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Wizards Pick Dybantsa No.1, Suns Take Peat No.30

6/24/2026

28 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Wizards Draft Dybantsa

Wizards pick AJ Dybantsa No.1; Suns pick Koa Peat No.30 in 2026 NBA Draft.
Henri Veesaar (#23), Meelek Thomas (#32) and Isaiah Evans (#26) fell out of first round, with Evans—a forward who averaged 15.0 points and 36.1% from three—going undrafted after a Green Room invite and awaiting Day 2 without a guaranteed contract.
Thomas entered the draft on stay-or-go deadline, forfeiting his chance to be Arkansas’s top scorer.

Summary

Veesaar Declines NIL

Veesaar declined a $4.5 million NIL offer from North Carolina and a $6 million offer elsewhere to enter the 2026 NBA Draft.
In his final college season he averaged 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 60.8%, earning All-ACC Second Team honors.
He said focusing on basketball outweighed the NIL deal, noting that after transferring from Arizona to North Carolina he became the Tar Heels’ offensive focal point.

Summary

76ers Consider Trade

The Philadelphia 76ers, holding the No. 22 pick, are considering trading back or exiting the first round for Veesaar.
Veesaar played 31 games, averaged 31 minutes, posted 0.6 steals, 1.2 blocks, shot 61.5% free throws, and needs about 40 pounds for NBA front-court physicality.
His 42.6% three-point rate and rim finishing suit a pick-and-pop role on a power-forward team like the Cleveland Cavaliers, though his free-throw shooting is weak.

History

Historical Context

On June 28 1995 the NBA held its first draft outside the United States in Toronto, where the Minnesota Timberwolves chose high-school phenom Kevin Garnett fifth overall—the first player in two decades to jump directly from high school. His entry sparked an eleven-year surge of high-school draftees until the league raised the age limit to 19 in 2005, a precedent that guides 2026 prospects like Henri Veesaar.

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Wizards Draft Dybantsa

Wizards pick AJ Dybantsa No.1; Suns pick Koa Peat No.30 in 2026 NBA Draft.
Henri Veesaar (#23), Meelek Thomas (#32) and Isaiah Evans (#26) fell out of first round, with Evans—a forward who averaged 15.0 points and 36.1% from three—going undrafted after a Green Room invite and awaiting Day 2 without a guaranteed contract.
Thomas entered the draft on stay-or-go deadline, forfeiting his chance to be Arkansas’s top scorer.

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