From Bruce Thornton to Malique Lewis, rewind through the entire Second Round of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center.
NEW YORK — As the 2023 collective bargaining agreement and Draft Lottery reform shape roster construction, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has a strong interest in watching teams try to build championship contenders.
“This new system through the Lottery, it’s going to put more emphasis on drafting deeper,” Silver said before Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 3. “I think it’s going to put more emphasis on scouting during the season where you’re paying a lot of attention to maybe players 6 through 10 on a roster that traditionally haven’t gotten the same focus.
“Just look at these two teams, how deep they are. (NBA Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations) James Jones was making this point the other day in our basketball operations group saying that even it’s different from when James was winning championships in this league. Look how deep these rosters are and look how deep teams have to be to be successful in this league.”
Silver had already pointed out that eventual Finals MVP Jalen Brunson was a second-round pick – as were Nikola Jokić and Draymond Green. Now, those kinds of players aren’t available in every draft.
But the point remains: Finding valuable talent in the second round is imperative. Sacramento’s Maxime Raynaud, the No. 42 pick in the 2025 Draft, was a Second Team All-Rookie selection this season; Ajay Mitchell, a second rounder selected 38th in 2024, developed into a key player for Oklahoma City this season; and Portland’s standout defender Toumani Camara was drafted 52nd in 2023.
Here are takeaways following Wednesday’s second round of the 2026 NBA Draft:
1. Finding value, contributors in second round
In the draft, there’s enough variation among projected draft picks and teams drafting for a specific need that some players selected in the Second Round could easily have been First Round picks.
Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas was projected as a First Round pick in some mock drafts, and Cleveland selected him at No. 34. Duke swingman Isaiah Evans and BYU guard Richie Saunders are in that category, too. Saunders went 32nd to Memphis, and Evans went 33rd to Minnesota. German guard Jack Kayil was also a borderline First Round selection, and the Knicks made a trade to acquire him at No. 39.
Evans’ ability to score could end up making him one of the steals of the draft. Another player who could provide value for a late second rounder: North Carolina big man Henri Veesaar, who can rebound and shoot from deep, was acquired by Atlanta with the No. 52 overall pick.
2. How the Eastern and Western Conference finalists fared
What did the league’s final four do in the draft? The Knicks, Spurs, Thunder and Cavaliers know they cannot remain stagnant in today’s NBA, especially with eight different champions in the past eight seasons.
The Knicks built a championship team and now must figure out if it’s possible to do it again with the core of the 2025-26 roster. New York traded out of Tuesday’s First Round and ended up with two second-round picks. They acquired Kayil and Vanderbilt wing Tyler Nickel, one of the top 3-point shooters in college.
The Thunder are among the top teams who are trying to maintain contender status while navigating financial flexibility with the roster. Oklahoma City drafted 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara with the No. 12 overall pick and acquired Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz in the First Round. The Thunder also landed Kentucky guard Otega Oweh at No. 41.
The Spurs ended up with two First Round picks (Kentucky forward Jayden Quaintance at No. 20 and UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr. at No. 26) and used the No. 42 and No. 44 picks to draft Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Duke forward Maliq Brown. San Antonio addressed depth with its selections.
Cleveland moved out of the first round, acquiring the No. 34 pick from Sacramento for the No. 29 selection (UConn’s Alex Karaban). They obtained the draft rights to the aforementioned Thomas with that second-round pick, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Cavs made other roster changes in free agency.
3. Teams with multiple second-round picks
Besides the Spurs and Knicks, these teams entered Wednesday with multiple second-round draft picks: Minnesota, Denver, LA Clippers, Chicago, Washington and Houston.
The Rockets moved up to acquire Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, the Buckeyes’ all-time leading scorer, at No. 31. The Timberwolves targeted shooting with Evans and took Purdue center Trey Kaufman-Renn.
Denver used its two second-round picks on Arkansas big man Trevon Brazile at No. 35 and St. John’s forward Bryce Hopkins at No. 49.
The Clippers came away with three second-round players: Cincinnati forward Baba Miller at No. 36, Northwestern scoring wing Nick Martinelli at No. 55 and French center Narcisse Ngoy.
The Bulls ultimately traded their two Second Round picks, and the Wizards made a trade to move up and get Tennessee forward-center Felix Okpara with the No. 46 pick. The Mavericks had one pick when the second round began and added another in a trade, taking Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal at No. 48 and Russian guard Vsevolod Ishchenko at No. 56.
4. What’s next for the NBA’s offseason?
Free agency and summer leagues are up next on the NBA calendar. Here’s a look at key dates, times and events through July:
- June 30: Each NBA team may begin negotiating with all other upcoming free agents (beginning at 6 p.m. ET)
- July 6: Each NBA team may begin signing free agents to contracts (12:01 p.m. ET)
- July 3-6: California Classic Summer League – Two locations:
- Chase Center in San Francisco, California – July 3, 5-6
- Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs
- Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California – July 4-6
- Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings
- Chase Center in San Francisco, California – July 3, 5-6
- July 4, 6-7: Salt Lake City Summer League
- Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah
- Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah
- July 9-19: 2026 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas
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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
