LIVE Clippers NBA Draft Tracker: Every Pick, Trade, and Instant Grade

The Los Angeles Clippers entered the 2026 NBA Draft armed with the No. 5 pick. The expectation was that the Clippers would select one of the talented guards projected to go outside the consensus top four.

Yet, given the uncertainty around Kawhi Leonard and the immediate future of the Clippers organization, everything was on the table heading into Tuesday night. This included trading down in the lottery or trading away the pick entirely for veteran help, making the Clippers one of the most fascinating teams of draft day.

It was an uneventful start to the draft. Everyone was expecting AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson, and Caleb Wilson off the board by the time the Clippers were on the clock. That proved to be the case as the Wizards drafted Dybantsa, the Jazz went with Peterson, the Grizzlies ended up with Boozer, and the Bulls were left with Wilson.

The Clippers were then faced with the decision they were expecting since they landed Indiana's No. 5 pick in the draft lottery. It was the exact board that they were hoping for, meaning that they could select any of the prospects they brought in for a workout or had a formal visit with.

Live Tracker for LA Clippers in the 2026 NBA Draft

8:35 pm ET - Clippers select Keaton Wagler from Illinois with the No. 5 pick.

Little surprise from the Clippers here. In the weeks leading up to the draft, Keaton Wagler and Mikel Brown Jr. had emerged as the frontrunners to be LA's pick. Wagler was considered the favorite after he canceled his workout with Sacramento, which holds the No. 7 pick, following his visit to the Clippers.

The concerns about the fit with Darius Garland are understandable, but the talent and upside here are undeniable. For a non-contender like the Clippers, the draft has to be more about the potential than the fit, and there are very few prospects in this draft class with a higher upside than Wagler.

Wagler doesn't have the explosive athleticism that some of the other guard prospects in this draft have, but he has a ton of craft. He is an excellent on-ball creator who projects to be a pick-and-roll master. He can shoot off the dribble or off the catch, making him a potentially solid off-ball player. He has the size to be a modern, prototypical combo guard, but he has to get stronger to be able to guard multiple positions.

The Clippers deserve credit for not overthinking this. They had a chance to draft a potential primary creator who can also be one of the best shooters in the class, and they didn't pass on him.

Grade: A

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