Wizards Land No. 1 Pick, Spark Major Rebuild Buzz

By Gaurav Bisht | Published May 11, 2026 02:25 am GMT

From Struggles to Spotlight: Wizards Get Top Pick

The Washington Wizards just got a major boost in their rebuild—and it came at the perfect time.

After bringing in injured veterans Anthony Davis and Trae Young over the winter to reshape a struggling roster, the franchise struck gold again on lottery night, landing the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. It’s their first top selection since 2010, when they chose John Wall—who went on to become a five-time All-Star and even showed up in Chicago to represent the team at the lottery.

This year’s lottery reshuffled the board in a big way:

Wizards snagged No. 1 overall
Utah Jazz landed No. 2
Memphis Grizzlies moved up to No. 3
Chicago Bulls made a surprise leap to No. 4

Washington, Utah, and Memphis each had a 14% shot at the top pick, while Chicago pulled off the shocker—jumping five spots despite just a 4.5% chance.

For Washington, this marks the fifth time in franchise history holding the top pick. It also comes after a rough stretch: a league-worst 17–65 season, just 50 wins over the last three years combined, and five straight years out of the playoffs.

Team president Michael Winger called it a turning point, saying it’s both an “opportunity and challenge” as the Wizards aim to add another high-impact young player to their rising core.

Now all eyes shift to the NBA Draft on June 23–24 in New York, where the next franchise cornerstone is expected to be chosen.

The race for No. 1 is heating up between two standout freshmen:

AJ Dybantsa (BYU) — a 6'9" scoring machine who averaged 25.5 points and looks built for instant NBA offense
Darryn Peterson (Kansas) — a 6'6" dynamic guard who averaged 20.2 points despite an up-and-down, injury-affected season

Both are just 19 and widely viewed as potential future stars.

Other names expected near the top include Cameron Boozer (Duke), Caleb Wilson (North Carolina), Darius Acuff (Arkansas), Keaton Wagler (Illinois), and Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville).

Elsewhere in the lottery:

The Clippers landed No. 5 via a trade with Indiana
Brooklyn picks No. 6
Sacramento goes No. 7
Atlanta at No. 8
Dallas at No. 9
Milwaukee rounds out the top 10

Golden State will pick 11th, followed by Oklahoma City, which continues to benefit from its long-term haul of assets—one that originally included the Paul George trade and also brought in MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The draft picture is now set. And for Washington, the rebuild suddenly looks a lot more interesting.