With the Larry O’Brien trophy now safely in the hands of the New York Knicks organization to wrap up the 2025-26 season, we’re now diving headfirst into the first marquee event of the offseason — the 2026 NBA Draft.
Round 1 begins on Tuesday night with the Washington Wizards on the clock, starting at 8 p.m. ET from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Washington won the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s lottery after being tied with the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets for a 14% chance at the top selection.
The Nets slotted in for the No. 6 overall pick. The Pacers, meanwhile, lost out big-time in the draft lottery after landing the No. 5 pick. That pick, which was sent to the Clippers to acquire center Ivica Zubac ahead of the trade deadline back in February, was conditionally protected if it was a top-four pick. Now, the team finds itself without a first-round selection after a 19-63 season.
Which teams have multiple first-round picks? Which teams aren’t picking in the first round?
This year, six different NBA teams have multiple first-round draft picks. No team currently has more than two first-round draft picks.
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Atlanta Hawks — No. 8 (via NOP), No. 23 (via CLE)
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Charlotte Hornets — No. 10, No. 18 (via ORL)
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Chicago Bulls — No. 4, No. 15 (via POR)
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Dallas Mavericks — No. 9, No. 30 (via OKC)
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Memphis Grizzlies — No. 3, No. 16 (via PHX)
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Oklahoma City Thunder — No. 12 (via LAC), No. 27
There are also six teams without a first-round pick heading into draft night.
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Houston Rockets
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Indiana Pacers
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New Orleans Pelicans
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Orlando Magic
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Phoenix Suns
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Portland Trail Blazers
Will Giannis Antetokounmpo be traded ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft?
Everyone currently has eyes on a potential trade for Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Trade talks involving the star forward appeared to heat up ahead of the trade deadline in February, but Milwaukee ultimately did not agree to a deal in time, pushing negotiations into the offseason.
Tensions between Giannis and the Bucks appeared to escalate as the season came to a close, too, with Milwaukee looking to shut the star down while he dealt with late-season injuries despite his desire to play. Though Antetokounmpo never publicly acknowledged a trade request, he and his agent reportedly approached the team about a trade at least two times.
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have emerged as two of the top potential destinations for Antetokounmpo, with veteran Jaylen Brown in the mix for trade negotiations involving Boston.
Who is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft?
Right now, BYU freshman forward A.J. Dybantsa is looking likely to go first overall in this year’s draft, currently favored at -750 odds to go No. 1 on FanDuel Sportsbook. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor also has Dybantsa going first overall to the Wizards in his final NBA mock draft. He writes:
Dybantsa could become one of the NBA’s most unstoppable shot creators. At 6-9, he has a special blend of athletic tools with the way he bends, shifts and explodes with the ball in his hands. He gets to the rim at will, cooks in the midrange, draws fouls at a high rate, and displays point-forward potential. In Washington, the pressure will be alleviated on him early in his career, now that he’s teammates with veterans Trae Young and Anthony Davis.
In the longer term, Dybantsa fits: Alex Sarr already looks like an effective two-way big, while guards and wings like Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Will Riley and Bilal Coulibaly have all shown flashes. But none of them projects to be a superstar like Dybantsa, whose upside will be determined by whether he can become a knockdown 3-point shooter, as well as a more impactful defender to take full advantage of his physical tools. But even with those areas for improvement, Dybantsa has an MVP ceiling.
Darryn Peterson (+650) is the only other player with odds shorter than +4000 to go No. 1 overall, though the argument can be made (and it has been) that Duke forward Cameron Boozer should be in consideration, too.
Full 2026 NBA Draft order
Round 1
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Washington Wizards (17-65)
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Utah Jazz (22-60)
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Memphis Grizzlies (25-57)
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Chicago Bulls (31-51)
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Los Angeles Clippers (via IND, 19-63)
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Brooklyn Nets (20-62)
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Sacramento Kings (22-60)
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Atlanta Hawks (via NOP, 26-56)
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Dallas Mavericks (26-56)
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Milwaukee Bucks (32-50)
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Golden State Warriors (37-45)
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Oklahoma City Thunder (via LAC, 42-40)
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Miami Heat (43-39)
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Charlotte Hornets (44-38)
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Chicago Bulls (via POR, 44-38)
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Memphis Grizzlies (via PHX, 45-37)
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Oklahoma City Thunder (via PHI, 45-37)
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Charlotte Hornets (via ORL, 45-37)
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Toronto Raptors (46-36)
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San Antonio Spurs (via ATL, 47-35)
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Detroit Pistons (via MIN, 48-34)
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Philadelphia 76ers (via HOU, 49-33)
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Atlanta Hawks (via CLE, 50-32)
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New York Knicks (51-31)
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Los Angeles Lakers (52-30)
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Denver Nuggets (53-29)
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Boston Celtics (56-26)
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Minnesota Timberwolves (via DET, 56-26)
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Cleveland Cavaliers (via SAS, 58-24)
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Dallas Mavericks (via OKC, 68-14)
Round 2
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New York Knicks (from WAS via OKC and HOU)
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Memphis Grizzlies (from IND via MIL)
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Brooklyn Nets
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Sacramento Kings
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San Antonio Spurs (from UTA via MIN)
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LA Clippers (from MEM via ATL and UTA)
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Oklahoma City Thunder (from DAL)
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Chicago Bulls (from NOP via BOS, DET, and POR)
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Houston Rockets (from CHI via WAS)
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Boston Celtics (from MIL via ORL)
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Miami Heat (from GSW via CHA, NYK, OKC, and ATL)
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San Antonio Spurs (from POR via NOP)
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Brooklyn Nets (from LAC via HOU)
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San Antonio Spurs (from MIA via IND)
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Sacramento Kings (from CHA via SAS, ATL, and NYK)
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Orlando Magic
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Phoenix Suns (from PHI via HOU and OKC)
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Dallas Mavericks (from PHX via WAS)
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Denver Nuggets (from ATL via BKN and GSW)
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Toronto Raptors
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Washington Wizards (from MIN via DET and NYK)
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LA Clippers (from CLE)
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Houston Rockets
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Golden State Warriors (from LAL via TOR, MIA, and CLE)
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New York Knicks
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Chicago Bulls (from DEN via MIN, PHX, CHA, and PHX)
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Atlanta Hawks (from BOS)
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New Orleans Pelicans (from DET via NYK, BKN, PHX, ORL, and LAC)
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Minnesota Timberwolves (from SAS via IND)
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Washington Wizards (from OKC via SAS and MIA)