The Washington Wizards have waited years to earn the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft again, and now that they've finally landed it, the team's doing everything in their power to determine the best decision to make with their top pick.
Whether that's staying put, trading down, or using it to land a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo is undecided, but regardless of what the team does, it's safe to say the Wizards' decision isn't as clear-cut as the NBA Executive poll suggests it is.
NBA Executives believe Wizards should select AJ Dybantsa No. 1
In a recent poll conducted by The Athletic, 10 NBA Executives were asked who they believe the Wizards should select with the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Seven votes were in favor of AJ Dyabntsa being selected No. 1, two votes were cast for Darryn Peterson, and the final vote landed for Cameron Boozer.
Based on the votes, it seems that Dybantsa is the clear favorite among NBA circles to be selected at the top of the draft, not just because of his superstar potential, but because he may be the safest pick.
“Take AJ [Dybantsa] and sleep like a baby,” one of the seven respondents who voted for Dybantsa told The Athletic, stating that "Dybantsa’s upside and floor are so high that he’s the safest pick in the draft. Dybantsa’s worst possible outcome, that respondent said, would be to have a career similar to Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 pick in 2014, a wing who has made one All-Star team during his 12-year pro career."
For Washington, though, it's not that simple.
Wizards aren't close to a decision
According to several sources, Washington has yet to make a determination of which prospect they have in their top spot.
Dybantsa is a clear choice, as is Petrson, whom the team recently did a deep dive into his character in a predraft interview.
Beyond those two players, Washington has done research on Boozer and Caleb Wilson, who, while he didn't receive a vote in the poll above, was described as the player who "several of the respondents said they can envision Wilson developing into the best player in the draft."
The Wizards are doing their due diligence to ensure they make the right decision to capitalize on the final year before the new tanking rules are implemented, and it's hard to say that anyone can blame them for that.
Dybantsa is an excellent choice, and while Washington knows that, the team has to be 100% confident with their selection.
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