AJ Dybantsa Is the Heavy Favorite to Go No. 1 to the Wizards in the 2026 NBA Draft
The 2026 NBA Draft is less than two weeks away, and the Washington Wizards already know who they are taking.
AJ Dybantsa has emerged as the consensus No. 1 pick across virtually every major mock draft. The BYU freshman, who turned down a host of other blue-blood programs to play in Provo, has been viewed as the top prospect in this class for nearly two years. Now it is just a question of paperwork.
The Wizards won the lottery in May and have made no secret of their preference. Sources around the league say Washington has done extensive work on Dybantsa, including multiple in-person meetings, and the pick is essentially locked in.
What is Dybantsa? He is a 6-foot-9 wing with elite athletic tools and the kind of two-way potential teams build franchises around. He averaged big numbers at BYU last season as a freshman, including efficient scoring inside the arc and improving shot selection from three. Defensively, he projects as a switchable forward who can guard multiple positions in the NBA.
The closest comp scouts keep using is Paul George with better positional size. That is the kind of ceiling that gets you taken first overall.
Behind Dybantsa, the next three picks are also taking shape. Kansas guard Darryn Peterson is expected to go second to the Utah Jazz. Duke forward Cameron Boozer is projected third to the Memphis Grizzlies. North Carolina wing Caleb Wilson is projected fourth to the Chicago Bulls.
That is a strong top four. The fact that there is so much consensus around the order this far out tells you how clearly defined the tiers are in this class.
The Wizards getting Dybantsa is a massive deal for the franchise. Washington has been stuck in the middle of the NBA for years, never bad enough to draft a true superstar but never good enough to compete. Dybantsa changes that calculation overnight. He is the kind of foundational prospect this franchise has not had since John Wall.
The fit also makes sense with the rest of the Wizards roster. Washington has young pieces in place but lacked a high-end wing creator. Dybantsa fills that hole immediately and gives them a building block to put alongside their other recent first-round picks.
The rest of the league is now just trying to figure out where the value picks are. With Dybantsa off the board at one, teams in the 5-15 range are doing aggressive due diligence on prospects like Yaxel Lendeborg, Mikel Brown Jr., and a few late risers. The lottery is mostly settled. The middle of the first round is where the moves are going to happen.
For Dybantsa, the next two weeks are about preparation, not anxiety. He knows where he is going. He knows who he is playing with. He gets to focus on building his rookie season plan instead of waiting on his name to get called.
Washington has a franchise prospect on the way. The rest is just details.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
