NBA Mock Draft: With 2026 lottery now set, AJ Dybantsa goes No. 1 to Wizards, Darryn Peterson No. 2 to Jazz

The order for one of the most talented and deep NBA drafts in recent memory is now set. The Washington Wizards will get the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after they won the lottery on Sunday. The Utah Jazz will pick at No. 2, and the Memphis Grizzlies will select at No. 3. The Chicago Bulls check in at No. 4, and the Los Angeles Clippers round out the top five.

Right now, the odds favor AJ Dybantsa to go No. 1 to Washington. The former BYU star and scoring machine will return to the East Coast and work to rebuild a franchise that needs hope.

After the first pick, it gets more interesting. This draft is oozing with intrigue, with franchise-altering players all through the top 10. 

Kansas’ Darryn Peterson was ranked No. 1 coming out of high school and could easily be the best long-term player in the draft. There are some availability concerns, but Peterson has bested Dybantsa in head-to-head matchups in the grassroots and in college.

Another wrinkle is that former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, the father of Duke’s Cameron Boozer, is a Jazz scout who has the No. 2 pick. Utah has a decision to make between picking Boozer, Peterson, or North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson. The UNC star may have the most long-term potential of anyone.

NBA Draft Lottery winners and losers: Pacers’ bet fails, more Kings bad luck, Wiz, Grizz and Clips hit big

Sam Quinn

The biggest loser of the NBA Draft Lottery was the Indiana Pacers, who fell out of the lottery. The biggest winners? The Clippers.

L.A. acquired a uniquely protected pick from the Indiana Pacers in the Ivica Zubac trade in February. The pick was top-four protected, but would be dealt to the Clippers if it landed between Nos. 5-9. The pick landed fifth, the best-case scenario for the Clippers. The Pacers, who finished 19-63 while missing Tyrese Haliburton this season, had a 14% chance of landing the No. 1 pick and 52.1% chance of picking in the top four. They leave Sunday without a lottery pick.

The NBA Draft Lottery marks another step on the timeline leading to the actual draft. We now know the draft order. The NBA Combine is next week in Chicago, and the draft will be held June 23-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Below is the very first mock draft after the lottery and draft order were unveiled. We now know the teams and where they will pick. Let’s dive in.