UConn’s Reed Jr. to Spurs, Karaban awaits pick

The NBA Draft is set to begin Tuesday evening from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and a pair of former UConn men’s basketball stars expect to hear their names called over the next two nights.

Forward Alex Karaban is moving on after four historic seasons in Storrs, where he made three Final Four appearances, while center Tarris Reed Jr. has skyrocketed up NBA Draft boards after a dominant senior year with the Huskies. Follow along all evening long for live updates and an NBA Draft pick tracker.

As co-host Malika Andrews noted, former Duke and NBA star Jay Bilas was just four years old the last time any player recorded 30 points and 25 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game — that is before Reed accomplished the feat against Furman in March. Bilas offered plenty of praise as Denver selected Reed No. 24 overall before trading the draft rights to San Antonio. 

“He’s 6-foot-10, he’s got a 7-foot-4 wingspan, and he’s really strong and athletic,” Bilas said about Reed on ESPN. “He scores mostly on the block, where he shot 60% from the field on post moves. He’s good in pick-and-roll situations, and really physical at the rim.

Reed was drafted No. 26 overall by Denver, but his draft rights were immediately traded to San Antonio. The UConn center will now team up with another former Husky in Stephon Castle and compete with fellow 2026 draft pick Jayden Quaintance to back up Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.

The first UConn player is officially off the board as the Denver Nuggets snagged Tarris Reed Jr. late in the first round.

1. Washington Wizards – AJ Dybantsa
2.  Utah Jazz – Darryn Peterson
3.  Memphis Grizzlies – Cameron Boozer
4.  Chicago Bulls – Caleb Wilson
5.  Los Angeles Clippers – Keaton Wagler
6.  Brooklyn Nets – Mikel Brown Jr.
7.  Sacramento Kings – Darius Acuff Jr. 
8. Atlanta Hawks – Kingston Flemings
9. Dallas Mavericks – Morez Johnson Jr. 
10. Milwaukee Bucks – Brayden Burries
11. Golden State Warriors – Yaxel Lendeborg
12. Oklahoma City Thunder – Aday Mara
13. Miami Heat (traded to MIL) – Nate Ament
14. Charlotte Hornets – Hannes Steinbach
15. Chicago Bulls – Dailyn Swain
16. Memphis Grizzlies (traded to OKC) – Bennett Stirtz
17. Oklahoma City Thunder – (traded to DET) Ebuka Okorie
18. Charlotte Hornets – Christian Anderson
19. Toronto Raptors – Allen Graves
20. San Antonio Spurs – Jayden Quaintance
21. Detroit Pistons – (traded to MEM) Karim Lopez
22. Philadelphia 76ers – Labaron Philon
23. Atlanta Hawks – Zuby Ejiofor
24. New York Knicks (traded to LAL) – Cameron Carr
25. Los Angeles Lakers (traded to NYK) – Sergio de Larrea
26. Denver Nuggets (traded to SAS) – Tarris Reed Jr. 

The defending NBA champions were seen as one of the earliest viable landing spots for Reed, projected to join the Knicks in ESPN’s final mock draft before Tuesday’s event. However, after a pick swap with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Knicks ultimately opted not to pick the UConn center, instead going with Spanish prospect Sergio de Larrea

Tarris Reed Jr. won’t be the first Big East player selected in this year’s NBA Draft, as the Hawks grabbed the conference’s player of the year in Zuby Ejiofor from St. John’s. Ejiofor’s selection does knock another post player off the board, however, potentially opening the door here for Reed in the first round. 

10 picks into this year’s draft, and as expected, neither Reed nor Karaban has been selected. However, as we head toward the mid-to-late first round, the former UConn stars may start to hear their names called. 

Within a historically deep draft class, the Jazz hope Peterson can serve as a franchise cornerstone, pairing the former Jayhawk with an experienced frontcourt ready-made for success. 

Dybantsa, a New England native from Brockton, Mass., will head to Washington, D.C. as the No. 1 overall pick, according to multiple reports.

The 2026 NBA Draft has officially begun from the Barclays Center, and the Washington Wizards are on the clock with the No. 1 overall pick. WAtch the action live on ESPN and ABC. 

Here’s a full list of upcoming picks set to be made in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft:

26. Denver Nuggets
27. Boston Celtics
28. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Detroit) (reportedly traded to Brooklyn)
29. Cleveland Cavaliers (from San Antonio via Atlanta)
30. Dallas Mavericks (from Oklahoma City via Washington and Philadelphia)

Possibly the most sought-after NBA prospect from last year’s UConn team opted not to enter the 2026 draft, with star freshman Braylon Mullins instead returning to Storrs for a second season. Mullins joined Dan Hurley’s program as a McDonald’s All-American and was widely expected to become a first-round pick in this year’s draft, but the 6-foot-6 wing believed he needed another season of development at the college level. 

“I think he already had his mind made up of what he had to do,” Mullins’ father, Josh, told CTInsider in April about his son’s decision. “It wasn’t anything I had to talk him into. He just said, ‘I kinda think I need another year.’”

Read more about Mullins’ decision to “run it back” at UConn next season.

ESPN has released its final mock draft projections Tuesday ahead of the NBA Draft, which include both Karaban and Reed. Karaban is projected to join Sacramento with the No. 34 overall pick, while Reed links up with the reigning champion New York Knicks at No. 24 overall.

“After making a strong case for himself by putting up three 20-plus-point games in the NCAA tournament, Reed has built momentum on the workout circuit and is trending toward the late first round,” ESPN writes about Reed. “His mix of length, physical heft, rebounding instincts and offensive skill make him an appealing plug-and-play role player, and he should appeal to contending teams. The Knicks are said to be in search of frontcourt depth, with Mitchell Robinson a pending free agent. Reed’s toughness would slot right in. 

Alex Karaban’s scouting profile features strengths and weaknesses that NBA front offices will weigh as they evaluate the UConn forward. Teams must balance his proven 3-point shooting and unparalleled collegiate success against his age relative to other prospects and questions about his athleticism. UConn coach Dan Hurley believes those concerns pale in comparison to Karaban’s championship pedigree and willingness to embrace a role, arguing that his longtime star should be a top-20 pick Tuesday night.

“If I’m a team in the top 20 and I’ve got a choice between a moderately more talented player that has questionable makeup in terms of building a championship or winning organization,” Hurley said, “how do you pass on Karaban in the 20s if you have a chance to bring a grown-up, a professional, a championship-level player, a Cam Spencer-type of guy who’s 6-8, into your organization? If you’re picking late in the first round, how do you not pick him?”

Read more about Hurley’s pre-draft thoughts on Karaban and Reed. 

Here’s how the former UConn stars stack up after being evaluated at the NBA Draft Combine in May:

Height (without shoes): 6 feet, 6.75 inches
Weight: 225.2 lbs
Wingspan: 6-11
Vertical jump: 28 inches

Tarris Reed Jr. 

Height: 6 feet, 9.75 inches
Weight: 263.6 lbs
Wingspan: 7 feet, 4.25 inches
Standing reach: 9 feet, 2 inches

Coach Dan Hurley has restored the UConn program as a pipeline for young talent to reach the NBA, sending nine players to the draft over the previous five years. Overall, 55 former Huskies have been selected in the NBA and ABA drafts since 1947 — centers Emeka Okafor and Hasheem Thabeet are the highest-selected players to come from UConn, picked No. 2 overall in 2003 and 2007, respectively. 

Here’s a look at every UConn player selected in the NBA Draft since Hurley took over the program in 2018:

The first round of the NBA Draft will begin on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, airing on ABC and ESPN. The second round will be held on Wednesday with the same start time and broadcast information.