The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery saw the Wizards, Bulls, and others benefit from their tanking strategies, securing top picks. The lottery's current format will change next year due to widespread tanking concerns.
Key points
Wizards, Bulls, Utah, and Memphis secured top picks
AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson are top prospects
2026 lottery is the last under current rules
Changes to lottery rules will be implemented next year
Draft is scheduled for June 23rd
AJ DybantsaDarryn PetersonCameron BoozerCaleb Wilson
CHICAGO -- The tanking this season was so bad that the NBA felt compelled to institute widespread changes to the lottery next year. This is the last one that we will get under the current rules, and it was certainly memorable.
AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson will be selected in some order with those four selections, barring some major development between now and draft day on June 23rd.
Beyond those top four teams, there was plenty of excitement and heartbreak from Sunday's lottery. Here are the biggest winners and losers.
Q&A
What teams benefited from the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery?
The Wizards, Bulls, Utah, and Memphis all secured top picks in the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery.
Who are the top prospects for the 2026 NBA Draft?
AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson are the top prospects expected to be selected.
Why is the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery significant?
It is the last lottery under the current rules, which will change next year due to concerns over tanking.
When is the 2026 NBA Draft scheduled?
The 2026 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 23rd.
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Washington cashed in on a 14 percent shot to land the No. 1 pick. They look poised for a very fast turnaround from their awful 17-win season. They will have Trae Young, Anthony Davis, and a terrific young player to add onto their young core next season.
It's not an easy decision, but that top pick will probably be Dybantsa. The Wizards don't have tremendous wing depth and the BYU star is already No. 1 on most boards. Washington is also one of the better landing spots for him. Young should make his life easy, setting him up for great looks that best utilize his incredible scoring talent that allowed him to lead Division I basketball in scoring as a freshman. And he can learn how to best maximize his natural defensive tools from a five-time All-Defensive center in Davis.
The Clippers were licking their chops at the potential of getting the No. 5 or 6 pick in the draft from the Pacers. The best possible outcome happened for them. They hit on 28 percent odds, getting the fifth pick in exchange for Ivica Zubac. Even better, they still have Indiana's 2031 unprotected first rounder in the pipeline, along with Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and a second-rounder in 2028 from that trade.
This draft does have a drop off after the top four. But the Clippers will have a ton of quality options when they select. There are five high-level point guards expected to go in the lottery. Los Angeles will get the first crack at them. Given their need for size to protect Darius Garland, 6-6 combo guard Keaton Flemings might make the most sense.
Bulls
The Bulls were the biggest winner in this lottery. They came into the afternoon with only 20.2 percent odds of moving into the top four and would most likely be picking 9. They desperately needed a star to turn around the state of their middling franchise. They may just have landed one by jumping up five spots.
Chicago nabbed the No. 4 pick in a draft where there are four players clearly in that first tier. They won't have a hard decision to make. Whoever falls to them from the Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer, and Wilson quartet will be the pick. They will be thrilled with whoever that ends up being.
A week ago, new lead decision-maker Bryson Graham stated that the Bulls were in a rebuild because they lacked star players on their roster. That may not last much longer if they hit on the No. 4 pick. And they have another pick at No. 15 to grab another solid starter in this draft.
Grizzlies
Memphis was the other big riser, jumping three spots in the lottery. They will have an interesting choice at No. 3. Could they take Wilson with that selection? Opinions are divided on Boozer, and it could conceivably come down to him or Wilson.
The Grizzlies already have a solid starting center in Zach Edey. Putting a super-athletic forward like Wilson next to him does make sense on some level. Boozer wouldn't be bad either. He is certainly the more polished offensive player right now, and Edey could cover up for his mediocre rim protection. Memphis has a good problem on its hands regarding which of the two to choose.
No team had more on the line than the Pacers. They had essentially a coinflip chance of losing their pick coming into the night. They got cleaned out by that risky bet, sending that pick to the Clippers. They will be now sitting on the sidelines for both rounds of the draft.
The price they paid may still be worth it for Zubac, who filled a position of extreme need and has All-Star potential. The Pacers could very well get to the Finals in a wide-open East next season. And it would be challenging to play a freshman guard if they had kept that No. 5 pick for themselves. Still, it was a rough stroke of luck for a franchise that still has never won the lottery.
The Hawks just needed one of the Bucks or Pelicans to come through and jump into the top four. Neither team was able to, and they ended up with the No. 8 pick in the draft.
That's certainly not a bad consolation prize for a team that finished with 46 wins this season. And there are very good players in that range. But given the fanfare around the Pelicans trading an incredibly valuable future pick to Atlanta in exchange for moving up 10 spots in last year's draft to select Derik Queen, ending up with the No. 8 selection is a bit of a letdown.
The playoffs proved that the Hawks need some more shot creation and shooting in order to make life easier for Jalen Johnson. They will probably go with one of the talented young guards in this class at No. 8, filling that need.
Teams picking after 9
There's a drop in this draft after the 9th pick, and that's where the Bucks, Warriors, Thunder, Heat and Hornets landed. That's not to say there aren't good players who will still be on the board. Michigan's Aday Mara might be the best center in this draft, and he should still be available. So should his do-everything teammate Yaxel Lendeborg, toolsy prospect Nate Ament, and several other quality prospects.
There is a dropoff as far as the ceiling of those picks. Beauty is more in the eye of the beholder, and this is the point in the draft where things start to get interesting. Teams could go in a variety of different ways. They will have six more weeks to hone in on their selections.
