The Washington Wizards finally got their breakthrough moment. After years of rebuilding and multiple failed lottery results under the NBA’s flattened odds system, the Wizards landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Sunday night in Chicago.
Washington entered the night tied for the league’s best odds at 14 percent after finishing the season 18-64.
The Utah Jazz secured the No. 2 pick, followed by the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 3 and the Chicago Bulls at No. 4.
The result marked the first time the league’s worst team actually won the lottery since the current format was introduced, ending a streak of seven straight years where the bottom team failed to land the top selection.
“It’s our fans that have endured the most,” Wizards president Michael Winger said after the lottery. “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.”
Washington’s rise comes after an aggressive season in which the franchise traded for Trae Young and Anthony Davis, moves that signaled the organization believes it is ready to accelerate its rebuild quickly.
Now the focus immediately shifts to what the Wizards will do with the top pick in a loaded draft class headlined by AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson.
Dybantsa has emerged as the favorite on many draft boards after averaging 25.5 points per game as a freshman at BYU, becoming the first freshman since Trae Young in 2018 to lead the nation in scoring.
“Obviously, we’re going to find out on June 23 where I’m going to land,” Dybantsa said Sunday night. “I’m betting on myself to be a No. 1 pick. I think I’m very adaptable. I can play anywhere.”
Peterson also remains firmly in the conversation after a standout season at Kansas, while Boozer and Wilson are widely expected to round out the top tier of prospects.
“It could be surreal, for sure,” Boozer said when discussing potentially landing with Utah or Chicago, where his father Carlos Boozer previously played. “I don’t know what the future holds, but it’s super exciting for sure.”
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