Draft Day 1 omissions reshape second-round landscape as top prospects fall
Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns anchor a predictable first round, while several high-ranked college players including Henri Veesaar and Isaiah Evans await selection on Day 2.
Day 1 of the 2026 NBA Draft concluded in Brooklyn on Tuesday, 24 June 2026, with the Washington Wizards selecting AJ Dybantsa first overall and the Phoenix Suns picking Koa Peat 30th. The first round was characterised by predictability, with top players moving to teams they had been linked with throughout the pre-draft cycle. However, the proceedings also saw several projected first-round selections fall out of the initial round, setting the stage for a significant reshuffling of talent on Day 2.
Among the notable omissions were North Carolina’s Henri Veesaar, Duke’s Isaiah Evans, and Arkansas’ Meelek Thomas. All three players were ranked inside the top 30 of CBS Sports draft projections, with Veesaar at 23, Evans at 26, and Thomas at 32. Their absence from the first round was viewed as a surprise, particularly given that each had bypassed the opportunity to return to college for substantial Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation.
Veesaar, a stretch big man, had a breakout season at UNC under first-year coach Michael Malone. Despite being projected to go in the 20s, he will now wait until the second round to hear his name called. Similarly, Evans evolved from a catch-and-shoot specialist into a primary scoring option for Duke, nearly doubling his three-point attempts and shooting 36.1 per cent. He is expected to be selected in the early-to-mid 30s.
Thomas, who waited until the final day of the stay-or-go deadline to enter the draft, served as a solid second option at Arkansas alongside Darius Acuff Jr. His decision to forgo another season of college basketball, where he could have been the team’s top scoring option, adds to the list of high-profile players available in the second round.
Other notable first-round omissions include college basketball’s all-time assist leader, ranked 33, and Saunders, ranked 34, who is recovering from an ACL tear sustained late in the 2025-26 season. Saunders is expected to be a coveted pick in the second round if healthy. The draft also featured historic selections, with the Chicago Bulls choosing Caleb Wilson fourth and the Memphis Grizzlies selecting Cameron Boozer third, marking the first time since 1989 that Duke and UNC both had top-five picks.
