With the NBA Draft kicking off tomorrow, the next generation of basketball superstars is about to officially enter the league. To get a sense of how the market is already reacting to these prospects, we are looking at the top lottery projections and tracking their highest sports card sales to date according to 130point.com.
The following draft projections and player scouting analyses are courtesy of Yahoo Sports analyst Kevin O’Connor from his official two-round mock draft.
RD1, PK1: AJ Dybantsa (Forward, BYU)
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Team Fit: Washington Wizards (via projected trade/lineup with Trae Young and Anthony Davis)
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The Scout (Kevin O’Connor): Dybantsa could become one of the NBA’s most unstoppable shot-creators. At 6-9, he has a special blend of athletic tools with the way he bends, shifts, and explodes with the ball in his hands. He gets to the rim at will, cooks in the midrange, draws fouls at a high rate, and displays point-forward potential. He has an MVP ceiling.
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Highest Card Sale: While a 5-card lot featuring his 1/1 Superfractor ISO Autograph famously changed hands for $20,000.00, his highest tracked solo card sale belongs to his Bowman’s Best Game Graphs Nike Patch/Autograph /2, which commanded $12,000.00.
RD1, PK2: Cameron Boozer (Forward, Duke)
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Team Fit: Utah Jazz
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The Scout (Kevin O’Connor): At 6-8 and 253 pounds, Boozer is the most polished player in the class. He scores from the post with both footwork and power, hits 40% of his 3s on high volume, and has enough handle to run offense as a point forward. With the bloodline of two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer, the team that drafts him is betting that skill, adaptability, and a track record of winning lead to superstardom.
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Highest Card Sale: A 2025 Bowman Chrome Duke “the Brotherhood” True Red Autograph (/5) hit $10,500.00 on eBay.
RD1, PK3: Darryn Peterson (Guard, Kansas)
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Team Fit: Memphis Grizzlies
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The Scout (Kevin O’Connor): Peterson is a buttery smooth scorer with a blend of fluid body control and positional size. At Kansas, he thrived in an off-ball role, stroking jumpers out of movement actions and showing he can scale up or down depending on what a roster needs. Even when he isn’t scoring, he’s a high-impact defender who causes chaos off-ball.
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Highest Card Sale: Peterson’s absolute highest market pull is actually a dual card shared with the projected number-one pick. The 2025-26 Bowman Chrome Dual Autographs SuperFractor 1/1 (graded PSA Authentic / PSA/DNA GEM MT 10) fetched $18,300.00 at auction on June 6. His highest individual card is the 2025-26 Bowman U Now #2 Gold Foilfractor 1/1 commemorating his Kansas debut, which sold for $12,995.00.
RD1, PK4: Caleb Wilson (Big, North Carolina)
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Team Fit: Chicago Bulls
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The Scout (Kevin O’Connor): Wilson is the most gifted athlete in the draft. He’s 6-9 with springs for legs. When he’s flying above the rim, finishing through contact, and chasing down every shot in his area code, he looks like a future franchise cornerstone. Even without a consistent jumper yet, he has star upside.
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Highest Card Sale: A 2025 Bowman U Now 1/1 Foilfractor (#42) from his time with the Tar Heels sold via Best Offer for $5,500.00 on March 27.
RD1, PK5: Brayden Burries (Guard, Arizona)
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Team Fit: Los Angeles Clippers (via Indiana)
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The Scout (Kevin O’Connor): Burries arrived at Arizona as a top-10 recruit and erupted once conference play began, helping lead his team to the Final Four. He’s a physical, versatile scorer who can beat you from all three levels, rebounds like a forward, and competes hard on defense. In Los Angeles, he’d have time to develop at his own pace next to Garland.
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Highest Card Sale: His 2025-26 Topps Bowman U Now #62 Perfect FoilFractor 1/1 went for a fixed price of $1,499.99 on April 23.
RD1, PK6: Mikel Brown Jr. (Guard, Louisville)
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Team Fit: Brooklyn Nets
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The Scout (Kevin O’Connor): When Brown is in the zone, he has an unstoppable pull-up jumper, an ambidextrous finishing ability, and the quick reads to rifle passes before the defense has time to react. He had a 45-point breakout performance in February, though a back injury clouded some of his freshman consistency evaluation.
