The 2026 NBA Draft arrives June 23–24 at Barclays Center with a three-man argument at the top — Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer — and the Washington Wizards holding the No. 1 pick. This is the complete big board: the prospects, the lottery order and what the teams picking highest actually need.
The big board: top 15 prospects
Boards differ on the order, not the names. Here is where the consensus sits in mid-June, blending the major public boards with combine results:
| Rank | Player | Pos | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AJ Dybantsa | F | BYU |
| 2 | Darryn Peterson | G | Kansas |
| 3 | Cameron Boozer | F/C | Duke |
| 4 | Caleb Wilson | F | North Carolina |
| 5 | Keaton Wagler | G | Illinois |
| 6 | Darius Acuff Jr. | G | Arkansas |
| 7 | Kingston Flemings | G | Houston |
| 8 | Aday Mara | C | Michigan |
| 9 | Brayden Burries | G | Arizona |
| 10 | Mikel Brown Jr. | G | Louisville |
| 11 | Nate Ament | F | Tennessee |
| 12 | Yaxel Lendeborg | F | Michigan |
| 13 | Labaron Philon | G | Alabama |
| 14 | Karim Lopez | F | New Zealand Breakers |
| 15 | Morez Johnson Jr. | F/C | Michigan |
The three-man race at the top
AJ Dybantsa owns the highest ceiling in the class. The BYU wing measured among the best athletes at the combine, and his blend of size, self-creation and defensive projection is what No. 1 picks are supposed to look like. He has never been the unanimous top name, though — and that is what makes this draft unusual.
Darryn Peterson may be the most prolific offensive player available. The Kansas guard projects as a ball-dominant offensive fulcrum at the next level, the kind of usage-rate engine teams build entire systems around. Scouts who value initiator skill over positional size have him first.
Cameron Boozer is the most NBA-ready of the trio while still 18. His box plus-minus at Duke is the second-highest on record for an 18-year-old — behind only Zion Williamson, ahead of Anthony Davis. In most draft years his case at No. 1 would be straightforward.
The lottery order
Washington won the May 10 lottery in Chicago and picks first for the first time since 2010. The full top 14:
| Pick | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Washington Wizards |
| 2 | Utah Jazz |
| 3 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 4 | Chicago Bulls |
| 5 | LA Clippers (from Indiana) |
| 6 | Brooklyn Nets |
| 7 | Sacramento Kings |
| 8 | Atlanta Hawks (from New Orleans) |
| 9 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 10 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 11 | Golden State Warriors |
| 12 | Oklahoma City Thunder (from LA Clippers) |
| 13 | Miami Heat |
| 14 | Charlotte Hornets |
Picks 15–30 and the entire second round follow reverse order of regular-season record. Notably, this is the first draft since 2021 with a full complement of 60 selections — no team forfeited a pick.
How the top five shapes up
Washington (1) simply takes the best player — a rebuild this deep has no positional preference, and all three top names fit. Utah (2) has spent years collecting wings and now needs an offensive engine, which strengthens the Peterson case if he is on the board. Memphis (3) can afford the best-available approach, and Boozer’s readiness fits a roster closer to competing than its record suggests.
Chicago (4) needs frontcourt athleticism and length — Caleb Wilson’s profile matches almost too neatly. The Clippers (5), picking with Indiana’s selection, are the wild card: an aging core argues for the most NBA-ready talent, whoever slides.
Date, format and how to watch
Round one is Tuesday, June 23 (8 ET), on ESPN and ABC; round two follows June 24 on ESPN. The event returns to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the draft’s home since 2013. Prospects must turn at least 19 in the calendar year, and college players may enter and withdraw from the process up to two times before forfeiting eligibility.
How to read a big board (and how not to)
A big board ranks talent; a mock draft predicts decisions. The gap between the two is where draft night drama lives. Teams weigh fit, salary structure and trade offers that boards ignore — which is why a player ranked sixth can go tenth without anything going “wrong.” Tier breaks matter more than individual ranks: this class has a clear three-man top tier, a second tier through roughly pick eight, then a long flat stretch where war rooms genuinely disagree.
Measurements, combine results and the full prospect database are available at the NBA’s official draft site. We will regrade this board after draft night.
