The Los Angeles Clippers enter the 2026 draft with two first-round picks — No. 5 from Indiana and No. 11 from Golden State — and Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley constructs an ambitious scenario around them, projecting Illinois guard Keaton Wagler at No. 5 and Michigan center Aday Mara at No. 11 via a blockbuster trade involving Kawhi Leonard.

The Clippers’ draft positioning is the result of deliberate asset accumulation after a February trade deadline that saw them ship James Harden and Ivica Zubac while bringing in Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin. The Indiana pick (No. 5) and the Golden State pick (No. 11) arrive as the spoils of that retooling, giving L.A. a chance to add two legitimate first-round talents to a young core in a single draft.

Wagler is one of the most debated prospects in this class. The Illinois freshman went from unheralded recruit to one-and-done in one extraordinary season that included 46 points at Purdue — the most points by any freshman in Big Ten history — and an unlikely Final Four run. His game is built on IQ, shooting (a true lights-out shooter at all three levels), and passing rather than on athletic dominance. He stands 6-foot-6 and posted zero dunks in his collegiate career, which becomes a talking point but doesn’t diminish his feel for the game. The risk is a lack of traditional athleticism in a league that increasingly punishes guards who can’t create separation off the dribble.

The fit next to Garland is the central appeal. Garland is 6-foot-1 and a true point guard — a gravity-creating playmaker who needs a bigger, shooting-oriented guard beside him to space the floor and handle secondary creation. Wagler’s 6-foot-6 frame and two-way utility (he’s a solid defender despite not being a freak athlete) make him a complementary piece rather than a redundant one. Buckley notes that L.A. probably doesn’t want another undersized guard given Garland’s presence, which narrows the field to larger wings and centers at this pick.

The player immediately after Wagler at No. 5 is Mikel Brown Jr., the Louisville guard who projects to Brooklyn at No. 6. Brown is a 6-foot-5 high-ceiling prospect with elite confidence, pull-up shot-making, and playmaking ability — a higher-variance option than Wagler, but potentially higher-ceiling. The Clippers’ choice of Wagler over Brown signals a preference for a safer, higher-floor contributor at No. 5.

At No. 11, the Buckley mock constructs a trade: Golden State sends the pick, Jimmy Butler, and Brandin Podziemski to Los Angeles in exchange for Kawhi Leonard and Derrick Jones Jr. L.A. then uses the pick to select Mara, a 7-foot-3 center from Michigan with extraordinary length (9-foot-9 standing reach), legitimate paint-protection instincts, and a fluid passing game that makes him a connective piece rather than a liability in modern offenses.

Outlet	Projected Player
Bleacher Report	Keaton Wagler
CBS Sports	Keaton Wagler
Tankathon	Keaton Wagler
Yahoo Sports	Brayden Burries

CBS Sports projects Wagler to the Clippers at No. 5 across all three of their recent mock drafts from Finkelstein, Parrish, and Trotter. Tankathon also has Wagler landing in Los Angeles. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor deviates, projecting Brayden Burries — the physical, 215-pound Arizona guard who thrives as a physical defender and crafty finisher — as the Clippers’ selection, citing league executive buzz about his Combine performance and how he complements Garland’s profile.

Mara’s fit in the Clippers’ system would solve the most glaring problem on the roster: the center void left by Zubac’s departure. A player with Mara’s size and passing can operate in drop coverage while also finishing around the rim at elite efficiency. If Butler’s recovery from his January ACL tear produces a trade chip rather than a retained rotation piece, L.A. could package him at the February 2027 deadline for additional assets, further accelerating the rebuild.

The Clippers’ path in this projection is wise precisely because it addresses both perimeter creation and interior presence in a single draft night. A Garland-Wagler backcourt with Mara anchoring the middle, Mathurin as a versatile wing, and whatever pieces emerge from the Kawhi trade would give Los Angeles a genuinely fresh identity — young, switchable, and built for the long term rather than one last run at relevance with aging veterans.