The 1996 NBA Draft was a historic class, featuring four Hall of Famers, four MVP awards, and six players with retired jerseys. However, teams got a lot wrong in that draft, as evidenced by three MVP awards being taken with the 13th and 15th picks. Let's have some fun by re-drafting the top 10 in this draft and see how it might have changed those teams' fortunes.
- Philadelphia 76ers: Kobe Bryant | SG | Lower Merion High School
Kobe and his agent were angling for him to find his way to the Lakers, but a homecoming with the Sixers isn’t bad. This adds him to a team with Jerry Stackhouse. Bryant getting his own team sooner, rather than later, could have been fun.
- Toronto Raptors: Allen Iverson | SG | Georgetown
At the time, a backcourt of Iverson and Damon Stoudamire would’ve been a nightmare defensively for Toronto and for defenses against the Raptors. Would Iverson have wanted to go to Toronto? It’s hard to say. But in the same way Vince Carter would eventually galvanize basketball in Canada in 1999, Iverson would’ve done that to an even greater degree.
- Vancouver Grizzlies: Steve Nash | PG | Santa Clara
Could Nash have saved basketball in Vancouver? It’s tough to say. Granted, he didn’t become more than an All-Star point guard until he locked in with Mike D’Antoni in Phoenix in 2004. But clearly that level of play existed inside of him. Bringing the Canadian kid to Vancouver to usher in good basketball could have eventually worked.
- Milwaukee Bucks: Ray Allen | SG | Connecticut
No real change here. Allen is a Hall of Fame shooting guard, who put up 25 points per game in his heyday and became a championship role player in his twilight.
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Ben Wallace | C | Virginia Union
Wallace went undrafted in 1996. He’s the fifth Hall of Famer from the class, even though he didn’t get selected. The Wolves getting this defensive master next to Kevin Garnett sets them up down the road. Wallace needed some seasoning, and KG still couldn’t legally drink, but that’s a great base for a patient front office.
- Boston Celtics: Jermaine O’Neal | PF/C | Eau Claire High School
It would have taken some patience but O’Neal would have been a brilliant pickup here. The Celtics didn’t have any real prospects at that time, and he could have developed into their big man of the future.
- LA Clippers: Stephon Marbury | PG | Georgia Tech
A young core of Marbury, Brent Barry, Rodney Rogers and Lamond Murray wouldn’t have been terrible. However, working for Donald Sterling probably would have driven Marbury back East quicker than a Minnesota winter.
- New Jersey Nets: Marcus Camby | C | UMass
With John Calipari taking over the Nets, doing that with Camby as his big man like at UMass would’ve been a pretty cool story. Camby could have benefited a lot from Kenny Anderson as the point guard. It would’ve been funny to see a Camby-Shawn Bradley frontcourt.
- Dallas Mavericks: Peja Stojaković | SF | PAOK BC (Greece)
Stojaković didn’t come over until the 1998-99 season. So in this scenario, we’re pretending the Mavs still end up with Dirk Nowitzki in 1998 and have the greatest shooting forward duo of all-time.
- Indiana Pacers: Antoine Walker | F | Kentucky
A loaded Pacers team ending up with Walker as a young player off the bench, eventually working his way into the starting lineup to bomb 3s with Reggie Miller, would’ve been a lot of fun.
In the lottery, Darius Acuff Jr. is the most polished point guard in the 2026 NBA Draft, with a 44.0 percent 3FG percentage. Brayden Burries is a great shooter all over the floor, with a 39.1 percent 3FG percentage. Christian Anderson is the best shooter in this class, with a 40.0 percent 3FG percentage. Cameron Carr is a catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist, with a 36.7 percent 3FG percentage. Bennett Stirtz is a two-way player, with a 37.2 percent 3FG percentage. Richie Saunders, Meleek Thomas, and Isaiah Evans are all solid shooters, with 38.7, 41.6, and 38.0 percent 3FG percentages, respectively. Ryan Conwell, Tyler Nickel, and Lamar Wilkerson are also good shooters, with 37.6, 39.4, and 39.2 percent 3FG percentages, respectively.
