New NBA Rumors on Knicks, Grizzlies' Trade Talks Over 2nd-Round Draft Picks Ahead of Night 2

The second round of the 2026 NBA draft will commence on Wednesday night, and it sounds like multiple teams are looking to maneuver around the board.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the New York Knicks (No. 31) and Memphis Grizzlies (No. 32) are "actively fielding offers" for their second-round selections, with "future assets being proposed."

The reigning NBA champion Knicks ended the first round of this year's draft without a selection, as they traded No. 25 pick Sergio De Larrea to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for No. 30 pick Koa Peat and two second-round picks. New York then sent Peat to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for cash considerations and three second-round picks, including No. 47 on Wednesday night to add to its No. 31 and No. 55 selections.

The Grizzlies landed Duke star forward and 2026 National Player of the Year Cameron Boozer with the No. 3 pick, and they traded down multiple times with their second first-round selection before adding forward Karim Lopez at No. 21.

The second round of the NBA draft has produced some of the league's top stars of the current era. NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson was a second-round pick by the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, and the Denver Nuggets landed three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic in the second round in 2014. Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green was also a second-round pick in 2012 before going on to become a four-time champion and one of the best defensive players of his generation.

It will be fun to see how teams navigate the draft board in Wednesday's second round, and it sounds like the Knicks and Grizzlies have gotten a head start in the wheeling and dealing before it begins.