The final stage of selecting new players for the 2026 NBA season takes place this Wednesday (24). After defining the first 30 prospects the day before, the franchises return to the Barclays Center, in New York, in the United States, to complete the recruitment process. The event is expected to start at 8pm (Brasília time), with exclusive coverage on ESPN, on pay TV channels, and also on the Disney+ streaming platform.
The thirty teams from North America’s top basketball league are once again participating in the draft, looking for opportunities to bolster their rosters with future stars. The second round is essential for discovering undervalued athletes and filling strategic positions on the team, providing considerable value with more affordable contracts, which help manage the salary cap. Subsequently, the NBA’s focus turns to developing these new talents, aiming to prepare for the Summer League. This period is vital to find the “diamonds in the rough” that, with a favorable cost-benefit ratio, can become key pieces for the future of franchises.
Names of athletes chosen in the first phase of the 2026 Draft
- Washington Wizards: AJ Dybantsa (BYU)
- Utah Jazz: Darryn Peterson (Kansas)
- Memphis Grizzlies: Cameron Boozer (Duke)
- Chicago Bulls: Caleb Wilson (North Carolina)
- LA Clippers: Keaton Wagler (Illinois)
- Brooklyn Nets: Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville)
- Sacramento Kings: Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas)
- Atlanta Hawks: Kingston Flemings (Houston)
- Dallas Mavericks: Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan)
- Milwaukee Bucks: Brayden Burries (Arizona)
- Golden State Warriors: Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Aday Mara (Spain/Michigan)
- Miami Heat: Nate Ament (Tennessee) – Traded to Bucks
- Charlotte Hornets: Hannes Steinbach (Germany/Washington)
- Chicago Bulls: Dailyn Swain (Texas)
- Memphis Grizzlies: Bennett Stirtz (Iowa) – Traded to Thunder
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Ebuka Okorie (Stanford) – Traded to Pistons via Grizzlies
- Charlotte Hornets: Christian Anderson (Texas Tech)
- Toronto Raptors: Allen Graves (Santa Clara)
- San Antonio Spurs: Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky)
- Detroit Pistons: Karim López (Mexico/New Zealand Breakers) – Traded to the Grizzlies
- Philadelphia 76ers: Labaron Philon Jr. (Alabama)
- Atlanta Hawks: Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s)
- New York Knicks: Cameron Carr (Baylor) – Traded to the Lakers
- Los Angeles Lakers: Sergio De Larrea (Spain/Valladolid) – Traded to the Knicks
- Denver Nuggets: Tarris Reed Jr (UConn) – Traded to Spurs
- Boston Celtics: Chris Cenac Jr. (Houston)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State) – Traded to Nets
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Alex Karaban (Connecticut) – Traded to the Kings
- Dallas Mavericks: Koa Peat (Arizona)
Understanding how talent selection works in the NBA
The way new athletes join the world basketball elite differs greatly from the player training model known in Brazilian football. Instead of passing through the youth categories of a single club, young talents reach the NBA through the Draft, an annual ceremony that distributes the athletes’ choice rights among the league’s various teams.
In theory, each of the thirty teams has the right to one selection in each phase of the Draft. Considering that the event is divided into two rounds, this would total sixty choices available. However, in the real transfer market scenario, these choices are often negotiated between franchises, which leads to situations where some teams obtain more selection rights, while others participate with a smaller number of opportunities.