Potential Milwaukee Bucks 2026 NBA Draft Prospects to Watch in Final Four

The end of March is near, and the madness is living up to the hype.

After a game-winning bomb from UConn's Braylon Mullins knocked Duke out of the Elite Eight, the Final Four is set for Saturday April 4th between Michigan & Arizona and Illinois - UConn; the competitive intensity and stakes are as high as can be.

Draft evaluators now can see two extra data points – how some NBA draft prospects perform when the lights shine brightest.

With the Milwaukee Bucks still holding their own first-round pick, with Giannis Antetokounmpo still on the team as of today, the outcomes for this summer feel pretty wide open:

Could the team move Giannis? Could the team move the pick? Could the team move Giannis and the pick for a better pick and future picks? Could they convince Giannis to stay if they win one of those better picks? or if they trade one of those top picks for another more proven star? Will they prioritize a player who helps win now and offers longterm potential, or will they lean more into the longterm high-upside bet on potential star upside.

Almost anything could happen, but the writing is on the wall – if the Bucks don't find a way to show Giannis they will be contenders again for the foreseeable future, the two might finally part ways.

The Bucks have about a 4-5% chance of winning any of the first four picks, who would likely be used on four potential stars no longer in the tournament – Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Caleb Wilson.

Milwaukee's most likely outcomes? Just over a 50% chance of sitting at the 9th pick, with just over a 28% of falling to 10th. The Bucks pick also has a 3.5% chance of slipping to 11, and a non-zero chance of falling to 12 or 13.

There are plenty of potential first-round 2026 NBA Draft prospects headed to the Final Four that Milwaukee could have on their big board: Keaton Wagler, Yaxel Lendeborg, Brayden Burries, Braylon Mullins, Aday Mara, Koa Peat, Morez Johnson.

Final Four NBA Draft Prospects to Watch

Michigan Wolverines

Michigan team laughs — From left, Michigan players forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21), forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23), center Aday Mara (15) and guard Elliot Cadeau (3), guard L.J. Cason (2) watch the last seconds of the game against Howard from bench at the NCAA Tournament First Round at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Yaxel Lendeborg

Lendeborg just had one of the most impressive seasons in college hoops, jumping off the page in impact. He brings strong, versatile defense, play-finishing, and scoring skills with sneaky playmaking feel.

Lendeborg's overall two-way impact should translate immediately to the league in his defensive intensity, team-first connective playmaking, and strong play-finishing at the rim. His skill-set offers a variety of development paths, and they're all pretty much good to great depending on how his 3pt shot develops, how his two-way instincts translate, and how efficient his versatile scoring stays.

Aday Mara

A traditional big man, Mara brings great strength and skill for his size, able run the floor hard, post-up mismatches on the block, and protect the rim on the other end.

Teams with pick-and-roll scoring creators like Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Cade Cunningham would maximize his talent in the 2-man game as a play-finisher near the rim, but his defense, touch near the rim, and solid feel for his size will help and unit.

Morez Johnson

Johnson is a pest of a perimeter forward defender, bringing chaotic good energy to his team's defense and play-finishing energy from the dunker spot near the rim. Highly unlikely he will be picked as high as lottery-level, but he could be a two-way energy guy if the Bucks end up with a late first/early second-round pick.

Illinois Fightin' Illini

Wagler and teammates huddle — Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) and guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) and forward Ben Humrichous (3) and guard Keaton Wagler (23) react in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Keaton Wagler

An electric pace-pushing playmaking 6'6" point guard/forward, Wagler could be a legit NBA shot creator using his pick-and-roll operating high-feel steady hand to run the show with a mean pull-up jumper, clean decelerating footwork, and soft touch finishing.

His general athleticism hurting his defensive impact and lack of explosiveness is a concern, but despite that, he's leading a team to the Final Four as an effective shot-creator getting to his spots, hitting tough shots, setting up play-finishers around him.

Some more names to watch for later in the second round or in future classes are some of those big versatile play-finishers like the off-ball cutting slashing Andrej Stojakovic and stretch-four Ivisic brothers, plus guard Kylan Boswell.

UConn Huskies

Braylon Mullins made the shot of his life Sunday night, knocking down the game-winning logo three to knock out tournament-favorite Duke and submit his team's ticket to the Final Four.

Mullins is one of the premier 3pt shooters in the draft. He shows some defensive feel that gives on hope for two-way impact as a 3&D wing, leaning heavy on the three, which likely just means a one-way high-volume 3pt shooter at the next level. While lottery could be a relatively high for how deep this class is, the Bucks could look to add a sharpshooter to their plans going forward.

Mullins floats — Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) celebrates after making the game-winning three-point basket against the Duke Blue Devils in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Arizona Wildcats

Koa Peat smiles — Mar 26, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) reacts after a pay against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Brayden Burries

Burries has taken the national scene by storm, showing off his complete game in the process.

A team-first decision maker with two-way feel who does a little bit of everything as a defender, ball-handler, scorer, driver, passer. Burries is a popular mock draft pick to Milwaukee because he helps blend today and tomorrow, offering high floor to be all-around good right away, with light upside keep developing that sum of its parts into high-end starter level.

Koa Peat

An explosive athlete, strong rebounder, big play-finisher, Peat has ranked among the best basketball players in his class throughout his development arc.

If a team wants consistent two-way energy, they might be able to utilize his consistent effort play, even if the rest of his skill development is questionable at best. While Peak's athleticism is nba-level, his upside isn't quite lottery-worthy in my opinion, but it only takes one team to bet on the bounce.

Other names to keep an eye on for Arizona: Motiejus Krivas, Ivan Kharchenkov, Jaden Bradley, Dwayne Aristode