Clippers NBA Draft Rumors: What’s Real, What’s Smoke, and What to Watch
Clippers NBA Draft Rumors: What’s Real, What’s Smoke, and What to Watch
The LA Clippers can go in a lot of different directions with their No. 5 pick. Cem Yolbulan|
The Los Angeles Clippers will make arguably the most important decision of their offseason when they are on the clock on Tuesday. Armed with the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Clippers have a lot of different paths to choose from. Naturally, this means that there are a ton of rumors floating around about LA's intentions.
Knowing which of these rumors to trust and which ones to ignore can be difficult. Let's break down everything that's out there and paint a clear picture of where things stand for the Clippers.
Who Has Worked Out With the LA Clippers?
HoopsHype has an extensive list of prospects who have worked out for each team. Among the players who are candidates to go in the first round, the Clippers have worked out seven: Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown, Kingston Flemings, Brayden Burries, Nate Ament, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Zuby Ejiofor.
Ejiofor is projected to be a late-first, early-second-round selection, so he may be more of an option for the Clippers' No. 36 pick in the draft.
There are a ton of other players who worked out with the team over the last couple of weeks. Some of these will be options for LA in the second round (the Clippers have the No. 36 and No. 52 picks), and some will be candidates to be post-draft signings or Summer League deals.
Teams aren't limited to only selecting players who worked out for them, which means that the Clippers' big board may include more prospects than listed here.
Who Are the Realistic Potential Picks for the Clippers at No. 5?
The reporting out of LA suggests that the Clippers are doing their due diligence on most lead guard prospects in the draft. The 5-10 range in the draft is full of talented, offense-first guards. The Clippers are in a good spot at No. 5 to draft their preferred prospect out of that group.
That group includes Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr., Darius Acuff Jr., Kingston Flemings, and Brayden Burries. If the Clippers pick anyone other than these five guards, it would be a major surprise. Nate Ament, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Aday Mara are non-backcourt options for the Clippers, but they should be considered significantly lower probability to be LA's pick.
Trade Possibilities
Trading up is not a realistic scenario. This is considered a four-player draft, and none of the teams in the top four will seriously consider trading down.
Trading out of the pick completely is a possibility, but it would require the Clippers getting back a star. Jaylen Brown has been a popular name associated with the Clippers. If the Celtics end up trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brown may be rerouted to LA, and the Bucks would get the No. 5 pick, as well as additional assets from the Clippers.
Unless it's a Brown-caliber player, it's hard to see the Clippers trading away the No. 5 pick.
Trading down, however, is a very real possibility. The Clippers can move down a few spots in the draft to acquire more assets while still selecting one of their top prospects. The Athletic's Sam Vecenie confirmed last week that the Clippers "have had discussions about trading down," even though they still want to make an early draft selection.
The Kings at No. 7, the Hawks at No. 8, and the Mavs at No. 9 have all been rumored to be open to trading their selection. Sacramento, known to covet Darius Acuff Jr., may be the most likely trade partner for the Clippers.
What's the Most Likely Scenario?
While trading down remains an option, the most likely scenario has to be the Clippers' standing pat and selecting one of Wagler or Brown. Both players will almost certainly be available at No. 5.
Wagler has reportedly impressed in his workout where Ty Lue was present, and he has been the most popular Clippers' choice ever since they landed the pick in the draft lottery. Considering that Wagler is a better fit next to Darius Garland and the Clippers seem intent on building around Garland, the Illinois star should be the favorite to be the No. 5 pick.
Published Jun 22, 2026
CEM YOLBULANCem has worked as an Associate Editor for FanSided's Regional Betting Network sites for two years and continues to be a contributor, producing NBA and NFL content. He has also previously written soccer content for Sports Illustrated. He has extensive prior experience covering the NBA for various Fansided sites. Cem has been living in the Washington, DC area for over 15 years since moving to the United States from Istanbul, Turkey. On any given day, he can be found watching soccer or basketball on his couch with his many cats and dogs.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
