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The 2022 NBA Draft took place over four years ago at Barclays Center on June 23, and almost half of the players picked in the first round that night are no longer on NBA teams. With rosters trimmed to 15 guaranteed contracts before Monday’s 5:00 p.m. ET deadline, few notable names have been waived in the last few days, which in turn has meant 13 of the 30 first-round picks from 2022 aren’t on NBA teams now.
– Jaden Ivey (5th pick by the Detroit Pistons): Free agent who last played for the Chicago Bulls in February 2026
– Jeremy Sochan (9th pick by the San Antonio Spurs): Free agent after being waived by the Portland Trail Blazers
– Johnny Davis (10th pick by the Washington Wizards): Plays for Korfez Basket in Turkey
– Ochai Agbaji (14th pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers): Free agent after being waived by the New York Knicks
– AJ Griffin (16th pick by the Atlanta Hawks): Retired in 2024 after two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks
– Dalen Terry (18th pick by the Chicago Bulls): Set to join the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors after being waived by the Golden State Warriors
– Malaki Branham (20th pick by the San Antonio Spurs): Set to join the G League’s Osceola Magic after being waived by the Orlando Magic
– David Roddy (23rd pick by the Philadelphia 76ers): Plays for Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel
– MarJon Beauchamp (24th pick by the Milwaukee Bucks): Plays for Bayern Munich in Germany
– Blake Wesley (25th pick by the San Antonio Spurs): Free agent after being waived by the Los Angeles Clippers
– Wendell Moore Jr. (26th pick by the Dallas Mavericks): Plays for Virtus Bologna in Italy
– Patrick Baldwin Jr. (28th pick by the Golden State Warriors): Plays for Crvena zvezda in Serbia
– TyTy Washington Jr. (29th pick by the Memphis Grizzlies): Plays for ASVEL in France
Now, most of these are late first-round picks, but three of the top 10 aren’t on NBA teams at present. Jaden Ivey might never be on one again.
The Chicago Bulls waived Ivey for the infamous anti-LGBTQ comments he made in March 2026. Ivey took things a bit too far back then and refused to apologize, so it’s hard to see him playing another game.
Jeremy Sochan is the likeliest among these three to find himself back on an NBA team. Sochan undoubtedly struggled in the 2025-26 campaign, but we’re talking about someone who averaged double digits in points in each of his first three seasons. There is talent there, and you should expect him to get another opportunity at some point.
As for Johnny Davis, well, he’s a total bust. Davis averaged 3.5 points over his three seasons with the Washington Wizards and looked completely out of place. Unless his game improves dramatically overseas, an NBA return looks unlikely. Here’s hoping, for Davis’ sake, that he is able to grow as a player.
Now, despite so many picks not panning out, this class does have some very good players, too. Paolo Banchero was the No. 1 pick and has been named an All-Star.
Chet Holmgren (two), Jalen Williams (12), and Jalen Duren (13) have all been named All-Stars and have made one All-NBA team. There might not be a top-level superstar in this class, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad one.
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