Wizards’ No. 1 uncertainty and a Jazz point-guard chess match shape CBS Sports’ 2026 two-round NBA mock

Two weeks from the 2026 NBA Draft, CBS Sports has published its first two-round mock draft that projects all 60 selections, but the most telling part of Adam Finkelstein’s forecast is not any single player. It is the uncertainty surrounding the top of the order, especially at No. 1, where the Washington Wizards have not publicly tipped their hand. Finkelstein’s approach, as he frames it, is less about pretending the draft will be settled and more about mapping the most likely team behavior if key decisions shake out in different ways.

In the mock, Utah’s No. 2 pick is portrayed as tightly connected to what happens at No. 1. The Wizards’ choice, according to the CBS preview, could influence what the Jazz prioritize next. Finkelstein also notes that Utah is not simply leaning on one obvious answer at guard. Instead, he reports that the Jazz are working out multiple point guards, a detail that helps explain why No. 2 can still carry a range of plausible outcomes even in a draft that is otherwise nearing its deadline.

Finkelstein’s forecast then shifts to teams that, in his telling, are keeping their options open. At No. 3, the Memphis Grizzlies are described as not showing their hand at all, a posture that can reverberate across the next few picks because it changes which “best available” options remain on the board. In that same sequence, CBS expects the Chicago Bulls to select whoever is left, emphasizing that at this stage of the draft cycle, the biggest differentiator can be whether the teams picking around you are willing to commit early or wait to see what falls.

The uncertainty is not limited to the lottery. Finkelstein’s mock preview also addresses how the draft process itself, in the final stretch before June 24, can create movement. He points to the likelihood of important pre-draft visits, and even possible cancellations of workouts, as teams and agents continue jockeying for positioning. That matters because private intel, workout performance, and timing can change the internal “confidence level” for a prospect relative to the rest of the board. In other words, a player who looks like a fit at one slot can slide if a team’s evaluation shifts late.

Another theme in the preview is that the top picks do not always become straightforward once teams can identify a “frame” for the draft. Finkelstein references recent examples of franchises showing early commitment to certain talents, but he also treats those cases as exceptions rather than the rule. In his view, most teams prefer to keep other organizations guessing as long as possible, which can slow down public certainty and prolong trade-and-fit conversations through the final countdown.

Because this is an expanded two-round projection, it is also meant to show how fit and drafting history influence choices beyond the highest-profile positions. The CBS preview says the mock combines multiple forms of information, including where prospects have worked out and visited, how they have done, and which teams have done the most due diligence, with observations about each team’s draft tendencies. That framework is designed to reflect a practical reality of NBA roster building, where a team’s needs intersect with how it evaluates a player’s translation to the pro game.

Even with a full two-round board published, the central caveat remains that “almost nothing” is definitive so close to draft night. The Wizards’ No. 1 decision, Memphis’s level of disclosure at No. 3, and the way the Jazz resolve their guard search are the three most influential moving parts, and they can each reorder what feels “likely” at No. 4 through the early teens. The next thing to watch is whether teams begin to narrow their public narratives in the final days, and whether workout outcomes match the early due-diligence patterns Finkelstein highlights.

CBS’s mock draft is best read as a map of conditional outcomes rather than a prediction that drafts are always obedient to projections. If Washington chooses in a way that confirms Utah’s lead target, the Jazz board could snap into focus quickly. If not, the Jazz’s continued interest in multiple point-guard options suggests the No. 2 pick could still feel fluid. For the rest of the lottery and the opening round, the mock suggests that most teams are prepared to pivot, and that the cascade effect may be more important than any single “lock” at the top.