NBA Draft 2026: Undrafted prospects navigate post-draft landscape after two-day event
Notable college standouts including Kylan Boswell and Milos Uzan missed selection, while others secure two-way deals or prepare for Summer League.
The 2026 NBA Draft concluded at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, marking the end of a two-day selection process that saw 60 college prospects secure positions in the league. The event opened with the Washington Wizards selecting BYU star AJ Dybantsa with the first overall pick and closed with the Milwaukee Bucks choosing Malique Lewis with the 60th selection. While the first round proceeded largely according to projections, the second round delivered several unexpected outcomes that reshaped the final roster of draftees.
Among the most significant oversights was the exclusion of Kylan Boswell, an anchor on Illinois’ Final Four roster, who was the highest-ranked player on the CBS Sports Big Board to go undrafted. Also left without a selection were Houston’s Milos Uzan, who had bypassed the draft the previous year to return to school, and Duke’s Isaiah Evans. The absence of these established college contributors highlighted the competitive nature of the late-stage selections.
Structural roster needs, particularly regarding backcourt depth and frontcourt support, appeared to drive the latter rounds of the draft. This focus on specific positional gaps meant that several early entrants, including Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas and North Carolina’s Henri Veesaar, were not selected despite leaving the college game early. Veesaar’s slide to pick No. 52 was noted as one of the more surprising movements of the draft, a deviation from the star power that characterised the top of the board.
The decision by players such as Evans, Thomas, and Veesaar to declare early carried financial implications, as they potentially forewent Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) earnings that might have been secured had they remained in college. With the Detroit Pistons having recorded 60 wins last season and traded Jaren Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies for draft picks, the league’s landscape remains focused on building sustainable roster compositions through strategic acquisitions.
In the immediate aftermath of the draft, several undrafted players have moved to secure their professional futures. Nick Boyd and others have reportedly signed two-way contracts with NBA franchises, providing a direct pathway to the league. Meanwhile, other notable snubs are expected to participate in the NBA Summer League, where they will have the opportunity to demonstrate their value to teams looking to fill out their developmental rosters.
