Coming off a busy draft lottery and combine that saw the Washington Wizards holding the No. 1 pick, we're into the thick of draft season.
After spending the week in Chicago for the combine alongside NBA scouts and executives, here are my latest projections for the 2026 draft, one month before draft night on June 23. AJ Dybantsa remains the projected top pick, followed by Darryn Peterson , Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson , forming a consensus top four.
But the order in which those players are selected is not a foregone conclusion, with NBA teams largely seeing little separation between the top prospects, making how the Wizards, Utah Jazz , Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls approach the process in the coming weeks a fascinating plotline. NBA executives will head to Los Angeles this week for a final round of pro days, as prospects continue to crisscross the country for team workouts.
The NCAA withdrawal deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET on May 27, making this an important week for college players still making final decisions on whether to keep their names in the draft.
As usual, this mock draft is informed heavily by my conversations with sources around the NBA, in addition to my own evaluations of prospects over the course of the season. These are not my personal rankings, which can be found in ESPN's top 100.
More NBA draft coverage: Combine takeaways | Top 100 rankings Lottery team questions All mock drafts | More draft coverage First round 1. Washington Wizards AJ Dybantsa , SF, BYU Freshman Combine measurements Height without shoes: 6-8½ | Weight: 217 Standing reach: 8-10 | Wingspan: 7½ The Wizards became the talk of the combine after making good on their lottery odds, setting them up to pick No.
1 for the first time since 2010. It's worth underscoring that there's still uncertainty around which direction Washington will go, but Dybantsa has become the presumptive favorite, with his size and projectable tools aligning with things the Wizards' decision-makers have valued.
Dybantsa measured 6-foot-8½ barefoot at the combine, with a plus-4 wingspan and posted a 42-inch max vertical, helping quantify the elite physical piece of his projection. Rival teams don't view Dybantsa as a lock to go first, however, as there has been no true consensus No.
1 among scouts all season. Darryn Peterson , Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson are all expected to receive consideration as the Wizards go through their process.
The fact that there is a consensus group of four has led some executives to view the top of this draft as more ripe for trades than in a typical year, but only if the top four teams see value in moving around within that tier. Any trade dynamics will take time to play out, with the case typically being that the team with the top pick will simply wind up selecting the player it wants most.
2. Utah Jazz Darryn Peterson , PG/SG, Kansas Freshman Combine measurements Height without shoes: 6-4½ | Weight: 199 Standing reach: 8-7 | Wingspan: 6-9¾ Utah's position at No.
2 was also a popular topic of conversation at the combine, due to the connection between the Jazz and Dybantsa, with owner Ryan Smith, Danny Ainge and Austin Ainge all holding close ties to BYU. The other (and perhaps lesser) element of intrigue is that Carlos Boozer has a role in Utah's front office and holds even closer ties to another top prospect in this draft.
It's far less clear at this stage what Utah's interest would be in trading up to No. 1, a move that would presumably cost quite a bit -- and which would also assume the Jazz see enough separation between their top two prospects to make it worth expending additional value.
At this stage, that talk is all speculative, and the Jazz have the easy option to simply sit tight and see what the Wizards do. If Peterson is on the board at No.
2, he's a clean fit, not to mention arguably the most talented prospect in the class. It's also worth noting he wants to play point guard at the next level, a role he would have a runway to grow into in Utah.
He measured well at the combine with a plus-5¼ wingspan, excellent dimensions for a ball handler. NBA teams are still awaiting the results of Peterson's medical evaluation, which is viewed around the league as the most important off-court piece after he dealt with serious cramping concerns, which he attributed to high dosages of creatine .
According to team sources, Peterson came across as quiet but serious in interviews last week and handled that part of the process well, address