NBA Player News

The Rockets selected Onyenso with the No. 53 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and traded his rights to the Knicks, who then traded his rights to the Pistons, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.

The Knicks acquired the No. 39 and 53 picks and a 2029 second-rounder from the Rockets in exchange for the No. 31 and 55 selections in this year's draft. However, the Knicks traded the 53rd overall pick to the Pistons for cash considerations, sending Onyenso to Detroit. The 6-foot-11 center transferred to Virginia for the 2025-26 campaign, during which he averaged 6.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, 0.6 assists and 0.6 steals in 18.6 minutes per contest across 36 appearances off the bench. The big man's rim-protecting prowess could earn him some burn if injuries arise in Detroit's center group, though Onyenso isn't guaranteed a consistent role.

The Clippers selected Veesaar with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and traded him to the Hawks, per Shams Charania of ESPN.

The Clippers will get the No. 57 pick and cash in return. Veesaar is a skilled offensive player who spent three years as a reserve with Arizona, redshirting his entire sophomore year with an elbow injury before transferring to North Carolina and breaking out, averaging 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 60.8 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from deep. The Hawks also drafted Zuby Ejiofor in the first round, bolstering their center group behind Onyeka Okongwu, who's thrived after taking over as a starter.

Hopkins was selected by the Nuggets with the No. 49 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Hopkins made stops at Kentucky and Providence before spending his final collegiate year at St. John's. He appeared in 37 games for the Red Storm in 2025-26, averaging 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.3 blocks and 1.1 steals while shooting 36.3 percent from deep across 28.8 minutes. The 24-year-old is a capable scorer and defender, though his limited athleticism might limit his growth as a professional, at least early in his career. The Nuggets are still a championship-caliber club, considering the team is made up of veterans Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray, among others. As a result, unless Hopkins exceeds expectations throughout Summer League and training camp, he may not see consistent playing time in 2026-27. Still, with Gordon, Murray and Cameron Johnson known for having issues staying off the injury report, Hopkins' services might be needed at some point.

The Wizards selected Nelson with the No. 51 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and traded him to the Magic.

Washington gave Orlando the No. 51 and 60 picks to move up to 46 and take Felix Okpara. Nelson is a quality defender and rebounder for being an undersized center, but he doesn't bring much perimeter shooting. He put in averages of 15.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game on 56/14/73 shooting splits during his senior season at South Florida, but he'll have a tough time getting into the rotation in Orlando while the team is healthy.

Lawal was selected by the Mavericks with the No. 48 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Lawal is an impressive athlete with the tools to develop into an elite defender, but he remains very raw on offense. The 23-year-old forward finished his senior season at Virginia Tech with averages of 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game on 54/25/76 shooting splits. He'll likely see limited minutes in his rookie season, helping back up the forward spots in Dallas.

The Magic selected Okpara with the No. 46 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and traded his rights to the Wizards, Jeff Goodman of Fieldof68.com reports.

In exchange, the Magic received the No. 51 and No. 60 picks, the latter of which they traded to the Bucks for cash. Okpara spent his early college years at Ohio State before transferring to Tennessee. He most recently logged 35 regular-season games for the Volunteers, averaging 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 0.4 steals across 26.9 minutes per contest. The Wizards have Anthony Davis (finger) and Alex Sarr (foot) on the roster, meaning Okpara will presumably come off the bench. However, with Davis and Sarr having trouble staying healthy over the years, there's a chance Okpara could start some games for the Wizards during the 2026-27 campaign.

The Pacers traded Jones to the Bulls on Wednesday in exchange for Braden Smith, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Jones will join a crowded backcourt in Chicago, so he could have a tough time lasting beyond training camp. Jones averaged 4.4 points and 3.2 assists across 37 games with the Pacers last season.

The Spurs selected Brown with the No. 44 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

The Spurs add another physical big man after taking Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed in the first round. Brown is a defensive-minded forward who will need to expand his offensive game if he's going to stick at the NBA level. After two years at Syracuse, Brown transferred to Duke, where he operated as a reserve for two seasons. Across four collegiate seasons, Brown averaged 2.2 steals-plus-blocks per game.

Gillespie was selected by the Spurs with the No. 42 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Gillespie will join the Spurs and figures to provide backcourt depth early in his career. The 22-year-old point guard transferred to Tennessee for the 2025-26 campaign, averaging 18.4 points, 5.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals across 34.6 minutes per game in 37 starts. He set the school's single-season steals record in his lone year with the program.

The Heat selected Oweh with the No. 41 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and traded his rights to the Thunder, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.

The Thunder selected Ryan Conwell for the Heat with the No. 37 pick in exchange for the No. 41 pick and cash. Oweh began his collegiate career at Oklahoma before transferring to Kentucky, where he spent the last two seasons. He most recently logged 36 regular-season games for the Wildcats during the 2025-26 campaign, averaging 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.3 blocks and 1.8 steals across 32.8 minutes. Although his shooting needs work, he is still capable of making an impact on both ends of the floor. With that in mind, Oklahoma City has one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, meaning Oweh could have difficulty finding consistent minutes throughout his inaugural season.