The 2026 NBA Draft starts with the Washington Wizards, but as of now, there's no clear sign as to who the first player off the board will be.
AJ Dybantsa seems to be the favorite in the clubhouse, but Darryn Peterson is a player the Wizards front office refuses to rule out as an option, especially given his upside at the next level.
There's also still a possibility that Washington could be offered a blockbuster trade that forces their hand to trade down before it's time to select on draft night.
It's hard to know exactly which direction Will Dawkins and the team's decision-makers are leaning, but fortunately, NBA Draft Expert Sam Vecenie's latest mock draft offers some insight into where things stand as of now.
Wizards leaning Dybantsa but a final decision hasn't been made
According to The Athletic's Sam Vecenie, Washington hasn't made a firm decision on their plans for draft night, as they continue to keep their options open.
"Sources say that Washington is doing its due diligence and that the Wizards haven’t made a decision yet on who they’ll draft No. 1," Vecenie writes in his report.
Despite that, the NBA Draft guru did offer a bit of intel that suggests Washington is leaning towards selecting BYU standout AJ Dybantsa.
"But sources across the league believe that Dybantsa remains Washington’s most likely target."
For many, this report shouldn't come as a surprise, considering that the NBA Draft Lottery was largely viewed as the sweepstakes to determine who would land Dybantsa.
At the same time, given that the consensus for a while has been between the versatile forward and dynamic guard Darryn Peterson, it was clear that if the Wizards did stay put at No. 1, a former Big 12 star was headed to the DMV.
All that to say, Vecenie's report all but confirms that Washington will finally land the cornerstone the organization has been desperately searching for.
Washington will land franchise star
For months the upcoming draft seemed like a situation even the Wizards couldn't mess up.
A draft class headlined by several high-upside prospects gave Washington the perfect offseason to finalize the reconstruction phase of their rebuild.
Landing the top pick, though, put the Wizards in a guaranteed position to land the franchise player they've been seeking since Bradley Beal moved on a few years ago.
Whether it's Dybantsa, Peterson, or even Cameron Boozer, the Wizards will be securing the player they can confidently say will be the centerpiece of their future plans for years to come.
Add us as a preferred source on Google