The Washington Wizards opened the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center by selecting AJ Dybantsa, the 19-year-old forward from Brigham Young University, with the first overall pick. Dybantsa, who led US college basketball in scoring at 25.5 points per game and stands 2.06 metres tall, had long been projected as the top choice. After his name was called, he offered a brief prayer, then told ESPN the moment was “a milestone” but that he still had “a lot of work to do.” Viewed from Washington, the selection fits a franchise eager to accelerate a rebuild that has already brought in French wings Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly, along with star veterans Trae Young and Anthony Davis via mid-season trades. The Wizards, who last reached the playoffs in 2021, are betting Dybantsa can follow the trajectory of John Wall, their previous No. 1 pick in 2010, rather than the disappointing Kwame Brown in 2001.

The Utah Jazz used the second pick on Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, a 19-year-old scorer who averaged 20.2 points but missed 11 games with cramping issues that raised availability questions. Jazz president Austin Ainge said the club’s medical review left them “very comfortable” and praised Peterson’s “quiet confidence.” In Salt Lake City, the pick is seen as a complement to young guard Keyonte George and February acquisition Jaren Jackson Jr., part of a push to exit a four-year rebuild. At No. 3, the Memphis Grizzlies chose Duke forward Cameron Boozer, the son of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, who averaged 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds. The Grizzlies, under new coach Tuomas Iisalo and with Ja Morant’s future uncertain, view Boozer as a high-floor addition to a young core. The Chicago Bulls took North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson fourth, despite a broken thumb that cost him the NCAA tournament. New head coach Tiago Splitter and a revamped front office hope Wilson will outperform the last No. 4 pick Chicago made, Patrick Williams in 2020.

The Los Angeles Clippers, picking fifth, selected Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, a former unheralded recruit who transformed into a Final Four star and won the Jerry West Award. The pick carried symbolic weight: it was the final asset conveyed from the 2019 Paul George trade with Oklahoma City, formally closing that chapter. Clippers president Lawrence Frank acknowledged the team is “not a contender” but “competitive,” signalling a shift from the championship-or-bust posture of recent years. Across the league, a three-team trade reshaped rosters even before the draft began: Minnesota sent Julius Randle to Brooklyn, the Nets moved Nic Claxton to Chicago, and draft picks changed hands, with the Timberwolves sliding from No. 28 to No. 33.

The remainder of the first round proceeded without dramatic trades or surprise selections, reinforcing the pre-draft consensus that this class, while deep in potential All-Stars, lacked a generational headliner on the order of Victor Wembanyama. Dallas used the ninth pick on Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr., reuniting him with new Mavericks coach Dusty May, who had just led the Wolverines to a national title. Milwaukee, reportedly having traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami for a package that included the 13th pick, selected Arizona guard Brayden Burries at No. 10. The second round, with 30 further selections, was scheduled for Wednesday night, offering teams another chance to mine what many analysts in Europe and North America regard as an unusually deep pool of talent.