Who should the Nets take with the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft?

The Brooklyn Nets are waiting patiently for Sunday's 2026 NBA Draft Lottery to see where they will be picking when the 2026 NBA Draft comes around in June. Due to the nature of the Lottery, Brooklyn's pick could end up anywhere from No. 1 to No. 7 so the question that remains is who should they take if they were to end up with the No. 5 pick in the Draft?

"His shooting at this stage is well documented and highly convincing. If there is a concern with Wagler, it's the lack of strength and explosion inside the arc," Jonathan Wasserman wrote for Bleacher Report when discussing Illinois guard Keaton Wagler. Wagler seems to be with the second tier of players available in the 2026 class along with North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson, Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr., and Houston guard Kingston Flemings.

"He compensated effectively against the Huskies using his signature change of pace, deceleration and a crafty layup package on his drives," Wasserman continued. "The athletic and physical limitations could keep Wagler out of the top five, but it's become easier and easier to bet on him problem-solving stronger defenders with potent shotmaking, quick processing and IQ/maturity."

Wagler finished his one-and-done season with the Illini with averages of 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 44.5% from the field and 39.7% from behind the three-point line. As many draft pundits have pointed out, the intrigue around Wagler comes from the fact that he went from being a player not even close to the NBA Draft radar to potentially being a top-5 pick if the board goes a certain way.

Wagler's main appeal at this point in the pre-draft cycle is his shooting ability, but there is also a chance that he could bring more size to either guard spot as he's listed at 6-foot-6 and 185 pounds. While the Nets selected at least four guards in the 2025 NBA Draft, they could acquire another guard with a floor of being a knockdown shooter and the ceiling of a combo guard that can also impact the game with his passing.