The 2026 NBA draft may be more than four months away, but the consensus about the top-three picks in this year’s loaded class hasn’t changed as the best college basketball players approach March Madness.

Darryn Peterson of Kansas, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer are seen as prized prospects capable of becoming franchise players, with only what order they go in and what NBA teams are picking in the top-three slots in question before the draft arrives in June.

The rest of the draft is wide open, but there’s a sense among NBA front offices that this class will yield a slew of impact players. It’s why more NBA franchises than usual are in tank mode coming out of the All-Star break.

With that in mind, USA TODAY Sports sought the input of AI to get a sense of what the 2026 NBA mock draft landscape looks like as the 2025-26 NBA regular season restarts and the 2026 NCAA Tournament looms ever closer:

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2026 NBA mock draft: AI picks first round

USA TODAY Sports asked Microsoft Copilot AI to generate a mock draft for the first round of the 2026 NBA draft featuring only college and international players who could be eligible this year.

Microsoft Copilot assigned the draft order based on current NBA records, with the worst record getting the No. 1 pick and the best record getting the No. 30 pick. It used current mock drafts from reputable websites, as well as team needs and prospect analysis, to determine the draft picks for each team.

Here’s a 2026 NBA first-round mock draft, according to Microsoft Copilot AI:

1. Sacramento Kings: Darryn Peterson, Kansas

2. Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa, BYU

3. New Orleans Pelicans: Cameron Boozer, Duke

Note: In this scenario, the Pelicans’ No. 3 pick would belong to the Atlanta Hawks based on last year’s draft night trade involving Derik Queen

4. Indiana Pacers: Caleb Wilson, North Carolina

5. Brooklyn Nets: Kingston Flemings, Houston

6. Utah Jazz: Nate Ament, Tennessee

7. Dallas Mavericks: Keaton Wagler, Illinois

8. Memphis Grizzlies: Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville

9. Milwaukee Bucks: Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas

10. Chicago Bulls: Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky

11. Atlanta Hawks: Brayden Burries, Arizona

12. Charlotte Hornets: Thomas Haugh, Florida

13. Los Angeles Clippers: Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama

Note: In this scenario, the Clippers’ first-round pick would belong to the Oklahoma City Thunder based on a previous trade.

14. Portland Trail Blazers: Braylon Mullins, UConn

15. Miami Heat: Chris Cenac Jr., Houston

16. Golden State Warriors: Hannes Steinbach, Washington

17. Orlando Magic: Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan

Note: In this scenario, the Magic’s first-round pick would belong to the Memphis Grizzlies based on a previous trade.

18. Philadelphia 76ers: Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor

Note: In this scenario, the 76ers‘ first-round pick would belong to the Oklahoma City Thunder based on a previous trade.

19. Toronto Raptors: Bennett Stirtz, Iowa

20. Phoenix Suns: Koa Peat, Arizona

Note: In this scenario, the Suns’ first-round pick would belong to the Charlotte Hornets based on a previous trade.

21. Minnesota Timberwolves: Patrick Ngongba II, Duke

22. Los Angeles Lakers: Cameron Carr, Baylor

23. Cleveland Cavaliers: Karim Lopez, New Zealand Breakers (NBL)

24. Houston Rockets: Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan

25. Denver Nuggets: Dash Daniels, Melbourne United (NBL)

26. New York Knicks: Ivan Kharchenkov, Arizona

27. Boston Celtics: Dailyn Swain, Texas

28. San Antonio Spurs: Aday Mara, Michigan

29. Oklahoma City Thunder: Isaiah Evans, Duke

30. Detroit Pistons: Juke Harris, Wake Forest

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA mock draft 2026: AI makes first round picks for all 30 teams