Round two of an NBA draft is supposed to be the room-clearing part of the night — late-night trades, two-way contracts, European players nobody outside the front office has watched three times. The 2026 second round had a little more meat to it. The champion Knicks opened with a first-round-grade shooter sliding to them. Charlotte added the high-upside swing they wanted before. A couple of veterans got moved for assembly-line second-round picks. Here is what actually happened on Thursday night at Barclays Center.
The headline pick: Meleek Thomas to the Knicks
The first pick of the round went to the team picking last for the right reason. New York had no first-round selection after the trade-deadline run that turned into the championship, but they opened the second round at 31 and grabbed exactly the shooter the bench needed. Meleek Thomas comes out of Arkansas shooting forty-one per cent from three on real volume, with the kind of pull-up gravity that translates against the better end-of-game closeouts. He projects as the third guard the Knicks were running out a veteran minimum to fill last spring.
Tom Thibodeau gets a developmental project who can already play — and a contract that pays a fraction of a championship rotation player's number. Even with the Knicks' luxury tax situation, that is a useful card. The pick was the most obvious value swing of the night.
Isaiah Evans, Henri Veesaar — first-round grades on a slide
Two of the more polished college players in the draft fell to the second. Isaiah Evans, the Duke wing who shot the lights out as a freshman, went to Charlotte at 33 — a pairing that gives the Hornets the kind of spot-up shooter LaMelo Ball has never had on the floor alongside him. The shot diet alone jumps the team's half-court efficiency next season. Charlotte had a quietly strong night.
Henri Veesaar, the North Carolina big with the floor-spacing range and the deceptively quick second jump, went to Portland at 36. The Blazers are still in the middle of the rebuild that followed the Damian Lillard trade era, and a long, mobile centre who can pick-and-pop is exactly the kind of cheap second contract a young roster needs around the perimeter scorers. Both of those would have been late-first-round names a year ago. The bottom of the first round in 2026 was just deeper than usual.
The trade noise: Stewart to Memphis
Memphis kept the second night active. The Grizzlies acquired big man Isaiah Stewart from Detroit for a future second-round pick package, a deal that gives Memphis the physical backup-five they have been looking for since Steven Adams aged out of starter minutes. Stewart on a contract Memphis can absorb is the kind of friction-light move that does not show up on a draft grades column but quietly reshapes a rotation.
Detroit, for its part, opened up cap space and added picks to the war chest the front office has been building since the Cade Cunningham extension. The Pistons are not done — expect another move before training camp — and the Stewart trade is a useful tell about which way the roster is being pointed.
Round 2 winners
- Knicks. Meleek Thomas at 31 was the value swing of the night. A bench shooter on a rookie scale who can actually play matters more for a champion than for a rebuilder.
- Hornets. Isaiah Evans is the third long-term wing piece around LaMelo and Brandon Miller. Charlotte left this draft with a real plan.
- Spurs. Caleb Wilson at 40 is a power forward who has been on the lottery board for two years. Adding him next to Wembanyama and Castle is the kind of triple-dip that keeps San Antonio's window open.
- Warriors. Alex Karaban at 54 is a four-year UConn alum who can shoot, defend in space and slot into the second unit. For a roster that is one or two years from full retool, that is a useful card.
Round 2 losers
- Teams that held a single second-round pick. The draft's depth meant talent kept falling. Anyone without ammunition to move up watched first-round-grade players go ten picks ahead of them.
- The international tier. A handful of European prospects who entered the night with first-round mocks attached fell out of the back end. Expect at least one of them to withdraw and re-enter in 2027.
- Detroit's locker room narrative. The Pistons did good cap work, but moving a popular vet for picks is the kind of move that costs you the press conference even when it adds you a draft slot.
Five names to remember
- Tahaad Pettiford — Oklahoma City got the Auburn point guard at 42. The Thunder's player-development track record makes him an immediate watch.
- Mikel Brown Jr. — Memphis took the Louisville guard at 51 after his second college season. Streaky shot, real handle, free.
- Niko Bryant — Lakers picked the Tennessee guard at 47. The kind of bet a roster running thin on perimeter creation has to make.
- Hunter Sallis — Wake Forest senior, slid to the late forties, lands somewhere a two-way slot will turn into real minutes inside two years.
- Caleb Wilson — North Carolina forward, Spurs pick. The kind of low-mileage four who blossoms next to a generational five.
FAQ
Who had the first pick of Round 2? The New York Knicks at 31. They selected Meleek Thomas.
Did any major trades break during the second round? Yes. Detroit sent Isaiah Stewart to Memphis for a future second-round pick package — the headline veteran move of the second night.
Are second-round picks guaranteed deals? No. Second-round contracts are not guaranteed by CBA, which is why a number of late-round selections will sign two-way deals or spend training camp fighting for a roster spot.
Where can I follow training camp news? Keep an eye on the Scorelisto basketball page for live games and the Scorelisto blog for preseason and training camp coverage.