The immediate futures for three Arkansas basketball stars will be determined in the next 48 hours.
The 2026 NBA Draft begins tonight (June 23) in Brooklyn. Darius Acuff Jr., Meleek Thomas and Trevon Brazile should all represent the Razorbacks as selections over the next two days.
Acuff will likely get picked inside the top 10, and there’s a good chance Thomas joins him as another first-round pick under coach John Calipari. Brazile is forecasted to hear his name called at some point in the second round, according to a consensus of recent mock drafts.
But which teams are the best fits? Here’s our pick for which pro team is best suited to develop the three future Pro Hogs.
Darius Acuff Jr. – Sacramento Kings, No. 7
The Kings haven’t had much success in recent years. They’ve made the playoffs once since 2006 and had to watch a former player (De’Aaron Fox) and former coach (Mike Brown) take center stage during this month’s NBA Finals.
Arkansas fans probably won’t want to see Acuff go to Sacramento based on its track record of failing to develop its own talent, but the point guard from Detroit has never shied away from betting on himself. ESPN recently reported in a recent mock draft that there is mutual interest between the Kings and Acuff’s camp.
However, there’s a glaring hole at the point guard position on the roster, while Acuff would face a log jam with the Clippers or Nets. Those two teams precede the Kings in the draft order. Sacramento as a city is hungry for a superstar to rally behind, and it feels like a safe bet Acuff would get handed the keys to the franchise.
Meleek Thomas – Dallas Mavericks, No. 30
Dallas shook up the basketball world by luring head coach Dusty May away from Michigan on Monday. The reigning national champion sees a Mavericks team budding with potential behind last year’s No. 1 pick, Cooper Flagg.
In Dallas, Thomas could learn under the apprenticeship of future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson. He would also be given time to develop with offensive pieces like Flagg and Kyrie Irving already in place.
The Dallas roster needs shooting, and younger legs. Thomas would answer both of those deficiencies and could become an ace off-ball scorer to compliment Flagg down the road if he becomes a better ball-handler and finisher at the rim.
Trevon Brazile – Miami Heat, No. 41
Few teams in the NBA have a better track record of developing their own talent than the Heat, who made a run to the Finals with undrafted players serving major roles in 2023.
Brazile could be the latest project for Pat Riley’s front office, and there’s an intriguing frontcourt fit alongside Bam Adebayo. Brazile could provide the floor spacing and defense Miami typically craves from its power forward next to Adebayo.
He’s already 23 years old, but Brazile could carve out a long professional career thanks to his length, athleticism and switchability on defense. He just needs to land somewhere with a strong defensive center.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Best NBA fits for Arkansas basketball draft prospects
About the Author
