemings has the tools to be a legit plus."

- @bjpf_ on 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 @SwishTheory pic.twitter.com/eKcZQ712YW
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) January 27, 2026

1. The Blockbuster Trade

Feb 11, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) reacts to his three point basket during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

What Bucks fans and Giannis probably want on Draft night, though, is some major splash blockbuster trade.

The type of trade that spawns 50+ messages, updates, and jokes in the basketball group chats in a matter of hours, and sometimes even leaks into the real world group chats where your non-basketball knowing family and friends suddenly lean into your ear, knowing you're the basketball fan, to scoff, "can you believe Luka got traded to the Lakers?"

Bucks Fans likely aren't landing Luka Doncic on Draft Night with a Top-10 pick, but who could be the next star to start fidgeting out of their situation?

Which potential stars who complement Giannis Antetokounmpo's game could be available this summer?

At this point, flipping a Top-10 pick in this class for Ja Morant would be an overpay, given the market lacking any team willing to give up even a late first-rounder.

Adding a veteran star like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Paul George, Rudy Gobert, Karl Anthony-Towns, James Harden, or Kyrie Irving at this point would probably also be an overpay, not really due to their immediate impact next season, but given this top-10 pick could be a potential star for 7 years, while those stars are more likely on the back nine.

One younger star who would help win now and win later is LaMelo Ball if Charlotte plans to move on around Knueppel, Miller, and crew; but they've been so hot since those initial trade rumors this season with Ball being a main ingredient, that might not be as on the table as before.

Is a win-now guard like Kyrie Irving worth a Top-10 pick in this 2026 draft?

Generally, not anymore, as Top-4-6 is so special in this class it's worth betting on the prospect longterm.

But, if flipping a Top-10 pick for some level of proven star is the difference between keeping Giannis happy for another season or two, than ultimately the Bucks likely do it.

Ball and Irving are two of the best win-now bets to make on complementary talent who would create looks for Giannis, score on their own, and space the floor on and off the ball; despite their injury history, both are proven star floor-spacing guards who may be acquired this summer to could keep Giannis happy for the foreseeable future.

Come draft night, if I were the Bucks, I would prioritize keeping the Top-4 pick and hoping Giannis meshes with that potential star impact rookie, but moving the 9th-12th pick for a proven star is a lot more appealing to help keep Antetokounmpo happy, even though there will definitely be diamonds in the rough waiting in that range of this deep draft.

With Antetokounmpo clearly running out of patience, the Bucks are getting desperate.

If I were ranking every option stated here, I'd have to keep the Top-2 picks for Cameron Boozer or Darryn Peterson and hope it works out with Giannis, but I'd be willing to trade 3/4/9/10/11/12 for LaMelo Ball or Kyrie Irving if it meant keeping Giannis happy.

If no trade happened, Milwaukee would still be thrilled to keep that pick and take an exciting talent like AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain, Kingston Flemings, Ebuka Okorie, Mikel Brown Jr., or Keaton Wagler.