How Would North Carolina's Newest Star Fit With The Brooklyn Nets?

We're getting to that time of year when college basketball and the NBA coincide more and more, with the 2026 NBA Draft looming. This year's class has the potential to be one of the best in history, making it a gold mine for teams in the lottery mix.

The Brooklyn Nets are currently 15-37, 13th in the Eastern Conference and have the fifth-best odds at the No. 1 pick. In CBS Sports' Feb. 6 mock draft, they had the Nets taking AJ Dybantsa with the third overall pick, a reality that's looking less likely with the current way they and teams around them are playing.

If Brooklyn does fall outside the top three, North Carolina's Caleb Wilson is an amazing supplement. He's currently 19 years old and won't turn 20 until July 18.

Wilson is projected to go at No. 4 in most mock drafts, so the Nets would need some luck from the lottery balls, but he would slide in seamlessly with their young core. Through 24 games, he's averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.9 stocks per game on 57.8% shooting from the field. The only real flaw in his game is the lack of a consistent outside jumper.

If Brooklyn were to select Wilson in the upcoming draft, it'd likely mean that it traded away other pieces in the forward rotation. The depth currently looks like Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney and Danny Wolf. The reported trade discussions around the deadline were all smoke, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

The Nets are unlikely to part ways with Clowney or Wolf, given their age, current level of production and former draft investment. An offseason exportation of Porter Jr. is the most likely scenario that would make room in the front court for Wilson.

Even if nothing changes with Brooklyn's forward depth, he's the type of talent that trumps drafting players based on need. Wilson is a model of consistency, and he has a vast scoring arsenal inside the arc. He would also bring a defensive presence to the team that none of the other players in the room currently have because of his athleticism and instincts.

The Nets are trying to move towards a faster-paced system led by Nolan Traoré and Egor Demin, and Wilson is exceptional at running the floor. Head coach Jordi Fernandez talked about trying to build around players who play the game right and just compete at 2025 NBA Summer League –– Wilson would fit that mold.

It's hard to say right now if Brooklyn has a franchise cornerstone. Porter Jr. is having an elite season, but who knows how he will translate once the team has more offensive firepower. Wilson would undoubtedly have the most potential to change the Nets' future if brought in.