The 2026 NBA Draft is in the books — if you missed my winners and losers breakdown from Round 1, go check that out. Now that the second round is complete and the full picture is clear, here are my overarching fantasy basketball takeaways across both nights of the 2026 NBA Draft.
Grabbing Kingston Flemings at No. 8 and Zuby Ejiofor at No. 23 overall gave the Hawks two players who can crack the rotation right away. Then they came back in Night 2, adding Henri Veesaar at 52nd overall. A 7-footer out of UNC who gives them additional center depth that many thought they would address with their first two picks. Stack that on top of the Aaron Wiggins trade, and you have a franchise that added four legitimate pieces to a playoff-caliber roster. From a fantasy perspective, Flemings is the priority target in dynasty drafts, but the depth Atlanta built could give them less incentive to bring back Jonathan Kuminga and former number one overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher.
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Aday Mara’s path to minutes could come sooner than we think
Mara landing in Oklahoma City alongside Chet Holmgren is already a scary defensive proposition. But the real fantasy intrigue is what happens with Isaiah Hartenstein’s contract this summer. With the Thunder in cost-cutting mode to duck the aprons, bringing in Mara could lessen the blow if they decide not to exercise their $28.5M team option for Hartenstein. Should they move on from Hartenstein, Mara’s path to meaningful minutes accelerates dramatically.
Hometown bias aside, I watched Philon tape all day and I’m sold on their choice at 22nd overall. Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe played the most minutes of any backcourt in the league last season — a workload that’s not sustainable long-term. The Jared McCain trade was under a different regime, led by Daryl Morey, so while I get the criticisms of getting an undersized, smaller-framed guard, the current front office recognized the need and addressed it. Philon was one of the best players, not just guards, in the NCAA at finishing near the rim, consistently kept defenders off balance and could walk into a sixth-man role immediately on a playoff-contending roster. He averaged 22.0 points and 5.0 assists on 50/40/80 splits at Alabama and if the reported work ethic is as advertised, he’s a factor for Philly now — not later. He’s moving up my dynasty board.
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The Spurs took Jayden Quaintance at 20 and then acquired Tarris Reed Jr. from Denver. Quaintance is a high-upside rim protector and lob threat who is reportedly considering another procedure on his surgically repaired knee that could keep him sidelined for upwards of six months. The good thing is, he’ll have plenty of time to focus on his recovery. In the meantime, Reed is an NBA-ready rebounder and play-finisher who delivered in big moments throughout UConn’s run to the title game this past season. Wemby looked gassed by the NBA Finals and Luke Kornet and their undersized power forwards weren’t effective in the non-Wemby minutes. Both ‘guys’ dynasty stocks should be reasonably priced.
The Hornets walked away with Hannes Steinbach at 14 and Christian Anderson at 18 on Night 1. In those picks, they were able to snag the best rebounder in the class and a 41.5% 3-point shooter with real playmaking chops behind LaMelo Ball. Steinbach shores up their frontcourt with Moussa Diabaté, and Steinbach is more talented than last year’s second-round pick, Ryan Kalkbrenner. The Anderson selection provides insurance if Coby White doesn’t re-sign or if LaMelo Ball is on the move, as recently reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania. Charlotte quietly had one of the better overall drafts of any team in the lottery.
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The Mavericks took Morez Johnson Jr. at 9th overall, traded for G Sergio De Larrea at 25th and added Virginia Tech F Tobi Lawal at 48th, while acquiring Vsevolod Ishchenko via trade at 56th. With De Larrea and Ishchenko likely not coming over anytime soon, Dallas appears comfortable with what they have from a guard perspective. The silver lining for fantasy managers? Kyrie and Cooper Flagg are going to generate a considerable number of assists next season. I’ll definitely give Flagg a boost after seeing how Dallas played their draft.
Second-round names worth monitoring
A few under-the-radar picks from Night 2 worth adding to your dynasty watch list:
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Bruce Thornton (pick 31) went to Houston and gives the Rockets a tough, competitive guard who has outperformed his recruiting ranking every single year at Ohio State.
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Ryan Conwell (pick 37) is headed to Miami. Good timing for him since the Heat will need to fill out their roster. He’ll benefit from Giannis’ gravity as a knockdown shooter on the perimeter.
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Baba Miller (pick 36) lands with the Clippers in one of the murkier roster situations in the league. Brook Lopez is a question mark, John Collins is gone and Kawhi Leonard’s contract situation is still unresolved. That uncertainty is actually what makes Miller worth monitoring; if the Clippers continue shedding veterans and pivot toward youth alongside Darius Garland and Keaton Wagler, his motor and two-way tools put him in a position to earn real minutes sooner than a 36th pick typically would. None of these are redraft priorities, but all could be decent late-rounders in dynasty formats.
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