The Washington Wizards have been awarded the No.1 pick for the 2026 NBA Draft after winning the lottery. The Wizards were tied for the best odds to win the top pick and become the first team with the worst record in the league to win the lottery. “It's our fans that have endured the most. And to me, this No. 1 pick is for them. It's a reward for hanging in there with us. It's a reward to continue to support us despite sometimes really bad basketball. They knew and they supported a multiyear teardown, a multiyear reinvention of the franchise," said Wizards top basketball executive Michael Winger. The Wizards, who finished 18-64 this season, will have their choice of this year’s draft prospects, including BYU forward and projected No.1 pick AJ Dybantsa. Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson are also expected to be picked high. The Utah Jazz, who were tied for the fourth-best odds, will have the No.2 pick with the Memphis Grizzlies at No.3 and the Chicago Bulls at No.4. The Indiana Pacers and the Brooklyn Nets, both of whom had the best odds for the No.1 pick, fell to fifth and sixth, respectively. Additionally, the Pacers’ pick has been sent to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the trade that sent Ivica Zubac to Indiana in February. The Pacers would’ve kept their pick if they moved into the top four spots but will have their 2031 first-round pick returned instead.
