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Pelicans Draft Hometown Scorer Jaron Pierre Jr.
The New Orleans Pelicans selected SMU guard/forward Jaron Pierre Jr. with the No. 58 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The New Orleans native gives the Pelicans an experienced scoring option after averaging 17.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steals in 33.0 minutes while shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 37.0 percent from deep, and 75.8 percent at the line. Pierre previously averaged 21.6 points at Jacksonville State, so the scoring track record is real. His fantasy value will be limited early, but three-level scoring and wing size give him a path to compete for bench minutes.
Source: Brett Siegel
Source: Brett Siegel
Narcisse Ngoy Joins Clippers as Draft-and-Stash Center
The Los Angeles Clippers are acquiring French center Narcisse Ngoy after the Atlanta Hawks selected him with the No. 57 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The 21-year-old played for Poitiers in France's ELITE 2, averaging 9.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 2.4 blocks in 24.6 minutes while shooting 68.0 percent from the field. Ngoy also signed with Auburn for the 2026-27 season, so this profiles more like a draft-and-stash play than an immediate fantasy situation. His rebounding and shot-blocking are the fantasy draw, but managers may need to wait before seeing those numbers tested in an NBA rotation.
Source: NBA
Source: NBA
Vsevolod Ishchenko Goes to Dallas in Second-Round Trade
The Dallas Mavericks are acquiring Lokomotiv Kuban guard/forward Vsevolod Ishchenko after the Los Angeles Lakers sent the No. 56 overall pick to Dallas, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The 21-year-old made a sizable jump in the VTB United League, averaging 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals in 23.7 minutes while shooting 51.6 percent from the field, 46.3 percent from deep, and 80.1 percent at the line. Ishchenko was also named a VTB All-Star and Young Player of the Year, but his fantasy value is more of a long-range watch, especially if Dallas keeps him overseas or starts him in the G League.
Source: Shams Charania
Source: Shams Charania
Clippers Add Two-Time Big Ten Scoring Champ Nick Martinelli
The Los Angeles Clippers used a cash deal to land one of college basketball's most accomplished scorers, taking Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli at No. 55 after the Knicks drafted him. The two-time Big Ten scoring champion poured in 23.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 51.0 percent shooting and 41.7 percent from three as a senior. Martinelli is a crafty, physical bucket-getter in the Georges Niang mold, scoring through contact from every level, though average athleticism and defensive concerns are why he lasted this long. The fit is tough: he has to earn a spot through Summer League and camp on a win-now Clippers roster led by Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland. There is nothing here for fantasy now, but the scoring touch hints at a long-term bench-scorer role.
Source: Brett Siegel
Source: Brett Siegel
Warriors Add Florida State Wing Lajae Jones in the Second Round
The Golden State Warriors are selecting Florida State guard/forward Lajae Jones with the No. 54 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The 22-year-old averaged 12.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 29.5 minutes while shooting 42.7 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from deep. Jones played in all 33 games and made 31 starts, also leading Florida State in total rebounds and blocks. His early fantasy appeal is limited, but his size, rebounding, and defensive activity give him a path to low-usage wing minutes if the shot becomes more consistent.
Source: Brett Siegel
Source: Brett Siegel
Ugonna Onyenso Acquired by Pistons After No. 53 Pick
The Detroit Pistons are receiving Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso after the Houston Rockets selected him with the No. 53 overall pick and his rights moved through New York. The 21-year-old averaged 6.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks in 18.6 minutes across 36 games while shooting 56.8 percent from the field. Onyenso ranked first in the ACC and second nationally in blocks, giving Detroit a clear rim-protection specialist. His early fantasy value may be narrow, but blocks and field-goal percentage give him a useful path if he earns backup center minutes.
Source: NBA
Source: NBA
Hawks Land North Carolina Center Henri Veesaar in a Trade
The Atlanta Hawks are acquiring North Carolina center Henri Veesaar after the LA Clippers selected him with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The 22-year-old averaged 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 31.3 minutes while shooting 61/43/62 during his junior season. Veesaar's fantasy path is tied to his modern center skill set, as he can space the floor, pass from the short roll, and add blocks without needing heavy usage. Onyeka Okongwu remains Atlanta's top center, and first-rounder Zuby Ejiofor also joins the frontcourt, so Veesaar may need to earn minutes gradually. Still, the trade-up suggests Atlanta wanted his shooting and size in its revamped rotation.
Source: NBA
Source: NBA
Orlando Magic Acquire Izaiyah Nelson in a Multi-Team Draft Night Trade
The Orlando Magic are reportedly acquiring South Florida center Izaiyah Nelson after the Washington Wizards selected him with the No. 51 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Nelson averaged 15.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 27.2 minutes while shooting 56.1 percent from the field as a senior. The 22-year-old swept American Conference Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year honors, giving Orlando a high-motor frontcourt prospect. With Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze already on the roster, Nelson's fantasy path starts with rebounding, stocks, and earning energy minutes off the bench.
