The 2027 NBA draft class could be a particularly weak one based on the current crop of rising high school seniors and international players born in 2007 and 2008. The 2025 NBA draft class was a major improvement over 2024, while the 2026 class is also expected to be deep.

"This is one of the weakest high school classes I've seen in a long time," one longtime talent evaluator told ESPN. "There might not be a single All-Star in this group, and after the first few prospects, I'm not sure how many NBA starters I see either from the other five-star recruits. New players always emerge, but by now we usually have a pretty good idea of who the most elite prospects are, and it's looking like slim pickings, even more so than the weak 2024 NBA draft, which at least had several high-end international prospects we could point to."

The current projections for the 2027 draft class could impact the trade market for first round picks. It could also impact the incentive structure amongst teams who could look to tank their way to a high draft pick in 2027.

NBA teams are hoping to find new prospects who emerge at next week's FIBA U18 EuroBasket tournament in Belgrade, Serbia.