NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is back, and the 2026 edition comes with a fresh batch of rookie intrigue, second-year talent and a few matchups that already feel bigger than July basketball usually does.
The headline acts are obvious. Washington’s AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson of the Jazz sit at the center of the league’s biggest conversation, while Memphis’ Cameron Boozer and Chicago’s Caleb Wilson give the second-night showcase even more juice. Add in a trade that reshaped the offseason, a national champion pipeline from Michigan and a handful of young players trying to force their way onto rosters, and the 11-day event has plenty to chew on.
One of the more interesting games on the slate comes early with Milwaukee and Miami, two teams tied together by the offseason’s massive deal that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat. The Bucks entered the draft with the 13th pick, then used it on Nate Ament after acquiring it the night before in the trade.
Milwaukee also landed Brayden Burries at No. 10, giving the franchise two lottery picks to introduce to its new-look Summer League group. Kasparas Jakučionis is on Milwaukee’s roster as well after Miami took him in the first round last year and he was included in the Antetokounmpo deal.
Miami’s Ryan Conwell is another name worth tracking.
Atlanta and Brooklyn bring another fun guard-heavy matchup. The Hawks took Kingston Flemings at No. 10 and also added Zuby Ejiofor at No. 23, then grabbed Henri Veesaar at No.
- Brooklyn answered with Mikel Brown Jr. in the top 10 and has four first-round picks from last year on the roster in Egor Dёmin, Ben Saraf, Drake Powell and Danny Wolf.
How much run those second-year players get will matter, but the rookie talent alone makes this one worth watching.
There’s also a Michigan reunion of sorts. Three players from Dusty May’s national champion Wolverines heard their names called in the lottery.
Morez Johnson Jr. went ninth to Dallas and joined May, now the Mavericks’ head coach. Aday Mara landed with Oklahoma City at No. 11, and Yaxel Lendeborg went to Golden State at No.
- Dallas and Golden State meet on opening night, but the later matchup between Lendeborg and Mara stands out even more.
The Thunder also added Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz at No. 16.
The second night’s primetime game features the No. 3 and No. 4 picks going head-to-head. Memphis selected Cameron Boozer third, while Chicago took Caleb Wilson one spot later.
The Bulls also added Dailyn Swain at No. 15, giving new head coach Tiago Splitter two more pieces for the young core. Chicago’s roster includes Noa Essengue too, the 12th pick in last year’s draft, after his rookie season was cut short by shoulder surgery.
Memphis will counter with Karim López and second-year players Cedric Coward and Walter Clayton Jr.
And then there’s the matchup everyone will circle first: AJ Dybantsa against Darryn Peterson. Washington used the No. 1 pick on Dybantsa, the high-flying wing out of BYU, after a long debate over who the franchise would choose.
Peterson, taken second, already got a taste of Summer League action for the Jazz in Salt Lake City and flashed the kind of scoring upside that has people talking. In that game against Memphis, he posted 25 points on 8-15 shooting, including 3-9 from three and 3-3 at the line, along with 12 assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block.
These two will only see each other twice a season, which is exactly why this Summer League meeting matters. Boozer belongs in that same conversation for years to come, but Dybantsa and Peterson are the names at the top right now. Las Vegas gives them a stage to make their first real statement.
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