The San Antonio Spurs will complete a trade to acquire Reed on Wednesday,
Former UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. is heading to San Antonio.
The Denver Nuggets selected the 6-foot-10 Reed with the No. 26 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday night in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Nuggets made the pick on behalf of the Spurs, who on Wednesday will complete a trade.
ESPN reported the Nuggets will receive the No. 35 pick in the draft -- to be selected Wednesday night in the second round -- and two future second-round picks.
Three picks later, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected UConn forward Alex Karaban at No. 29 in a similar draft-and-trade scenario and will send him to the Sacramento Kings.
The selection of Reed and Karaban gives head coach Dan Hurley and UConn a first-round pick in four consecutive drafts.
For San Antonio, Reed can serve as a reliable backup to star Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs can go with two bigs: Reed playing the traditional center role ane Wenbanyama on the perimeter.
Reed is going to a team ready to win. The Spurs lost in the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks in five games. It's also one of the NBA's most stable franchises in terms of ownership and management.
Reed turned out to be one of the best big men in the nation in the 2025-26 season, improving by the week and turning into a force in the NCAA Tournament.
Maybe no one did as much to help himself at the NBA Draft Combine this spring as Reed.
Playing in a 5-on-5 scrimmage at the combine, Reed scored nine points and pulled down five rebounds in 19 minutes of action.
He also secured two assists, a steal and a block. He was 3-of-7 from the floor.
An early ESPN mock draft had him going No. 37 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending NBA champions. In just weeks, he took a leap into the first round.
Making NCAA Tournament history
The Huskies advanced to the national title game this season, losing to Michigan, but they wouldn't have gotten there if not for Reed's performance in the Round of 64 against No. 15 Furman.
Reed put up one of the most incredible stat lines in NCAA Tournament history, scoring a game-high 31 points and pulling down 27 rebounds. He had 11 offensive rebounds alone, and his 27 rebounds were more than the entire Furman team (23).
ESPN reported that Reed was the third player since 1960 with 30 points and 25 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game. He joined Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame members Elvin Hayes, who did it three times, and Jerry Lucas, who accomplished it twice.
In six NCAA Tournament games, he averaged 19.5 points and 13.2 rebounds. He was voted the top player in the East Region and to the All-Tournament team.
Reed's 2025-26 season in review
Reed finished the season with averages of 14.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. Silas Demary Jr. led the Huskies in assists with 5.9 per game, with Reed topping UConn in the other categories. He won first-team All-Big East honors and led the conference with a field goal percentage of 60.7.
As a junior, he was the conference’s Sixth Man of the Year,
What’s next in the 2026 NBA Draft?
The two-round draft concludes Wednesday night in Brooklyn, with ESPN televising the festivities beginning at 8 p.m.
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