Five second-round picks from June’s draft have already found a home, but six more are still waiting for their next step.
The latest to come off the board was Bryce Hopkins, the former St. John’s standout, who signed a two-way contract with the Nuggets a few days ago. Before that, the list started to shrink with Dillon Mitchell landing a two-way deal with Boston, Jack Kayil becoming a draft-and-stash player after signing a five-year contract to stay in Germany with ALBA Berlin, Braden Smith agreeing to a two-way pact with Indiana, and Malique Lewis formally signing a two-year deal with the Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League.
That leaves six 2026 draftees without a resolution: Richie Saunders of the Grizzlies, Tyler Nickel of the Knicks, Lajae Jones of the Warriors, Vsevolod Ishchenko of the Mavericks, Narcisse Ngoy of the Clippers and Trey Kaufman-Renn of the Timberwolves.
Ngoy appears headed toward a draft-and-stash path of his own. The French center has already committed to the Auburn Tigers for the 2026/27 season, and he said he was surprised when the Clippers selected him in June. After the draft, he and the team were said to be discussing their options, but the expectation is that he’ll play at Auburn and function as a domestic draft-and-stash prospect.
Ishchenko could also wind up in that lane, though there haven’t been reports saying that’s what Dallas has planned. There also hasn’t been anything indicating the Mavericks intend to bring the Russian wing to the United States in 2026/27.
Saunders is a different case entirely. Players taken as high as No. 32 usually sign three- or four-year NBA deals and often get multiple guaranteed seasons, but the former BYU star tore his ACL in February and may miss a large part of his rookie year while recovering. Memphis is also dealing with a roster squeeze, so there may not be room for him on the standard roster right away.
A two-way deal would not be a shock for Saunders, with a later promotion to a standard contract. Another possibility: he starts the season on a G League contract, then lands a standard deal after the trade deadline, when the Grizzlies may have opened a spot or two and his recovery is closer to complete.
Nickel’s situation remains the murkiest of the bunch. At least two reports have said the former Vanderbilt sharpshooter is likely to begin his NBA career with New York, while two others have suggested he may still return to college for another year after a federal court ruling granted him an extra year of eligibility.
The NCAA is challenging that ruling, but if Nickel does go back to school, the Knicks would keep his NBA rights as a domestic draft-and-stash prospect. New York still has room to maneuver, too, with two standard roster openings and all three two-way spots available.
Jones looks like the most likely candidate to fill Golden State’s third two-way slot. The Warriors recently used their final two standard roster spots on veterans Brandon Williams and Georges Niang, though both contracts come with some protection: Williams’ deal is non-guaranteed for now and becomes partially guaranteed if he makes the opening night roster, while Niang’s partially guaranteed contract includes Exhibit 3 language safeguarding Golden State if he runs into issues with his left foot. Niang, 33, missed all of last season because of a stress reaction in that same foot.
Kaufman-Renn may need a little more waiting, too. If Minnesota wants to sign him to a two-way deal, it first has to clear a spot, since the Timberwolves already have Rocco Zikarsky, Zyon Pullin and Enrique Freeman on two-way contracts.
The Wolves did create some financial flexibility by trading Josh Green to Utah for Cody Williams and John Konchar, who will reportedly be waived-and-stretched, but Kaufman-Renn still doesn’t look like a likely standard-roster addition before the season. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic noted last night that he expects Minnesota to use its 15th spot on a veteran.
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New Orleans appears to have moved fastest, lining up a two-year, $16 million contract for Mathurin as it looks to keep adding young athletic talent to the mix. The Clippers, meanwhile, are left watching a player they could have controlled now head toward a fresh opportunity in the West, while the rest of the conference keeps reshuffling around them. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Just Made A Bennedict Mathurin Move Fans Need To See
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From there, the next step came quickly for Mathurin, who has already lined up a two-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. New Orleans still has to clear one more roster spot before the season begins, so the signing is not quite a finished puzzle yet, but the move signals a fresh landing spot for a player the Clippers no longer had in their plans. [Read more 🡒]