The Washington Wizards have won the NBA Draft lottery to secure the first selection in next month’s event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
With the worst record in the NBA, the Wizards were month three teams with 14-percent odds of getting the top pick heading into the lottery.
Meanwhile, several teams jumped up in the lottery, including the Utah Jazz, who got the No. 2 pick, as well as the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls, who will pick third and fourth, respectively.
Next month’s draft has a number of elite recruits, including BYU swingman AJ Dybantsa, Kansas combo guard Darryn Peterson and Duke power forward Cameron Boozer, the son of retired NBA forward, Carlos.
‘Standing here is kind of crazy,’ Dybantsa told reporters in New York on Sunday, as quoted by The Associated Press. ‘One of these teams is going to be home.’
In addition to the top pick in next month’s NBA Draft, the Wizards also enter the 2026-27 season with former All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis, both of whom were acquired in trades during the 2025-26 campaign.
With the league’s worst record, the Washington Wizards have now won the NBA Draft lottery to secure the first selection in next month’s event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa is considered one option for the Wizards with the first pick
Cameron Boozer, the son of former NBA star Carlos, is expected to be taken high next month
No team suffered more on Sunday than the Indiana Pacers, who also had a 14-percent chance at the top pick, but will now surrender the fifth-overall selection in next month’s draft by virtue of a conditional February trade for center Ivica Zubac. That deal specified that the Pacers’ first-round pick would convey to the Clippers if it fell between picks No. 5 and No. 9.
The Brooklyn Nets also got some bad news on Sunday, landing the No. 6 selection despite having a 14-percent chance at the top spot.
The Sacramento Kings will pick at No. 7, while the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets found out selections No. 8 through No. 14, respectively.
The NBA plans to implement anti-tanking rules in 2027 after a number of teams, including the Wizards, were accused of limiting their rosters in an effort to this year’s No. 1 overall pick.
