The 2026 NBA Draft is here and unlike previous years where Victor Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg were locked in as the first overall picks, the intrigue starts at the first overall pick.
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There are two leading contenders to have their name called when the Washington Wizards are first on the clock: BYU wing AJ Dybantsa and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson.
Duke forward Cameron Boozer is an outside chance of being picked by Washington, but is largely expected to be on the board at third overall where he will go to Memphis while Josh Giddey and the Chicago Bulls are tipped to land an explosive athlete in North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson.
The order is still up in the air, but they are all but certain to be the first four names to be called out in Wednesday’s first round.
Beyond then is anyone’s guess. There is a glut of guards rounding out the top 10, with many teams potentially looking to replicate the blueprint the championship-winning Knicks set by building size and shooting around a small but dynamic guard in Jalen Brunson.
Darius Acuff, Keaton Wagler, Kingston Flemings, Brayden Burries and Mikel Brown Jr. are the top guards in the class, while bigs including Michigan’s Aday Mara and his rapidly rising teammate Morez Johnson are also candidates to go in the lottery.
There aren’t any Australians that are expected to have their name called on Wednesday, but NBL Next Star Karim Lopez is a good chance of going in the back-end of the first round.
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