The 2026 NBA Summer League begins right near VSiN’s headquarters on Thursday, July 9, as all 30 teams will be represented in Las Vegas, Nevada. With all of the star power at the top of the 2026 NBA Draft — including AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer — this year’s competition is loaded with talent. That should mean a good two weeks of games for hardcore NBA fans, so we’re going to do our best to cover all of it. Keep reading for some futures for the action in Sin City, as I like the value on three teams as potential champions. I’m also going to drop some of my favorite plays for Thursday’s slate of games below, and I’ll be doing quick write-ups for these games throughout the course of the event.
NBA Summer League Futures
Brooklyn Nets To Win Summer League (14-1)
The Nets are my favorite play to come out on top in Vegas. While we’ll see several top prospects on talented teams this week, I’m not sure anyone has as many reliable players as Brooklyn possesses. I’m not sure how many games Egor Demin or Mikel Brown Jr. will play, as teams are usually pretty cautious with core pieces these days. But those are two absolute studs when it comes to shot-making ability and playmaking. The Net also have plenty of pieces around them, with Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf, Drake Powell, and Tyler Bilodeau all being draft picks from the last two years. This just feels like the deepest team in the field, and the top-end talent is there. Winning a Summer League outright won’t be easy, but my money’s here.
Atlanta Hawks To Win Summer League (18-1 – 0.5 units)
The Hawks are another team to take seriously in Vegas. Kingston Flemings, the No. 8 pick in the draft, is the right type of player to be leading your team. He plays hard on both ends of the floor and desperately wants to win. That’ll be true even in a competition that many players will deem meaningless. Flemings’ on-ball ability should also make him one of the best guards on the floor every night, and he has a good group of bigs surrounding him. Last year’s first-round pick Asa Newell is on the roster, along with this year’s new crop of bigs in Zuby Ejiofor and Henri Veesaar. There won’t be many teams capable of combatting that size in the frontcourt.
Dallas Mavericks To Win Summer League (60-1 – 0.25 units)
I’m not putting a ton on Dallas, but I like this roster a lot. Ryan Nembhard is a player that did good work as a pick-and-roll operator in real games last year, so he should be able to pick Summer League defenses apart. He’ll also be joined in the backcourt by Jaden Springer, who should essentially be a three-and-D Summer League veteran, and Sergio De Larrea, a highly-talented first-round pick (No. 25) that just helped his team win a Spanish League title. The guard play for this team should be simply phenomenal this week, and then the team has Morez Johnson Jr. to do all the dirty work inside. Johnson was handpicked by Dusty May to be Dallas’ culture-setter, as his two-way motor helped Michigan win a national title last year. May envisions him making a similar impact with the Mavericks, and he seems like the type of player that will bring it in Vegas. I also like that Dallas has Tobi Lawal and Tyler Smith in the frontcourt, as both players bring something. There’s also Vsevolod Ischenko, who is a big point forward with some serious potential.
Summer League Best Bets – Thursday, July 9
Timberwolves ML (-133) vs. Pelicans
These are two teams that didn’t have 2026 first-round picks, so this might not be a game that generates a ton of betting interest. However, while the Pelicans’ two first-round picks from 2025, Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, aren’t on the New Orleans Summer League roster, Minnesota will have Joan Beringer, their first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. So, while the Pelicans do have some intriguing pieces on their team, like Kobe Bufkin, Micah Peavy, and Jaron Pierre Jr., the Timberwolves have the most talented guy on the floor. On top of that, Beringer is out there to do the right things. He’s a defensive anchor that can really put a lid on the rim, and the Summer League rules mean that he’ll have 10 fouls to go out there and shut down the paint. He’ll just need some help in the shot-making department. Rookie Trey Kaufman-Renn can help with that, and Zyon Pullin should perform at a high level in this setting. Give me Minnesota on the moneyline.
Mavericks +5.5 (-117) vs. Warriors – 7:00 pm ET
I like the Mavericks’ chances of leaving Vegas with a strong finish in this tournament — and possibly winning it all — and that starts with an opening game against the Warriors. This one will see former Michigan teammates Morez Johnson Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg battling at the power forward position, and this is one I’d expect to favor Dallas’ new four-man. Johnson is just an absolute beast, and his size, strength, and energy should be on full display in Vegas. It also seems like Sergio De Larrea, the Mavericks’ No. 25 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, will be out there. He just helped Valencia win a Spanish League title, so his status was up in the air before this event. But he practiced with the rest of the Summer Mavs, and his presence would mean a major advantage in the backcourt for Dallas in this game. De Larrea is a big two-guard that can really shoot the three-ball, plus he’s a good playmaker. The Mavs also have Ryan Nembhard, a tremendous on-ball creator, playing next to him. They should be able to speed up the Warriors — and out-execute them.
Jazz -1.5 (-110) vs. Wizards – 9:00 pm ET
The Jazz just got to spend some time together in the Salt Lake City Summer League, giving them a week of experience the Wizards don’t have. That should help Utah start this game off pretty strong. Darryn Peterson was also phenomenal in his first taste of Summer League action, looking like an unstoppable three-level scorer. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be the best guard on the floor here, even with Tre Johnson on the other team. Of course, Washington does have a big-time talent on the wing, with AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick in the draft, set to make his Summer League debut. And honestly, I expect him to show out in Nevada. However, having to go against Cody Williams, a good NBA defender with real size, will be tough. Also, it wouldn’t shock me if Ace Bailey out-duels Dybantsa on the wing. Considering all of that, while Dybantsa will be eager to “mog” Peterson, Utah should get the job done here.
