The Washington Wizards won the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery Today at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, securing the first overall pick in what is widely regarded as one of the deepest draft classes in recent memory. Washington entered the lottery as one of three teams tied at the top with a 14% chance, alongside the Indiana Pacers and the Brooklyn Nets.
The full lottery order for the first 14 picks settled as follows: Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, and Charlotte Hornets.
A draft without a consensus top pick
Unlike recent classes that featured clear-cut generational prospects, the 2026 draft is defined by depth and uncertainty at the top. BYU forward AJ Dybantsa has climbed to the top of many draft boards heading into the lottery, but he is not a runaway consensus pick. Duke forward Cameron Boozer, North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, and Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. have all been projected as potential top selections depending on which team holds the pick and what they need.
Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points per game this season at BYU, leading the nation in scoring while breaking a 48-year-old program freshman scoring record with a 43-point performance. At 6-foot-9, he combines an ability to get to the rim, score in the midrange, and draw fouls with point-forward potential that makes him an appealing fit in modern NBA systems. The primary question surrounding his projection is whether his three-point shooting will develop to the level that would make him a genuinely unguardable offensive force at the next level.
Boozer, the son of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, is considered the most polished player in the class. He scored efficiently from multiple areas of the floor at Duke while shooting 40% from three on significant volume, helping lead the Blue Devils to 35 wins and earning Naismith Player of the Year honors in the process.
What this means for the Wizards
The Wizards are in the early stages of a rebuild centered around 2024 top pick Alex Sarr, a 7-foot French center who provides the kind of defensive versatility and offensive upside that front offices covet. Adding a player of Dybantsa’s caliber alongside Sarr would give the Wizards young frontcourt pairing with the potential to anchor the franchise for the next decade.
The Wizards also has talented guards in Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson, meaning the pieces around a top pick are already in place to form a credible young core rather than simply adding a prospect to a barren roster.
Notable storylines from the rest of the order
The Indiana Pacers, who entered with the same 14% odds as The Wizards, fell to the second pick, where they are expected to have a strong shot at Boozer. The Dallas Mavericks, who won the lottery a year ago with a 3% chance to land Cooper Flagg, fell to ninth in this year’s order. The Oklahoma City Thunder, already one of the league’s most talent-rich rosters, landed 12th. The Charlotte Hornets, the longest shot in the lottery at the bottom of the odds, ended up 14th.
The 2026 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 23 and 24, broadcast on ABC and ESPN.
