The 2026 NBA Draft delivered on its billing as one of the deepest classes in years, and it opened exactly as expected when the Washington Wizards selected BYU forward AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick. From there, a top tier scouts had debated for months came off the board in a rush, and the back half of the first round turned into one of the busiest trade nights in recent memory, with nine first-round picks changing hands.
Dybantsa, a long, explosive wing with the kind of shot creation that earned him an MVP ceiling from evaluators, joins a Washington roster that just agreed to a four-year, $212 million extension with Trae Young and also features Anthony Davis and a young core. The Utah Jazz followed by taking Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, widely regarded as the best pure scorer in the class, at No. 2, while the Memphis Grizzlies landed Duke’s Cameron Boozer, the reigning Naismith National Player of the Year, at No. 3.
2026 NBA Draft first-round results
- AJ Dybantsa, BYU — Washington Wizards
- Darryn Peterson, Kansas — Utah Jazz
- Cameron Boozer, Duke — Memphis Grizzlies
- Caleb Wilson, North Carolina — Chicago Bulls
- Keaton Wagler, Illinois — LA Clippers
- Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville — Brooklyn Nets
- Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas — Sacramento Kings
- Kingston Flemings, Houston — Atlanta Hawks
- Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan — Dallas Mavericks
- Brayden Burries, Arizona — Milwaukee Bucks
- Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan — Golden State Warriors
- Aday Mara, Michigan — Oklahoma City Thunder
- Nate Ament, Tennessee — Milwaukee Bucks (via Miami, acquired in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade)
- Hannes Steinbach, Washington — Charlotte Hornets
- Dailyn Swain, Texas — Chicago Bulls
- Bennett Stirtz, Iowa — Oklahoma City Thunder (draft-night trade)
- Ebuka Okorie, Stanford — Detroit Pistons (draft-night trade)
- Christian Anderson Jr., Texas Tech — Charlotte Hornets
- Allen Graves, Santa Clara — Toronto Raptors
- Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky — San Antonio Spurs
- Karim Lopez, New Zealand Breakers — Memphis Grizzlies (draft-night trade)
- Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama — Philadelphia 76ers
- Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s — Atlanta Hawks
- Cameron Carr, Baylor — Los Angeles Lakers (draft-night trade)
- Sergio de Larrea, Valencia (Spain) — Dallas Mavericks (draft-night trade)
- Tarris Reed Jr., UConn — San Antonio Spurs (draft-night trade)
- Chris Cenac Jr., Houston — Boston Celtics
- Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State — Brooklyn Nets (draft-night trade)
- Alex Karaban, UConn — Sacramento Kings (draft-night trade)
- Koa Peat, Arizona — Dallas Mavericks
2026 NBA Draft grades: Every team
Washington Wizards: B+
Landing Dybantsa gives Washington the franchise wing a rebuild dreams about, with the tools and creativity to anchor the next era. The one complication is timeline, as the team’s new long-term commitment to Trae Young muddies the backcourt fit and the rookie’s developmental runway.
Utah Jazz: A-
Peterson at No. 2 may be the best value in the lottery, since many evaluators viewed him as a candidate for the top pick. He slots cleanly next to Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., with the only real caution being the durability questions that followed a freshman year interrupted by cramping and a hamstring issue.
Memphis Grizzlies: A
The cleanest win of the night. Boozer at No. 3 hands Memphis a polished, analytically beloved frontcourt cornerstone to pair with Zach Edey, and the Grizzlies added another young swing in international forward Karim Lopez at No. 21. With a Ja Morant trade still hanging over the franchise, this was a strong step toward a reset.
Chicago Bulls: A-
Chicago may have captured the best value outside the top three. Wilson, a top-tier talent in many evaluations, falling to No. 4 fits the size-and-athleticism profile the front office has prioritized, and the Bulls circled back for Texas wing Dailyn Swain at No. 15 to add defense and connective skill.
LA Clippers: B+
Illinois guard Keaton Wagler at No. 5 fills a clear backcourt need with one of the more polished perimeter scorers in the class. He is a notch below the top tier, but for a team looking to stay competitive, it is a sensible, win-friendly pick.