Source: NBA
Source: NBA
Raptors Draft Arizona Guard Jaden Bradley at No. 50 Overall
The Toronto Raptors are selecting Arizona guard Jaden Bradley with the No. 50 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The 22-year-old gives Toronto a steady senior guard after averaging 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 39.4 percent from deep, and 80.9 percent at the line. Bradley also won Big 12 Player of the Year, giving the Raptors another competitive backcourt option. With Immanuel Quickley and Jamal Shead already on the roster, Bradley's early fantasy path likely depends on defense, ball security, and whether his improved shooting earns him rotation minutes.
Source: Brett Siegel
Source: Brett Siegel
Bryce Hopkins Selected by Nuggets With No. 49 Pick
The Denver Nuggets selected St. John's forward Bryce Hopkins with the No. 49 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The 24-year-old rebuilt his stock in his lone season with the Red Storm, averaging 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in 28.8 minutes while shooting 46.9 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from deep, and 71.3 percent at the line. His fantasy path is not wide in Denver, where Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon headline the frontcourt, but Hopkins has enough rebounding, cutting, and improved shooting to compete for bench forward minutes if he carries over his late-season momentum.
Source: Brett Siegel
Source: Brett Siegel
Tobi Lawal Joins a Crowded Mavericks Frontcourt
The Dallas Mavericks closed their draft with an athletic upside swing, taking Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal with the 48th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The explosive leaper averaged 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks on 54.2 percent shooting as a senior, posting one of the best vertical marks in combine history. Lawal projects as a lob-finishing, transition-running, switchable energy forward in the Derrick Jones Jr. mold, though his shooting cratered to 25.0 percent from three and his half-court game is raw. The fantasy reality is a numbers crunch: he joins a Dallas frontcourt already deep with Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, P.J. Washington, and fellow rookie Morez Johnson Jr. Lawal is a long-shot athletic stash, not a fantasy piece, but the tools are rare enough to bookmark.
Source: Jake Fischer
Source: Jake Fischer
Knicks Land Tyler Nickel at No. 47 in a Four-Team Trade
The defending-champion New York Knicks came away with one of the draft's best shooters, acquiring Vanderbilt wing Tyler Nickel in a four-team draft-night trade after Phoenix selected him with the 47th pick. The movement shooter averaged 13.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 44.5 percent shooting and 40.0 percent from three, hoisting 7.6 triples a night and burying 110 of them as a senior. Nickel is a Duncan Robinson-style specialist whose game starts and mostly ends with floor spacing, and Mike Brown's staff has a track record of developing exactly that. The catch for fantasy is the roster: he lands on a loaded title team and may not even open the year on a standard contract. He is a deep-watch shooter, nothing more, until he proves he can stick.
Source: NBA
Source: NBA
Felix Okpara Heads to Washington in a Draft-Night Deal
The Orlando Magic drafted Tennessee center Felix Okpara at No. 46 and flipped him to the Washington Wizards for picks 51 and 60 in the 2026 NBA draft, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reports. The Lagos, Nigeria native averaged 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks on 59.7 percent shooting as a senior, anchoring an Elite Eight defense with his length and rim protection. Okpara is a lob-finishing, shot-blocking big with little offensive polish, landing behind Anthony Davis and Alexandre Sarr on Washington's depth chart. That is where it gets interesting for fantasy: both starters have long injury histories, and Tristan Vukcevic is the only other guaranteed center, so Okpara could back into spot starts and cheap blocks if either big misses time. Trae Young's lob passing only sweetens the fit.
Source: Michael Scotto
Source: Michael Scotto
Emanuel Sharp Joins Darius Acuff Jr. in Kings Backcourt
After landing Darius Acuff Jr. in the first round, the Sacramento Kings added shooting around their new lead guard, taking Houston's Emanuel Sharp with the 45th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Houston's all-time leading three-point shooter averaged 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on 41.3 percent shooting and 37.2 percent from deep as a senior, drilling 2.6 threes a night. Sharp is an undersized but knockdown 3-and-D guard who moves well off the ball and rarely turns it over. Unlike most second-round shooters buried on contenders, he lands on a rebuilding team actively clearing its veteran guards, so a rotation role is in reach if the shooting carries over. He won't help fantasy managers right away, but the fit next to Acuff makes him a name worth tracking.
Source: Brett Siegel
Source: Brett Siegel
Spurs Grab Maliq Brown at No. 44 Overall in the 2026 Draft
The San Antonio Spurs kept stockpiling defense in the second round, taking Duke forward Maliq Brown with the 44th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The 22-year-old led all of college basketball in defensive box plus-minus and was the ACC's top defender, averaging just 4.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals on 62.9 percent shooting off the bench. Brown is a switchable, havoc-creating defender whose offense barely registers: he hit 16.7 percent from three and 50.0 percent at the line. That profile has an NBA path as an energy big, just not on this roster soon, with Victor Wembanyama anchoring an elite frontcourt and San Antonio adding more size in the same draft. For fantasy, Brown is a name to file away and nothing more, barring a Nicolas Claxton-style defensive role down the line.
Source: Brett Siegel
Source: Brett Siegel
