With 30 picks down and 30 still to go in the 2026 NBA draft, Duke wing Isaiah Evans, UNC big man Henri Veesaar, and Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas are among the top prospects still on the board, writes Aaron Beard of The Associated Press.
Of the 24 prospects who received invitations to the green room for the draft, Evans was the only one who wasn’t selected on Tuesday, but the expectation is that he’ll be one of the first players taken when the draft resumes on Wednesday evening.
In his second-round mock draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has Evans going to the Knicks at No. 31, while ESPN’s Jeremy Woo projects the Duke sharpshooter to be drafted by the Timberwolves at No. 33. Woo’s second-round mock forecasts Veesaar to New York, followed by Cincinnati’s Baba Miller to the Grizzlies with the 32nd pick.
Both mocks have Thomas coming off the board within the first four picks of the second round, while German guard Jack Kayil, Louisville guard Ryan Conwell, BYU wing Richie Saunders, and Houston guard Emanuel Sharp are among the other prospects that both Vecenie and Woo anticipate will be among the first 10 second-round selections.
Since the NBA switched the format of its draft in 2024 to make it a two-day event, the No. 31 pick has been a popular trade target for teams eyeing a specific player at the top of the second round, so there’s no guarantee that the Knicks, who traded down from No. 24 three times on Tuesday and currently control three 2026 second-rounders (Nos. 31, 47, and 55), will stay at that spot.
A year ago, Phoenix sent two future second-rounders to Minnesota in order to move up from No. 36 to No. 31 to nab Rasheer Fleming, who was a rumored target for Boston at No. 32.
