How the NBA Draft First Round Impacts the Pacers on Day 2

The first round of the NBA Draft is officially in the books and after the first fifteen picks we saw a ton of movement.

Grizzlies Trade Back

Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets the sixteenth pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz after he was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Memphis Grizzlies traded the No. 16 overall pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 17 overall pick and two second-round picks.

Then, the Detroit Pistons traded the No. 21 overall pick and three second-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 17 overall pick.

Memphis moved back from No. 16 to No. 21 and picked up an additional five second-round picks.

Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets the twenty first pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Mexican forward Karim Lopez after he was selected by the Detroit Pistons at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

These moves to acquire more second-round picks makes you wonder if they’re going to take a player with the No. 32 overall pick in the Second Round tonight.

Oklahoma City walked away with Iowa Hawkeye, Bennett Stirtz at No. 16; Detroit traded up to No. 17 and selected the talented Stanford point guard, Ebuka Okorie; and Memphis moved back to No. 21 and took the first ever Mexican-born player selected in the first round, Karim Lopez.

Lakers Trade Up, Knicks Trade Down

Cam Carr — Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver announces the twenty fourth pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Baylor guard Cameron Carr after he was selected by the New York Knicks at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Baylor’s sharpshooting wing, Cameron Carr, found himself sliding in the draft Tuesday night, and the Los Angeles Lakers took a minimal swing to move up and get him.

The Lakers traded the No. 25 pick and cash considerations to the New York Knicks for the No. 24 pick to ensure they drafted Cameron Carr.

New York, Dallas, and Phoenix Make Trades

The Knicks then traded the No. 25 overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 30 overall pick and two second-round picks. Dallas selected the talented draft-and-stash guard, Sergio de Larrea at No. 25.

After acquiring the No. 30 pick, the New York Knicks traded out of the first round by sending this pick to the Phoenix Suns — who were without a first-round pick in this year’s draft — for three second-round picks and cash considerations.

The Suns took local college standout, Koa Peat, out of Arizona with the final pick in the first-round.

Pick No. 31 Available for Trade

Shams Charania reported that the New York Knicks — who are on the clock with the No. 31 overall pick — have already received offers of future draft assets for No. 31 and intend to move the pick prior to the start of night two of the Draft.

That is worth noting the Indiana Pacers. Jake Fischer, of The Stein Line, had originally reported a week or so ago that the Knicks would make one of their two picks at No. 24 or No. 31. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore. The Knicks will have the No. 47 pick in the draft that originally belong to Phoenix.

Denver and Cleveland Trade Out of First Round

The Denver Nuggets traded the No. 26 overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs, who selected big man, Tarris Reed Jr. out of UConn.

The Nuggets received San Antonio’s No. 35 overall pick in the Second Round, and two future second-round picks.

This doesn’t mean Denver will make this pick, but it does take away a familiar trade partner for the Pacers at No. 35 with San Antonio.

Cleveland traded away pick No. 29 to the Sacramento Kings for pick No. 34 and one future second-round pick. The Kings selected Alex Karaban, a do-it-all forward out of UConn.

Final Thoughts

Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver during the 2026 NBA draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The back half of the first round was filled with trades for teams either trying to move out and not having to add a rookie-scale-contract onto their books, or teams moving up in the draft to select a player they targeted.

We did not see any players traded in the draft for a pick, aside from the Giannis blockbuster that sent the Milwaukee Bucks for No. 13 overall.

Indiana was one of several teams who did not make a first round selection Tuesday night, but I would be surprised if they made no moves to get back into the second round tonight.

Here are my Top 10 players left on the board:

Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) drives to the basket Saturday, March 21, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Isaiah Evans
Emanuel Sharp
Meleek Thomas
Henri Veesaar
Richie Saunders
Baba Miller
Braden Smith
Ryan Conwell
Bruce Thornton
Jaden Bradley

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