Thunder Select Ryan Conwell in Second Round of 2026 NBA Draft, Traded to Heat

Conwell is the second former Louisville player to be taken in this year's draft.

Jan 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Ryan Conwell (3) brings the ball up court against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Just like Mikel Brown Jr. the night before, Ryan Conwell didn't have to wait a while to come off the board on the second and final night of the 2026 NBA Draft - although it came with a twist.

The Louisville shooting guard has been selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the No. 37 overall pick in the second round of the draft. However, not long after his selection, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that he would be getting traded to the Miami Heat.

Following Mikel Brown Jr.'s selection at No. 6 overall by the Brooklyn Nets the night before, it marks the 22nd time that UofL has had multiple players taken in a single NBA Draft, and the sixth time since 1989 when the draft was cut to just two rounds. It occurred most recently in 2015, when Terry Rozier and Montrezl Harrell were both drafted.

Transferring in from Xavier last offseason, Conwell was one of the top three-point shooters and overall playmakers in the ACC during his lone season at Louisville, taking home Second-Team All-ACC honors. Playing and starting in all but one of the Cardinals' 34 games this season, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound shooting guard has averaged the sixth-most points per game in the ACC at 18.8, while also putting up 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

While he shot only 40.8 percent from the field, his 34.5 percentage on three-point tries was the eighth-most in the ACC. His 112 made threes and 325 attempted threes both led the conference, and ranked 13th and third in all of D1 basketball, respectively.

Following a relatively quiet true freshman campaign at South Florida during the 2022-23 season, Conwell went on to be extremely productive during his final three years in college. As a sophomore at Indiana State, the Indianapolis native averaged 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, getting named to the 2024 MVC All-Tournament Team. Then as a junior at Xavier, Conwell put up 16.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, earning Third-Team All-Big East honors in the process.

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(Photo of Ryan Conwell: Charles LeClaire - Imagn Images)