The 2025-26 NBA season will not begin for two more months. That is an important distinction to make when outlining the reality that a few teams in the league are already looking forward to the 2026 NBA Draft, which does not take place until next June. Perhaps they are not fully embracing that future at this juncture, but three teams are projected by the betting markets to finish well below the rest in the standings, and a quick look at each roster paints a picture that is in line with those projections.
Before we dig into the three teams that already have the inside track at top picks, let's highlight why it is so appetizing for some franchises to enter the 2026 lottery with lofty odds. Then, we'll dive into the three teams with paltry 2025-26 projections.
The top of the 2026 NBA Draft looks fantastic
In short, there are three prospects available in 2026 that would be very typical No. 1 overall picks in most drafts. Of course, that can change over the course of the college season, but Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer are all spectacular talents.
Peterson, a 6-foot-5 guard playing for Kansas this season, is a tremendous two-way prospect with the kind of size, athleticism and shotmaking ability that makes NBA teams salivate from the guard position. Dybantsa, who is headed to BYU, may have the highest ceiling of the bunch as a 6-foot-9 forward who can shoot at a high level to go along with nuclear athleticism. Finally, Boozer is the most accomplished of the three at lower levels, and he has tremendous pedigree as the son of former NBA standout Carlos Boozer. Boozer will play at Duke this season, and he is showing up on a lot of preseason All-American lists already.
1. Brooklyn Nets
The Nets just made five picks in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. That is probably a good indication, on its own, that Brooklyn is looking to the future over the present. From there, a look at the Nets' current roster would certainly paint that picture. Brooklyn still has a few quality veterans like Michael Porter Jr., Nic Claxton and Terance Mann, plus the likely return of Cam Thomas. Other than that, though, the cupboard is pretty bare from a present-day standpoint, and the Nets could really use a top-three pick in 2026.
2. Utah Jazz
The team with the lowest projected win total in the current betting market is not the Nets. In fact, it is the Jazz. Some of that comes from Utah being clearly the worst team in the Western Conference on paper, but the Jazz also have a mess of a roster when it comes to 2025-26.
Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler are proven starters, but after that, it is a bunch of young players like Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, Taylor Hendricks, Cody Williams and 2025 first-round picks Walter Clayton Jr. and Ace Bailey. Utah's front office has said it won't tank this year in the way it perhaps did previously, but the losses should come anyway.
3. Washington Wizards
Over the past two years, the Wizards have (finally) leaned into a true rebuild, rather than building a club with a ceiling of the Play-In. That is the right overall strategy, but it has also led Washington to only 33 combined wins in those two seasons.
The Wizards do have a handful of intriguing veterans like CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton, and that could help the team be competitive. At their core, though, the Wizards are building around players like Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, Cam Whitmore and lottery pick Tre Johnson. It might be another long year in the nation's capital, at least until the lottery occurs.