Two Picks Chose College, No. 32 Is Still Unsigned and No. 13 Was Traded for Giannis: The Strangest Stories of the 2026 NBA Draft Class

By the DraftClassInsider staff · Published October 12, 2026 · Through October 12, 2026

At a glance

Back to college (1): No. 57 pick Narcisse Ngoy, a 7-footer from France drafted by the Clippers, chose to play for Auburn this season. The Clippers keep his rights.
Back to college (2): No. 59 pick Trey Kaufman-Renn, taken by the Timberwolves, won a temporary restraining order on September 9 that makes him eligible for a sixth college season. He entered the transfer portal.
Still unsigned: No. 32 pick Richie Saunders, who tore his ACL at BYU in February. The likely issue is guaranteed money.
Traded before he played: No. 13 pick Nate Ament was chosen by Miami and sent to Milwaukee as part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
Signed: all 30 first-round picks had signed by mid-August.

The Draft Pick Who Picked Auburn

The Clippers ended up with the 57th pick, Narcisse Ngoy, through a second-round swap with Atlanta on June 24. He is a 7-foot French prospect who had played professionally in France's second division, the Elite 2 league. The day after the draft he said he was staying in college. "I am thankful for the LA Clippers' confidence in me," he wrote on Instagram. "I fully intend to honor my commitment to Auburn University." He said he wanted to play for Auburn in 2026-27.

This is not a loss for the Clippers. AL.com described it as a draft-and-stash pick: Los Angeles keeps his NBA rights while he develops on Auburn's budget. In the NIL era, a year in college with a featured role can be a better option for a late second-round pick than a two-way contract and limited minutes.

The Draft Pick Who Got a Sixth College Season in Court

Trey Kaufman-Renn's case is stranger. Minnesota drafted the Purdue forward 59th in June. He had been at Purdue since 2021-22, redshirted his first year and played 147 games over the next four seasons, making first-team All-Big Ten as a junior. On September 9, a temporary restraining order barred the NCAA from denying his eligibility "based on his five years in college and four years playing for the Boilermakers, or his professional status," according to Bleacher Report, citing the Indianapolis Star. ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported that he will enter the transfer portal. Kaufman-Renn wrote that his time at Purdue "has come to an end" and that he is "excited for what's next." No date has been set for a preliminary-injunction hearing.

The phrase "or his professional status" is the important part. A player the NBA had already drafted got a court to order the NCAA to let him play college basketball again. Football went the other way this fall. The SEC threatened to expel LSU over two undrafted NFL rookies who tried to return to college, and the NFL barred both players for the season. We covered that in The Undrafted Rookies Who Tried to Go Back to College.

No. 32, Still Unsigned in October

All 30 first-round picks had signed by mid-August, according to Hoops Rumors. The second pick of the second round had not. Richie Saunders, the BYU guard Memphis took at No. 32, tore his ACL in February, ending his college career. The Deseret News reported on October 6 that "the issue of guaranteed money is likely the cause for his contract stalemate" and that he will "most likely go the two-way route." Citing BYU's Daily Universe, it added that he would be "the highest-drafted player in league history to sign a two-way for his first NBA contract."

Memphis also has a roster problem. The Grizzlies had 18 players on standard contracts, not counting Saunders, and have to get down to 15 before the season. "It's wait and see in terms of what exactly his onboarding is going to look like," general manager Zach Kleiman said at Media Day.

The No. 13 Pick and the Giannis Trade

The biggest trade of the offseason went through the draft. Late on June 22, the night before the first round, Milwaukee agreed to send Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami. The Bucks got Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Miami's unprotected 2031 and 2033 first-round picks, a 2030 pick swap, a 2033 second-round pick and the No. 13 pick in the 2026 draft. The trade could not become official until July 6, so Miami made the pick on Milwaukee's behalf. "Nate Ament was announced for Miami, and his rights were quickly sent to Milwaukee," the AP wrote.

Ament, a forward from Tennessee, came off the bench in Milwaukee's preseason opener under new coach Taylor Jenkins and scored 8 points in 13 minutes. He sprained an ankle against Oklahoma City on October 7, but imaging showed nothing "overly concerning," and he is aiming to play in the opener. "This kid is tough, he's got tons of resilience," Jenkins said. That opener is at Washington on October 21, so if he is healthy, his first NBA game will be against the player taken 12 picks ahead of him, AJ Dybantsa.

The Rookie Next to LeBron

The 76ers made the other big move of the summer. On July 24 LeBron James chose Philadelphia, agreeing to a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option for the second season. "This is my last decision. I'm not going for money. I'm not going for family," he said. "I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team." SI reported the contract includes a 15% trade kicker, and he cannot be traded until December 15. Philadelphia had already traded for Jaylen Brown on July 6. The 76ers play at the Lakers on Christmas, James's first game back in Los Angeles.

That changed the rookie season of Labaron Philon Jr., the No. 22 pick from Alabama. He is now a backup ballhandler on a team built to contend, not a rotation guard on a rebuilding team. He had 14 points and 7 assists against Boston on October 10, when James, Brown and Joel Embiid sat out. "I really like his ability to run the team," coach Nick Nurse said.

The Rest of the Odd List

A busy draft night: the AP counted nine trades involving 10 players over the final 18 picks of the first round. The draft rights of 17 players changed hands in the second round, some of them more than once.
Playing overseas: Hoops Rumors lists No. 39 Jack Kayil (Knicks, Alba Berlin), No. 54 Lajae Jones (Warriors) and No. 60 Malique Lewis (Bucks) as playing overseas this season.
Still in rehab: No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr. missed Brooklyn's first three preseason games with a left ankle sprain and was expected to debut in the preseason finale at Miami.

Our Take

A few years ago, an NBA draft pick choosing college basketball would have seemed unthinkable. Now NIL money and eligibility lawsuits have made it a reasonable choice for late second-round picks. A non-guaranteed or two-way deal may pay less than a strong college role, and a court order can extend a college career after the NBA has already drafted the player. For NBA teams, a second-round pick who stays in college is no loss, because they keep his rights while someone else pays for his development. Saunders shows the other side of that trade-off: an injured second-round pick has little leverage. The class will be judged on Dybantsa, Peterson and Boozer, but these stories show how the NBA draft is changing. For the stars of the class, see our Peterson vs. Boozer preview and our Dybantsa preview.

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