Brooklyn Nets: B+
The Nets added a lead guard in Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. at No. 6 to organize a young rebuild, then came back for Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson at No. 28 via a draft-night trade. Two rotation-aged pieces in one night is solid work for a team early in its reset.
Sacramento Kings: B
Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. at No. 7 brings playmaking and shot-making to a backcourt that needed both, and Sacramento added UConn’s Alex Karaban at No. 29 through a trade for veteran shooting and floor spacing. A reasonable haul, even if neither projects as an immediate difference-maker.
Atlanta Hawks: B+
Atlanta worked the margins well, taking Houston guard Kingston Flemings at No. 8 and St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor at No. 23. Two first-round swings without surrendering core pieces is the kind of low-risk, high-volume night that builds depth.
Dallas Mavericks: B+
Few teams were busier. Dallas came away with three first-rounders in Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9, Spanish guard Sergio de Larrea at No. 25 and Arizona forward Koa Peat at No. 30. It is a volume bet rather than a single home run, but the Mavericks injected a real wave of youth into the roster.
Milwaukee Bucks: B
The Bucks used both lottery selections to formally launch the post-Antetokounmpo era, taking Arizona guard Brayden Burries at No. 10 and Tennessee forward Nate Ament at No. 13, the pick Milwaukee acquired in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. Neither is a finished product, but both are exactly the high-upside swings a rebuild should be chasing.
Golden State Warriors: B
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11 is one of the more NBA-ready players in the class, an older prospect who can contribute sooner rather than later. For a win-now roster, prioritizing readiness over raw upside is a defensible approach.
Oklahoma City Thunder: B+
The Thunder kept stockpiling, adding Michigan center Aday Mara at No. 12 and Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz at No. 16 via a draft-night trade. Layering more young talent onto an already deep roster continues the model that built the franchise’s current core.
Charlotte Hornets: B
Charlotte took two developmental bets in Washington forward Hannes Steinbach at No. 14 and Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson Jr. at No. 18. Both are projects, but a rebuilding team can afford to swing on upside in that range.
Detroit Pistons: B
The Pistons added Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie at No. 17 through a draft-night trade, bringing perimeter scoring to a young team on the rise. A sensible, low-cost addition that fits the timeline.
Toronto Raptors: B-
Santa Clara freshman Allen Graves at No. 19 is more of a long-term projection than an immediate contributor, which makes it one of the bigger upside-versus-readiness gambles in the first round. The ceiling is intriguing, but the bet carries more risk than most at that slot.
San Antonio Spurs: A-
San Antonio did what San Antonio does, stockpiling talent and equity. The Spurs took Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance at No. 20 and added UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. at No. 26 via trade, deepening an already enviable collection of young, switchable defenders.
Philadelphia 76ers: B
Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. at No. 22 gives Philadelphia a downhill perimeter creator with room to grow. A solid value pick for a team that needed to add youth to its backcourt.
Los Angeles Lakers: B
The Lakers added Baylor guard Cameron Carr at No. 24 through a draft-night trade, bolstering backcourt depth and perimeter shooting. A reasonable, low-stakes move for a roster built to win in the present.
Boston Celtics: B+
Houston big man Chris Cenac Jr. at No. 27 is a strong value this late in the first round, a young center with real upside for a contender that can develop him without rushing him into a major role.
Teams that traded out of Round 1
Several franchises ended the night without a first-round selection after dealing their picks, including the Miami Heat, whose No. 13 went to Milwaukee in the Antetokounmpo trade, along with Cleveland, New York, Indiana, New Orleans, Phoenix, Orlando, Portland, Houston, Minnesota and Denver. Some of those teams remain in position to add in Round 2 on Wednesday.
A big night for Michigan
One of the quieter story lines of the first round belonged to a single program. Michigan produced three first-round picks, with Morez Johnson Jr. going ninth, Yaxel Lendeborg landing in Golden State at No. 11 and Aday Mara coming off the board to Oklahoma City at No. 12. For a roster that leaned heavily on transfers, sending that trio into the lottery and mid-first range was a notable haul.
What comes next
The first round confirmed the class’s reputation for top-end talent and depth, and the trade volume suggests front offices viewed this group as a genuine opportunity to reshape rosters. Round 2 follows Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET from Barclays Center, with another 30 names and, in all likelihood, a few more trades still to come.