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Highest Card Sale: His McDonald’s All-American Golden Patch Autograph SuperFractor 1/1 (#GP-MB) accepted a Best Offer of $1,800.00 (down from a $1,999.99 asking price).
RD1, PK7: Darius Acuff Jr. (Guard, Arkansas)
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Team Fit: Sacramento Kings
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The Scout (Kevin O’Connor): Acuff is a wiry scorer who can get a bucket from anywhere on the floor with a quick trigger, slippery handle, and a feel for manipulating defenses. He emerged as a skilled, low-turnover playmaker who reads defenses like someone who’s been in the league for a decade.
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Highest Card Sale: A 2025 Panini Signature Series #20 KABOOM! GOLD (/10) marked “1st to Market” secured a heavy premium, selling for $5,456.00.
RD1, PK8: Keaton Wagler (Guard, Illinois)
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Team Fit: Atlanta Hawks (via New Orleans)
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The Scout (Kevin O’Connor): Wagler showed up at Illinois as a four-star recruit with no expectations of becoming a one-and-done, but became the orchestrator of a high-powered Illinois offense with his high-IQ playmaking and crafty scoring on the way to the Final Four. He’s now a top-10 lock.
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Highest Card Sale: N/A. Wagler currently has no collegiate, NIL, Bowman, or Panini Draft Picks cards in existence. His upcoming Topps NBA rookie cards will mark his first official appearance in the hobby.
RD1, PK9: Kingston Flemings (Guard, Houston)
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Team Fit: Dallas Mavericks
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The Scout (Kevin O’Connor): Flemings plays with surgical midrange touch, an explosive first step, and the passing vision of a true point guard who can run an offense. He brings incredible effort and passion to the floor to pair alongside Cooper Flagg under coach Dusty May.
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Highest Card Sale: A 2025-26 Donruss Basketball 1st Prospect Gold Autograph (01/10) recently changed hands for $259.00. If Flemings successfully lands inside the top 10 as projected, this looks like a remarkably savvy pre-draft entry price for a low-numbered gold auto.
RD1, PK10: Nate Ament (Forward, Tennessee)
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Team Fit: Milwaukee Bucks
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The Scout (Kevin O’Connor): Players who can handle, shoot off the dribble, and stand at 6-foot-10 don’t grow on trees. Over the second half of the year for Tennessee, he flipped a switch, averaging 23.8 points over a six-game stretch that reminded everyone why he was a top recruit.
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Highest Card Sale: His 2025-26 Topps Bowman 1st Chrome Prospects Superfractor 1/1 (#BCP-5) triggered a massive 45-bid war on May 10, ultimately hammering down for $2,850.00.
RD1, PK11: Karim Lopez (Forward, New Zealand Breakers)
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Team Fit: Golden State Warriors
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The Scout (Kevin O’Connor): López is the best basketball prospect Mexico has ever produced. He shined for two years in the NBL Next Stars program. He checks a lot of boxes with his excellent physical tools, a hard-nosed approach, a well-rounded ability to defend multiple positions, and a blossoming shot.
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Highest Card Sale: A Panini Signature Series Karim Lopez Kaboom GOLD (03/10) SSP Case Hit from his time with Sonora/NBL accepted a Best Offer of $1,500.00 on June 20.
The Verdict for Collectors
Ultimately, the pre-draft market is a high-stakes guessing game. Right now might be the absolute cheapest opportunity to acquire these prospects before they officially put on an NBA cap. However, depending on how they adapt to the speed and length of the professional game, these current prices could also easily end up looking wildly overpriced. And in most instances, prospect cards don’t hold their value as well as a true rookie card.
The baseline for success in the modern hobby has shifted dramatically. If any of these top prospects manage to have a rookie campaign even half as good as what Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel put together this past year, making a calculated pickup before the draft tomorrow might be the savviest investment move you can make.
Who are you picking up before tomorrow? Let us know on X or on Mantel.
