NBA draft: Clippers select Keaton Wagler at No. 5; AJ Dybantsa goes No. 1
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NEW YORK — After a three-day visit to L.A., Keaton Wagler found his new home.
The Clippers picked Wagner fifth overall in the NBA draft Tuesday at Barclays Center, using the franchise’s highest draft pick since 2009 on the former Illinois guard. During a hectic draft process in which some top players don’t speak to the team that ultimately picks them, Wagler said the Clippers showed consistent interest and communicated with him and his agent, giving him confidence he could hear his name called early during Tuesday’s loaded first round.
“I’m just super excited to get out there,” Wagler said. “They have a great front office and coaching staff and players, and I just can’t wait to get out there and get going.”
The 6-foot-6 guard was named Big Ten freshman of the year after averaging 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Under-recruited out of high school, the Kansas native held college offers from schools including Oral Roberts, DePaul and Murray State before starring at Illinois.
Pick-by-pick coverage and analysis of the first and second rounds of the 2026 NBA draft that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
When NBA Commissioner Adam Silver read Wagler’s name aloud, he hugged everyone at his table, walked between two smoke towers and grabbed a Clippers hat with a bedazzled team logo before shaking Silver’s hand.
Wagler smiled in relief as he walked across the room, a welcome change after a nervy first 40 minutes of the draft. The 19-year-old dressed in a light gray suit with a pastel orange neck tie anxiously bounced his legs after Silver announced to the crowd that the Washington Wizards had five minutes to make the first selection. Cameras were poised at every side of AJ Dybantsa’s table, where the Brigham Young forward sat with his elbows resting on his knees and head bowed.
The No. 1 pick crossed himself when Silver said his name.
The leading scorer in college basketball last year led an NBA draft class that is regarded as one of the deepest in a generation. Dybantsa was in a heated race against Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer to be the top pick as all three are projected to make immediate impacts at the professional level.
Peterson of Kansas went second to the Utah Jazz while the Memphis Grizzlies picked Boozer third. Former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer proudly snapped a photo of his son as Cameron walked across the stage toward Silver. Chicago selected forward Caleb Wilson fourth, completing an elite quartet of players at the top of the draft.
After the top four picks, the draft was considered wide open with a logjam of talented guards. The Clippers, who added former All-Star Darius Garland last year in a midseason trade, had options for a trade at the coveted No. 5 spot.
Instead, Wagler can team immediately with Garland to make a dynamic, young backcourt for a franchise hoping to win its first playoff series since 2021.
“I think I’m going to bring a lot of versatility on the floor and being able to play on and off the ball alongside Garland,” Wagler said. “When he has the ball in his hands, be ready to space and shoot the ball. When I have the ball in my hands, just being aggressive to make plays for myself and others.”
Wagler was the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year while leading the Illini in scoring, assists and steals. He shot 39.7% from three-point range.
The first four picks in the 2026 NBA draft appear certain, but what the Clippers do at No. 5 with a wave of guards expected to chosen next is key to the first round.
“Keaton is a high-level shooter, ballhandler and passer with positional size,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “He is a high-IQ player with a great feel who makes smart decisions and winning plays, whether he’s on offense, defense or the glass. He approaches the game the right way. He’s the kind of person we want to add to our organization: poised, resilient, competitive and consistent in everything he does.”
The Clippers also have the sixth (36th overall) and 22nd (52nd overall) picks of the second round, which begins Wednesday at 5 p.m. PDT.
Wagler is the franchise’s highest pick since the Clippers took Blake Griffin first overall in 2009. Griffin’s arrival helped spark a turnaround for the long snake-bitten organization as the Clippers started a 15-year streak of winning records two seasons after Griffin was drafted. The run is the longest active streak of winning seasons in the NBA.
The pressure of joining a veteran laden-team with championship aspirations doesn’t faze Wagler.
“Just stay true to myself,” he said. “Not put a lot of pressure on myself. Do what I’ve been doing throughout my whole life, just going out there and playing and playing free. When I do that, I feel like I’m at my best.”
