Steel, Picks, and Purpose: The Six Biggest Winners and Losers From the 2026 NBA Draft

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Steel, Picks, and Purpose: The Six Biggest Winners and Losers From the 2026 NBA Draft

The Washington Wizards finally got their man. The Memphis Grizzlies turned a lottery pick into a franchise cornerstone and five extra second-rounders. And Indiana watched its first-round pick walk out the door as an asset they weren't supposed to lose. One night, thirty teams, and a draft that will define the next decade of the NBA.

The 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 23 was the 80th anniversary of the event, the deepest guard class in a generation, and one of the most trade-heavy first rounds the league has produced in years. AJ Dybantsa went No. 1. Darryn Peterson went No. 2. Cameron Boozer went No. 3. Caleb Wilson went No. 4. And then, as analysts had predicted for months, the real competition began — because after the consensus top four cleared the board, teams were making aggressive moves up and down the first round in pursuit of prospects they had ranked significantly higher than the consensus. Here are the six biggest winners and losers from a night that will be debated for years.

THE WINNERS

1. Washington Wizards — AJ Dybantsa, No. 1 Overall

An interior view of Barclays Center prior to Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft. Washington got its man and — suddenly — the Wizards have a mix of young and dynamic talent with veteran leadership. Granted, Washington will likely need some time for Trae Young and Anthony Davis to assimilate into the program, given that they combined to play just five games for the Wizards, even though both were acquired in January and February. Either way, Dybantsa is built for the modern NBA; he's long, athletic and can create his own shot. As long as coach Brian Keefe can get all these pieces to cohere, the Wizards might be a sneaky tough out for the first time in a long time. For the first time in their history, Brigham Young had a player selected with the top overall pick in an NBA draft.

The Wizards had been building toward this moment for three consecutive lottery seasons. They have John Wall's legacy on one side of the franchise's No. 1 pick history and AJ Dybantsa on the other, and the gap between those two chapters is exactly the kind of franchise-reset arc that winning a lottery is supposed to produce. The Dybantsa pick did not come with the controversy that some had feared — his profile at BYU, where he averaged numbers consistent with a generational talent, had no serious challenger for the top spot among the voters who matter most. Washington walks out of Brooklyn with its cornerstone.

2. Memphis Grizzlies — Cameron Boozer at No. 3, Plus an Asset Avalanche

Getting Cam Boozer at No. 3 will be an offensive boon for the Memphis Grizzlies' frontcourt. They won't be very mobile when he's sharing the floor with Zach Edey, but the Duke product's offensive skill set is so vast he doesn't have a good comp. Pure forwards aren't supposed to have such polished handles or initiate pick-and-rolls so effortlessly. But the Grizzlies' draft night was defined by more than one selection. They moved No. 16 to the Oklahoma City Thunder for No. 17 and two second-rounders. Then they flipped No. 17 to the Detroit Pistons for No. 21 and three second-round picks. Amassing five additional second-rounders in exchange for dropping five spots in the draft order is great asset management by the front office. Then Memphis used its surplus of second-round picks to acquire Isaiah Stewart from Detroit — giving Zach Edey the most switchable backup big in basketball. One draft night produced a franchise wing, a veteran center, and five future draft assets. Memphis won the evening.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder — Aday Mara at No. 12, Asset Management, Roster Flexibility

The Oklahoma City Thunder Summer Shred is already underway. They dumped Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, saving more than $75 million in salary and taxes. With almost $30 million to go before they duck the second apron, they aren't done yet. If Oklahoma City's selection of Aday Mara at No. 12 is any indication, Isaiah Hartenstein could be the next name on the chopping block. Though Mara isn't a perfect analog for Hartenstein, he's massive at 7'3" and an excellent passer. He also profiles as an imposing rim protector and nifty finisher around the hoop. The defending champions — who lost the Western Conference Finals to Wembanyama — used the draft not to reload but to restructure financially, protecting their flexibility for a free agency period that could reshape their entire supporting cast around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

THE LOSERS

4. Indiana Pacers — Pick No. 5, $87 Million in Regret

The Oklahoma City Thunder Summer Shred is already underway. They dumped Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, saving more than $75 million in salary and taxes. But the team most hurt by the night's asset movements was not Oklahoma City — it was Indiana. The Indiana Pacers, who traded their first-round pick with top-four protections to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Ivica Zubac at the trade deadline, watched their pick land at No. 5 — just outside the protected range. The Clippers' pick at No. 5 represents a best-case outcome for Los Angeles and a catastrophic result for Indiana's front office. The protection was supposed to prevent exactly this. The Pacers spent a season attempting to push Tyrese Haliburton into contention. They will spend the next several seasons explaining why Ivica Zubac cost them a top-five pick.

5. Portland Trail Blazers — No First-Round Pick, No Presence

Portland traded away their first-round selection five years ago and had no presence whatsoever in the 2026 first round. The only NBA team to make zero selections in a draft where sixty players heard their names called. The Blazers were the only NBA team that didn't make a pick in this year's draft. You can't pass the class if you don't show up for school. The timing of Portland's absence is particularly costly given that they moved up to acquire Ja Morant the morning after — a player who costs them $87 million over two remaining years and arrives on a roster already crowded with guards in Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday, and Shaedon Sharpe. Portland's draft night consisted of watching.

6. Boston Celtics — Jaylen Brown Trade Saga Spills Into Public View

Boston did not have a disastrous draft night in terms of their own selections. What they did have was the most embarrassing public collapse of a trade negotiation in the offseason's first week. The Celtics went after Giannis Antetokounmpo in a pursuit that would have probably come at the expense of Jaylen Brown. Working relationships will need to be repaired. Trust must be rebuilt. Assuming that's even possible. Boston lost the Giannis sweepstakes to Miami, and now Brown — who has seen reports of both his trade availability and an anonymous analytics assessment calling him the "seventh-best player on a team" spill into public media — is the subject of active trade talks with Sacramento, Portland, Denver, and multiple other suitors. The Celtics cannot close any door quietly. Everything leaks.

2026 NBA Draft first overall pick: AJ Dybantsa (BYU) to Washington Wizards. Full top five: 1. Dybantsa (WAS), 2. Darryn Peterson (Utah Jazz), 3. Cameron Boozer (Memphis Grizzlies), 4. Caleb Wilson (Chicago Bulls), 5. unprotected Indiana Pacers pick (LA Clippers). Notable: Portland Trail Blazers made zero selections — only team not to pick. Record: eight freshmen selected in the first nine picks. NBA Draft held June 23, Barclays Center, Brooklyn.