Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Washington Wizards secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, positioning them to select a franchise-changing player.
- Utah, Memphis, and Chicago each moved into the top four, giving them immediate access to high-impact rookies to accelerate their rebuilds.
- The outcome sets up pivotal decisions for Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, who could add a top-five prospect or use the draft to catalyze a trade.
The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery officially finalized the order for next month's 60-pick marathon. The Washington Wizards will select No. 1 overall, with the Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls claiming picks 2-4, in that order.
Here is the set-in-stone lottery order, barring any trades:
Team | Record |
|---|---|
1. Washington Wizards | 17-65 |
2. Utah Jazz (↑2) | 22-60 |
3. Memphis Grizzlies (↑3) | 25-57 |
4. Chicago Bulls (↑5) | 31-51 |
5. Los Angeles Clippers (via IND) (↓3) | 19-63 |
6. Brooklyn Nets (↓3) | 20-62 |
7. Sacramento Kings (↓2) | 22-60 |
8. Atlanta Hawks (via NOP) (↓1) | 26-56 |
9. Dallas Mavericks (↓1) | 26-56 |
10. Milwaukee Bucks | 32-50 |
11. Golden State Warriors | 37-45 |
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via LAC) | 42-40 |
13. Miami Heat | 43-39 |
14. Charlotte Hornets | 44-38 |
We already went over losers, but which teams and players are celebrating today's outcome? Let's dive into the winners:
Washington Wizards
The Wizards were the worst team in the NBA and received the No. 1 overall pick, which almost feels... right? Sometimes it's good to reward the bad teams in mid-tier markets who desperately need a homegrown superstar to lift them out of mediocrity.
All signs point to BYU's AJ Dybantsa landing in Washington now, although the Wizards will certainly do their homework on Duke forward Cameron Boozer and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson. Really, there isn't a bad choice. The Wiz get the pick of the litter in a loaded draft, with a chance to alter the trajectory of their franchise over the next decade. This comes after adding Trae Young and Anthony Daivs at the deadline.
If Washington can get healthy and maintain the developmental arcs of Alex Sarr, Keyonte George and Tre Johnson, this team will get quite feisty in a very short period of time. The East is always a crapshoot, so don't be shocked if Washington is at least competing for a playoff spot within the next couple years.
Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls
This goes without saying: three teams jumped up and claimed top-four spots. That's an immediately victory, especially in this draft.
Utah just added Jaren Jackson Jr. to a core that already includes Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, Keyonte George and Ace Bailey. The Jazz were very intentionally bad last season, but Will Hardy is a phenomenal coach and Utah will set its sights on the postseason next year, with a new franchise cornerstone to guide the way.
Memphis dealt Jackson to Utah and now will get either Cameron Boozer or Caleb Wilson, if the consensus proves correct. That's a tremendous boon in the frontcourt next to Zach Edey, and a prime opportunity to finally turn the page on the Ja Morant era, too.
Chicago hired Bryson Graham last week to lead the front office. His opening press conference was the most positive, assuring development in Bulls fandom in damn near a decade. It really feels like the Bulls are going about this the right way. Whether it's Boozer, Wilson or even Peterson, Chicago has a new cornerstone to build around.
Kawhi Leonard and the L.A. Clippers
What does Kawhi Leonard want? Is he satisfied in Los Angeles? Those are answers we may never know for sure, but there are two potential pathways here. Either Leonard gets to play with a top-five pick and a healthy Darius Garland next season, which raises L.A.'s ceiling. Or this sets eventual trade talks in motion, which could mean Leonard lands on a better team, with more help and a real path to the NBA Finals next year.
Neither sounds too bad. Leonard is a Hollywood native and given all the hoops L.A. jumped through as a franchise — not all of them above board, based on Pablo Torre's extensive reporting on the issue — he's probably comfortable in a Clippers uniform. If that's the case, L.A. will most likely add one of several elite guard prospects, with Kingston Flemings, Darius Acuff Jr. or Keaton Wagler coming in to spice up the offense and infuse the Clippers rotation with some much-needed youth.
Derik Queen
A weight was just removed from Derik Queen's shoulders. New Orleans dealt its unprotected first-round pick to Atlanta last summer to move up 10 spots and selection Derik Queen with the No. 13 pick. That move was widely lampooned in the moment, as the Pelicans were coming off of a losing season and didn't seem primed for an especially huge leap in 2026-27.
The Pelicans were bad — again — but not bad enough to hand over a top-four pick in the end. Queen will still field comparisons to whomever Atlanta selects at No. 8, and there's a good chance that ends up being an excellent player. Queen was stellar for much of his rookie season, however, and now that trade feels less like an abject disaster and more like a leap of faith. Queen, though imperfect, probably deserves that faith.
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