INGLEWOOD — The Los Angeles Clippers rounded out their 2026 NBA draft with three second-round picks, adding a 6-foot-11 power forward who gives them length and rebounding, a high-scoring forward and a 7-foot French center who adds depth to their frontcourt.
With the No. 36 pick, the Clippers selected Baba Miller, a Spanish player from the University of Cincinnati, and they added 6-7 Nick Martinelli from Northwestern and Glenbrook South with the No. 55 pick. They capped their night by selecting Auburn commit Narcisse Ngoy with the No. 57 pick.
The Clippers selections didn’t come without a bit of late drama. They traded their original No. 52 pick (North Carolina center Henri Veesaar) to the Atlanta Hawks for cash and the No. 57 pick, then traded cash to the Houston Rockets for the No. 55 pick, acquiring Martinelli with that pick and then adding Ngoy with the pick they received from the Hawks.
Miller is considered a late bloomer who can not only protect the rim, but also handle the ball and find open teammates.
He played his final college season at Cincinnati after stints at Florida State and Florida Atlantic, where he played some of his best basketball. He averaged 13 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his lone season at Cincinnati.
“All the work I’ve put in, with all the people that helped me to get here, kind of prepares me for this moment, so I’m just ready to get to work,” Miller said in a draft-night interview. “I feel I’m a versatile player. I feel like just defensively being able to play different positions, to bring intensity on that end. Then obviously I feel my playmaking is a big part of who I am and what I do on the floor, so I’m excited.”
Clippers general manager Trent Redden said Miller checked a lot of boxes.
“We were hoping for someone that we thought we could just build with,” he said. “It wasn’t necessarily the position but length, basketball IQ, athleticism. … With Baba, we were kind of able to get a little bit of all of it.”
The pick the Clippers used on Miller came via the trade that sent Terance Mann to the Hawks in 2025.
Miller played basketball with Real Madrid before coming to the U.S. to play at Florida State, where he spent two years before moving on to FAU, followed by the one season at Cincinnati.
“I feel like I’ve been through so much in my NBA journey,” Miller said.
Redden called Miller a unique player considering his skill set, a player who averaged double figures in rebounds but also was able to pass at a high level. “You can run things through him as a hub,” Redden said.
Martinelli was a two-time second-team All-Big Ten selection and a two-time Big Ten scoring champion in four seasons with the Wildcats. He averaged 20.5 and 23 points in his final two seasons along with 6.2 rebounds both years.
The No. 52 pick the Clippers had to begin the day was part of the expanded draft capital they had after the midseason trade that sent 11-time All-Star James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland.
Ngoy has played for several teams in France, averaging 10.6 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots for Poitiers Basket 86 during the 2025-26 season. He joined Auburn in March and will honor his commitment for the next college season.
Clippers welcome Keaton Wagler
Just hours after the Clippers took him with the No. 5 pick Tuesday night, former Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, along with his parents, brother, sister and girlfriend, arrived in Inglewood, where fans got their first look at the 6-5 guard Wednesday.
Wagler spoke of his journey from being a lesser-known high school player to a college All-American and now an NBA player. He is the Clippers’ highest draft pick since 2010.
Wagler said he knew he wanted to play in the NBA and had dreamed of hearing his name called on draft night. But he said he didn’t truly believe he would get that opportunity until the middle of his freshman season at Illinois.
“It really came to me that I could play in the NBA just last year with the season I had going,” Wagler said. “I didn’t think it was going to happen this fast, but I just continued to work hard and keep my head on straight and just get in every day and work as hard as I can, and that’s what led me to be able to get here.”
Wagler, 19, is a high-upside guard with elite shooting and playmaking skills who could be a franchise player. He said he has patterned his game after two-time All-Star Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, “just the way we play, being able to have a really good feel for the game and use ball screens to create advantages.”
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank praised Wagler’s ability to shoot off the dribble, his feel for the game and a basketball IQ that makes him a strong in-game problem-solver.
“He gets in the paint, he draws a couple of people, he kicks it out, and if he misses the shot he’s right there just to feel the offense, rebound and win the game,” Frank said.
