The Washington Wizards have a real shot of converting their poor last season into what could be a blockbuster 2026. The franchise won the NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday to claim the top pick in next month’s draft. And they are expected to go with top prospect AJ Dybantsa.
Washington finished the season 17-65 and entered the lottery tied with Indiana and Brooklyn for the best odds at the top selection, each holding a 14% chance. Their disastrous finish – losing 26 of its final 27 games, including the last 10 straight – ultimately positioned the team perfectly for lottery luck.
The NBA Draft is scheduled for June 23-24.
AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson lead top prospects
The top of the draft is expected to center around two standout freshmen: BYU forward AJ Dybantsa and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson.
Dybantsa, a 19-year-old forward of Congolese and Jamaican descent, is viewed by many scouts as the frontrunner to become the No 1 selection thanks to his scoring ability, size and athletic upside. Peterson, meanwhile, remains one of the elite guard prospects in the class and is expected to be among the earliest names selected.
Wizards already added Trae Young, Anthony Davis
The Wizards aggressively reshaped their roster during the 2025-26 campaign by acquiring star guard Trae Young from Atlanta in January before landing veteran big man Anthony Davis from Dallas in February.
The Wizards have not advanced past the second round of the postseason since reaching the 1979 NBA Finals. They also have not appeared in the playoffs since 2021 and have not won a playoff series since 2017.
Jazz, Grizzlies, Bulls move into top four
While Washington claimed the top spot, Utah jumped to No 2 overall, followed by Memphis at No 3 and Chicago at No 4. The fifth overall selection went to the Los Angeles Clippers via Indiana as part of the Ivica Zubac trade. The Pacers lost the pick after it landed outside their protected range.
Brooklyn received the sixth pick, while Sacramento, Atlanta, Dallas, Milwaukee, Golden State, Oklahoma City, Miami and Charlotte rounded out the lottery order.
Atlanta’s pick came via New Orleans, while Oklahoma City’s selection originated from the Clippers in the Paul George trade.
NBA lottery system could soon change
All 14 teams that failed to qualify for the playoffs participated in the lottery, with worse regular-season records receiving better odds at landing the top selection.
Under the current format, the league’s worst team cannot fall lower than fifth in the order. However, concerns about tanking late in the season have continued to grow around the NBA.
Commissioner Adam Silver has already indicated the league plans to revisit and potentially alter the draft lottery system before next season.
Meanwhile, ESPN writers made their projections for the 2026 draft.
All 60 NBA Draft projections
Washington Wizards — AJ Dybantsa
Utah Jazz — Darryn Peterson
Memphis Grizzlies — Cameron Boozer
Chicago Bulls — Caleb Wilson
Los Angeles Clippers — Darius Acuff Jr.
Brooklyn Nets — Keaton Wagler
Sacramento Kings — Kingston Flemings
Atlanta Hawks — Mikel Brown Jr.
Dallas Mavericks — Brayden Burries
Milwaukee Bucks — Nate Ament
Golden State Warriors — Karim Lopez
Oklahoma City Thunder — Yaxel Lendeborg
Miami Heat — Labaron Philon Jr.
Charlotte Hornets — Aday Mara
Chicago Bulls — Jayden Quaintance
Memphis Grizzlies — Hannes Steinbach
Oklahoma City Thunder — Chris Cenac Jr.
Charlotte Hornets — Cameron Carr
Toronto Raptors — Christian Anderson
San Antonio Spurs — Morez Johnson Jr.
Detroit Pistons — Bennett Stirtz
Philadelphia 76ers — Allen Graves
Atlanta Hawks — Isaiah Evans
New York Knicks — Koa Peat
Los Angeles Lakers — Henri Veesaar
Denver Nuggets — Dailyn Swain
Boston Celtics — Amari Allen
Minnesota Timberwolves — Ebuka Okorie
Cleveland Cavaliers — Meleek Thomas
Dallas Mavericks — Joshua Jefferson
New York Knicks — Alex Karaban
Memphis Grizzlies — Tyler Tanner
Brooklyn Nets — Tounde Yessoufou
Sacramento Kings — Zuby Ejiofor
San Antonio Spurs — Milan Momcilovic
Los Angeles Clippers — Luigi Suigo
Oklahoma City Thunder — Tarris Reed Jr.
Chicago Bulls — Ryan Conwell
Houston Rockets — Matt Able
Boston Celtics — Braden Smith
Miami Heat — Flory Bidunga
San Antonio Spurs — Sergio de Larrea
Brooklyn Nets — Malachi Moreno
San Antonio Spurs — Baba Miller
Sacramento Kings — Trevon Brazile
Orlando Magic — Rueben Chinyelu
Phoenix Suns — Jeremy Fears Jr.
Dallas Mavericks — Ugonna Onyenso
Denver Nuggets — Billy Richmond III
Toronto Raptors — Izaiyah Nelson
Washington Wizards — Jaden Bradley
Los Angeles Clippers — Richie Saunders
Houston Rockets — Andrej Stojakovic
Golden State Warriors — Felix Okpara
New York Knicks — Bruce Thornton
Chicago Bulls — Kylan Boswell
Atlanta Hawks — Emanuel Sharp
New Orleans Pelicans — Nick Martinelli
Minnesota Timberwolves — Milos Uzan
Washington Wizards — Ja’Kobi Gillespie
