Enviable Top 4 Leads the Way in Deep 2026 NBA Draft
Though the 2026 NBA Draft has long been touted as a deep class with a top four that would be enviable in most years, there's little mystery as to who will be taken with the first pick on Tuesday night.
BYU wing AJ Dybantsa is a -550 favourite to be the first overall pick and head to Washington, which last held the top pick in the draft in 2010, when it selected John Wall and ushered in one of its most successful eras in recent history. With the potential of Dybantsa joining Trae Young, a cast of young players, and either Anthony Davis or an eventual trade return for him, the Wizards could be set up for a similar run of competitiveness that followed Wall’s arrival.
The likelihood of Dybantsa going first overall does mean the Utah Jazz, picking second, must pivot from their best-laid plans. Despite growing up in Boston, Dybantsa played his high school and college hoops in Utah, with Jazz owner Ryan Smith’s deep pockets playing a major part.
With Dybantsa’s pro career likely headed elsewhere, it's Kansas guard Darryn Peterson (-240) the favourite to land with the Jazz, with Cameron Boozer (+290) behind him on the odds board.
Peterson is seen, by many, as the prospect with the highest ceiling in this class. But, he's coming off a strange, inconsistent year with the Jayhawks that has dulled the shine off his beautiful game as a scorer. Perhaps a sign of what’s to come with the first two picks on Tuesday, Peterson reversed his stance after first refusing a meeting with Utah and had one over the weekend.
That clears the way for Duke freshman Cameron Boozer to help lead a rebuild for the Memphis Grizzlies (-240). Though Boozer does have many fans around NBA media, in many ways he's the inverse of Peterson as a prospect, with a comfortably high floor but perhaps not the highest ceiling. After suffering through Ja Morant's volatility, however, the Grizz will likely find comfort in Boozer's professionalism and game-in, game-out reliability.
Rounding out the top four will be the Chicago Bulls, who are expected to take UNC's Caleb Wilson (-600). Like Peterson, Wilson enters the NBA with the kind of physical tools and athleticism that would allow for any team, and fanbase, to talk themselves into future stardom. But, like Peterson, Wilson had a truncated season in college after he opted for surgery ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
With four top-pick-worthy prospects, a deep class of potential contributors behind them, and the looming trade of a multiple-time MVP, draft night is shaping up to hold the type of intrigue that has helped grow the NBA into a 12-month product. Don’t miss a second, the Wizards are nearly on the clock.
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Odds as of June 22, 2026.