Latest NBA Draft 2026 Rumors Entering Day 2 Following 1st-Round Results
The 2026 NBA draft tipped off Tuesday night, but there are another 30 picks to be made before it'll finish on Wednesday.
The most significant storylines to come out of this talent draft have likely been scripted already. The Washington Wizards made top pick AJ Dybantsa their new franchise face. The Memphis Grizzlies put Cameron Boozer front and center of their roster reset. And the Milwaukee Bucks tabbed Brayden Burries and Nate Ament to headline their post-Giannis Antetokounmpo plans.
It was definitely an eventful evening, yet the potential remains for so many more events to come. Let's run through the rumor mill, then, and break down the latest buzz.
Knicks Won't Stay at Pick No. 31?
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The Knicks, who at times held three different draft picks on Tuesday night (Nos. 24, 25 and 30), didn't wind up making a selection and traded down for a haul that included five second-rounders and cash. It sounds like their activity will carry into Wednesday, where they hold the first pick of the evening at No. 31—for now.
Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Knicks are already getting interest in that pick and do not expect to keep it:
New York needs as much cost-controlled talent and financial flexibility as possible. The Knicks' championship roster is already expensive, and they won't go deep in the red (i.e., above the second apron) just to keep it all intact.
It'll be fascinating to see who's aiming to climb into Wednesday's pole position and which prospect they are chasing. There are multiple prospects still on the board who conceivably could have a first-round grade on them, including Arkansas combo guard Meleek Thomas, Duke sharpshooter Isaiah Evans and North Carolina center Henri Veesaar.
Spurs Preparing for 1st-Round Pick to Miss Time?
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The San Antonio Spurs entered Tuesday night with one first-round pick and exited it with two prospects. First, they spent the No. 20 pick on Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance, then they traded up to select UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. at No. 26.
For the non-math majors in the audience, that would be two new centers on a team that just followed the lead of its superstar center, Victor Wembanyama, to an NBA Finals run. What gives?
Well, teams "have unanimously told" ESPN's Jeremy Woo that "they think Quaintance will need to miss time next season." That's probably a safe bet, considering the ACL injury that derailed Quaintance's freshman season wound up limiting him to just four appearances as a sophomore.
That doesn't necessarily mean this was the best use of resources—remember, the Spurs also have Luke Kornet behind Wembanyama—but it does perhaps explain the thought process a bit.
Clippers Considering Kawhi Leonard Trade?
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While the draft sometimes motivates teams to make major moves (the Milwaukee Bucks wave hello), it can also help reveal future trade plans. So, in the afterglow of Tuesday's opening round, a lot of eyes and ears turned toward the Los Angeles Clippers and their veteran star Kawhi Leonard.
League insider Chris Haynes revealed on NBA TV that he expects "the Clippers [will] look to move Kawhi" if agreement on a contract extension isn't reached. And L.A. might be cautious about what it commits to the soon-to-be 35-year-old after making clear that it does not consider itself part of the championship chase:
Several win-now suitors already have eyes on Leonard, an All-NBA honoree in two of the past three seasons. His age and availability issues might be legitimate worries, but his healthy version still remains a difference-maker.
While L.A. may have preferred to get a deal done in time to get a bigger piece of this draft, Antetokounmpo's prolonged divorce from Milwaukee really jammed up the market. Now that that's out of the way, maybe Leonard will be the next established star to find a new hoops home.
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