Key Points
- The Washington Wizards hold the No. 1 pick in the June 23 NBA Draft.
- It is Washington's first top selection since John Wall in 2010.
- AJ Dybantsa is the consensus projected No. 1 overall.
- Utah, Memphis, Chicago and the Clippers follow at picks 2-5.
While the Knicks and Spurs finish the NBA Finals, the league's other 28 front offices are already working the phones. The 2026 NBA Draft begins June 23, and for the first time since it took John Wall in 2010, the Washington Wizards own the No. 1 overall pick.
The top of the board
BYU wing AJ Dybantsa is the consensus projection at No. 1, but scouts describe the top tier as nearly flat. Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer, and North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson form a consensus top four that teams see with little separation between them. After Washington, the lottery order runs Utah at No. 2, Memphis at No. 3, Chicago at No. 4, and the Los Angeles Clippers at No. 5 — five teams at different points on the rebuild-to-contend curve, with very different needs at the top of the board.
What it means for Washington
The Wizards have spent two seasons tearing the roster down to its studs, and the No. 1 pick is the reward — their highest selection since Wall went first in 2010 and the centerpiece of a rebuild that has otherwise been short on marquee moments. Whether they keep the pick or shop it is the first real question of the offseason; a top-four this tightly bunched gives a rebuilding team cover to trade down without losing much. Moving the No. 1 overall pick is rare, though — the more common play this early in a teardown is to keep it and build around a 19-year-old cornerstone rather than cash it in for present-day help.
The Wembanyama reminder
The stakes of a No. 1 pick are on national television right now. The Spurs reached the Finals on the back of their own top selection, Victor Wembanyama, the 2023 No. 1 whose arrival reset the league's balance of power — the same San Antonio team New York beat in Game 1. Wembanyama has carried the Spurs to the title round in just his third season — one pick that moved a franchise from the lottery to the Finals in three years. Washington is betting that June 23 can do for it what 2023 did for San Antonio.
Source: ESPN, CBS Sports
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