2026 NBA Draft Overview: Trades and Picks

The 2026 NBA draft was marked by numerous trades and exchanges, spanning two nights and two rounds. The activity began even before the first pick was announced and extended through to the final selection.

Initial Calm and Subsequent Trades

On Tuesday night, the draft began quietly, with the first 12 players selected remaining with their original teams. However, trades kicked off at the 13th slot due to a large trade agreement made on Monday, which included key player Giannis Antetokounmpo. The draft then saw accelerated trading activity, with nine trades involving ten players over the last 18 picks.

By Wednesday night, the pace of trades intensified. Those interested in tracking the transactions found it challenging. In total, 17 players had their draft rights swapped, and some pick rights changed hands multiple times during the second round. These trades await official confirmation by July 6.

Round 1 Transactions

• No. 13: Forward Nate Ament, initially picked by Miami, had his rights traded to Milwaukee.
• No. 16: Guard Bennett Stirtz, selected by Memphis, had his rights exchanged to Oklahoma City for the 17th pick and two second-round picks.
• No. 17: Guard Ebuka Okorie went to Memphis in the trade for Stirtz’s rights.
• No. 21: Forward Karim Lopez was picked by Detroit and traded to Memphis. His rights, along with three first-round picks, were exchanged for Okorie’s rights.
• No. 24: Guard Cameron Carr’s rights were traded by the New York Knicks to the Los Angeles Lakers.
• No. 25: Forward Sergio De Larrea, picked by the Lakers, had his rights traded to Dallas after an exchange with the Knicks.
• No. 26: Center Tarris Reed Jr.’s rights were traded by Denver to San Antonio.
• No. 28: Forward Joshua Jefferson was involved in a trade between Minnesota and Brooklyn, relating to the Julius Randle trade, allowing the Nets to move up five spots.
• No. 29: Forward Alex Karaban’s rights were traded by Cleveland to Sacramento, with Cleveland moving back to the 34th pick.
• No. 30: Forward Koa Peat’s rights, originally Dallas’s pick, were traded by the Knicks to Phoenix.

Round 2 Transactions

• No. 31: Guard Bruce Thornton’s rights, initially a Knicks selection, were traded to Houston. The Knicks moved back to pick No. 39 while gaining a second-round pick in 2029.
• No. 33: Guard Isaiah Evans was chosen by Minnesota as part of the trade where Julius Randle went to Brooklyn.
• No. 34: Guard Meleek Thomas’s rights were traded by Sacramento to Cleveland.
• No. 35: Forward Trevon Brazile’s selection involved an exchange between the Spurs and Denver concerning the 26th pick.
• No. 37: Guard Ryan Conwell, initially chosen by Oklahoma City, quickly had his rights sent to Miami.
• No. 38: Guard Braden Smith had his rights traded by Chicago to Indiana.
• No. 39: Guard Jack Kayil’s rights were part of a package traded by Houston to the Knicks in exchange for an earlier pick.
• No. 41: Guard Otega Oweh’s rights were exchanged by Miami to Oklahoma City for Conwell’s rights.
• No. 46: Forward Felix Okpara, picked by Orlando, had his rights traded to Washington.
• No. 47: Forward Tyler Nickel, involved in a deal for Peat’s rights, was picked by Phoenix.
• No. 51: Forward Izaiyah Nelson’s rights, initially Washington’s, were traded to Orlando as part of a deal involving Okpara’s rights.
• No. 52: Center Henri Veesaar’s rights were traded by the Los Angeles Clippers to Atlanta, with the Hawks gaining five spots.
• No. 53: Center Ugonna Onyenso’s rights, acquired through an earlier deal, were transferred from Houston to the Knicks.
• No. 55: Forward Nick Martinelli’s rights, part of a trade involving the earlier selection, were sent by Houston to the Clippers.
• No. 56: Guard Vsevolod Ishchenko’s selection saw the rights trading hands from Chicago to Dallas, via the Lakers.
• No. 57: Forward Narcisse Ngoy’s rights were involved in a trade to the Clippers from Atlanta, as part of the deal for Veesaar’s rights.
• No. 60: Forward Malique Lewis’s rights were acquired by Milwaukee in a transaction with Orlando, following Orlando’s acquisition in the Okpara trade.