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The Washington Wizards have landed the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, winning today's lottery drawing in Chicago.
The Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls, who had just a 20 percent chance of climbing into the top four, round out picks two through four. Former BYU player AJ Dybantsa is expected to be taken with the first pick.
Share your reaction with us at live@theathletic.com.
Check out the full results and order below, complete with each team's original odds to land the No. 1 pick.
The NBA Draft lottery is complete. The Washington Wizards are the big winners of the 2026 sweepstakes, and the order has shaken out in a way to solve exactly what every team needs within the top four.
The Wizards won a truly momentous lottery, with the Utah Jazz moving up on lottery day for the first time in the organization’s history to No. 2, the Memphis Grizzlies moving up three spots to the No. 3 pick, and the Chicago Bulls, under a new front office, jumping all the way from No. 9 to No. 4.
In the other big news, the Indiana Pacers lost their draft pick this season to the LA Clippers, who will now select at No. 5 as a result of the Ivica Zubac trade in February. The other teams that slipped multiple spots were the Brooklyn Nets falling to No. 6 and the Sacramento Kings dropping to No. 7.
Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard speaks about Indiana's first-round pick conveying to the LA Clippers after falling out of the top four in the lottery.
To recap the Clippers traded Ivica Zubac to Indy in February in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and one second-round pick. One of those picks was Indiana’s 2026 first-round pick if it landed between the No. 5 and No. 9 slots, which it did today.
Because Indiana finished with one of the league's three worst records, there was about a 48 percent chance that the pick landed fifth or sixth (the pick couldn't land seventh, eighth or ninth). Conversely, the team had a 52.11 percent chance at a top-four pick.
It is definitely a little bit funny that in this era of flattened lottery odds making life incredibly difficult for any one team to end up at No. 1, the only good luck charm seems to be acquiring Anthony Davis at the trade deadline prior to the lottery.
Reader Scott L. has emailed in from Atlanta to lament the state of the Hawks, who famously traded away the draft rights of Luka Dončić to the Mavericks in 2018.
✉️ Basketball gods continue punishing the Hawks for the Luka trade.
Remember, you can share your thoughts and reactions with us by emailing live@theathletic.com.
While the Bucks didn't capitalize on their long odds of moving up in the 2026 NBA Draft lottery, they are still holding onto a top-10 pick in a loaded NBA draft.
"I think we're really excited about this position in the draft," Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst said. "We've done a lot of studying in this position in the draft. We'll be prepared for it. It's a really deep draft. It would have been great to have been at the top. It's really, really great not to move down any spots. We're super excited with the outcome."
When Horst talked to local reporters in the final week of the season, he mentioned that the team will have to keep their options open moving forward. That included the possibility of trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, but also the possibility of trading their first-round pick to get more talent to add to the roster alongside Antetokounmpo next season. Is trading the pick still a possibility now that the Bucks are selecting in the top 10?
"I think obviously both paths are very alive for us and we'll explore and learn a lot in the coming weeks as to what the benefit for the organization will be," Horst said. "No matter what, it's a great opportunity for the organization. We've already spent a lot of time. … This is a really great draft. We believe that. We don't think it's just on paper."
Pacers president Kevin Pritchard has taken to social media to apologize to the team's fans for the results of today's lottery.
I'm really sorry to all our fans. I own taking this risk. Surprised it came up 5th after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember – this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient.
Here's a look at how our writers project the first four picks of next month's draft to unfold.
Those four might not surprise you but we'll have a full mock draft from Sam Vecenie for you later today, and one from our beat writers tomorrow, so be sure to be on the lookout for those!
Finally, new Bulls EVP Bryson Graham on this being a deep draft: "Let's not sit here and say because we have the fourth pick, all of a sudden this franchise is back, you know what I mean? But this is just a good opportunity to add high-level talent to our group and build this, and like I keep saying, layer it appropriately. So it's exciting, man. I can't believe it. I just got the job and I got the fourth pick. It's crazy, man!"
GO FURTHER
Bulls get lucky and I think they land Cameron Boozer at No. 4: ‘It’s crazy, man’
On whether he brought a lucky charm to the lottery today: "No, I brought prayers. I brought prayers, man. Actually, it's Sunday, I didn't go to church today. I feel kind of bad. But yeah, man, look, God had me … the Lord's blessing and we jumped. I was living right."
On Toni Kukoc being a good luck charm: "Look, Toni, he's good with me. … Toni is good in my book, I'm telling you."
Some thoughts from new Bulls EVP Bryson Graham, who is not short on personality or quotability, about jumping from No. 9 to No. 4: "I almost fainted, I was like this is crazy, this is crazy because it's such a great draft. There's a ton of talent. It's deep, you know, obviously there are some names at the top of the draft that you do get excited about and you just want to have a chance."
On drafting fourth in a draft that's perceived to have four standout players: "Everything says it's that, but you've got to go through your process. You know, there's so much more. The combine is this week, you get a chance to talk to these kids, you've got a chance to bring them into your gym at some point and watch them work out, get their measurements. There's still a lot of work to be done. We're excited that we're in the top four, but I don't want to draw a line at four."
The Kings have the seventh pick after a season in which they finished with 60 losses and the joint-fourth worst record. Some irreverent social media sleuths have dug up a tweet from 2013, when current Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé was part of the Warriors' ownership group, in which he looked upon the seventh pick with more positivity.
My lucky number 7, day I was born 7, Curry picked at 7, Barnes at 7, seven is heaven
John Wall speaking to Wizards television announcer Chris Miller after Washington landed the top pick: "You bring a No. 1 pick to go get a No. 1 pick."
Wall was, of course, drafted first overall by the Wizards in 2010.
Instant reaction from @JohnWall on @WashWizards winning the lottery for the first time since 2010. pic.twitter.com/9gwYy8rMHv
Nets players Terance Mann was seemingly dismayed by his team's failure to climb into the top four today.
Bruh
Note: The draft order above assumes that a team with the right to swap one pick for another exercises such right only if it is favorable to do so.
How did Blake Griffin help the Clippers get the fifth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft?
Finally, AJ Dybantsa speaking about whether he watched the Wizards this past season: "I watched a couple of Wizards games. I saw a couple losses, I saw a couple wins."
On whether he was tuning into lottery teams' games: "No, not actually. Whatever games I could catch. So obviously the easiest games was Jazz, just being there. But I watched lot of guys that I like, players that I liked to watch. … I mean, because you never know how the lottery can pan out. So I wasn't really looking at specific teams."
AJ Dybantsa speaking about why he should be drafted first overall: "I just think I'm super versatile. I think I can play multiple positions, guard multiple positions, willing learner, trying to just get better at everything, trying to get better at defense, trying get better at shooting, trying to get better at passing."
AJ Dybantsa on this year's draft class: "I mean, we're crazy. I mean, you done seen it this year, like, since I'm in this class too, I'm gonna say we're one of the best draft classes. But obviously, we have to see how that pans out. We gotta see how our careers pan out. But I mean, if you ask me right now, I'll say we are one of best draft class."
AJ Dybantsa speaking about the possibility of falling to the No. 2 pick and the Jazz: "I know a lot of the players over there, just from being at the games. Me and Rod, me and K.Y. (BYU head coach Kevin Young) used to just go up to the games, So knowing Keyonte (George), playing against Ace (Bailey) two years ago, seeing Danny Ainge, seeing Ryan Smith. I know those guys very well. I think i can fit in with them as well."
NBA Draft Lottery 2026 results, live updates: Washington Wizards land No. 1 pick; Jazz, Grizzlies, Bulls round out top 4 – The New York Times
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