The Wizards Won the NBA Draft Lottery, But What They Do Is Still Undetermined

CHICAGO — Michael Winger didn’t move. No smile. No fist pump. No Alvin Gentry–esque whoop. Just a thumbs up and a short nod at Byron Spruell, the NBA’s president of league operations, after Spruell congratulated the Washington Wizards’ president of basketball operations on securing the No. 1 overall pick. The first sign of excitement came minutes later, when an NBA official handed Winger the winning ping-pong balls. “We keep these?” asked Winger. “Very cool.”

The NBA held its annual draft lottery on Sunday, inside a makeshift ballroom in the Navy Pier. I was among the 16 media members invited into the room to witness the drawing, one of the many safeguards the league has in place to protect the integrity of the process. No phones are allowed in the drawing room. No electronics of any kind. Anyone entering goes through TSA-level screening. Before going in, all are encouraged to use the restroom. Once that door shuts, it will be nearly two hours before it reopens.

The drawing itself is no frills. Fourteen ping-pong balls are stuffed in an empty jug with air blown through it to scatter them (there’s a more official name for it … but you get the gist). There are 1,001 possible four-digit combinations, with the three teams with the worst record—Washington, Indiana and Brooklyn—getting 140 apiece. The drawing itself is carefully curated: Each ball is vacuumed out at precise 10-second intervals, prompted by an NBA official standing on the opposite side of the room—with his back turned.

I’ve been in the room for the better part of the last decade, give or take the pandemic. There’s always a palpable tension. Some years more than others. In 2023, the room was abuzz over who would get the chance to spend the next two decades with Victor Wembanyama. Last year, the prize was Cooper Flagg. Dallas, with a 1.8% chance, won. Matt Riccardi, the Mavericks’ assistant general manager, was in the room that day. His good luck charm was a sticker of an owl, a gift from his son, Lio. Riccardi brought the same sticker with him this time around. It wasn’t quite as lucky.

Winger didn’t pack any good luck charms. Just a picture of his family tucked into a notepad. Over the last few months Winger has reshaped the Wizards’ roster. He acquired Trae Young (and mostly sat him) and traded for Anthony Davis (then shut him down), freeing Washington to sink to its third straight sub-20 win season. On Sunday, the Wizards were rewarded with the top overall pick, the fifth time in franchise history they have drafted No. 1.

“It is certainly rewarding to know that the work that we put in and with the risks that we took to have an opportunity to draft high over a period of years could potentially be rewarded with this pick,” said Winger. “But we still have to draft the right player.”

Indeed. Privately, Wizards officials aren’t ruling out a deal. This is widely regarded as a top-heavy draft, with no consensus No. 1. Over the next six weeks, Will Dawkins, Washington’s general manager, will dive into the scouting. If Dawkins zeroes in on one player, Washington will draft him. If there’s a player they like who could slip, sources say, there is the potential to move it.

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa is one of the top prospects in the 2026 NBA draft. | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

Perhaps to the team right below them. Austin Ainge was more demonstrative when Utah’s combination came up, throwing up a double fist pump. The Jazz were among this season’s most egregious tankers, kicking away games so brazenly—and so early—that the NBA slapped the franchise with a $500,000 fine before the All-Star break. Utah desperately wanted Flagg last year, only to slip to the No. 5 pick. This year the lottery gods were more kind.

The Jazz will naturally be connected to AJ Dybantsa, the BYU forward. Utah is loaded up front (creating less of a need for Cameron Boozer) and are seemingly set at point guard (ditto, Darryn Peterson) with Keyonte George, who represented the team on the dais on Sunday. Dybantsa’s skills kinda overlap with Ace Bailey, last year’s first-round pick. But for a player of that caliber, you figure it out.

Memphis snagged the third pick, jumping up a few spots. Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman offered an enthusiastic nod when Memphis’s combination came up. It was a rough season for the Grizzlies, who officially pulled the plug on an era, offloading Jaren Jackson Jr. months after swapping Desmond Bane for a package of draft picks. Kleiman still has to deal with Ja Morant, but the Grizz, who have done well in the draft during Kleiman’s tenure, are in position to handpick a new franchise player.

Chicago had its own lottery luck, riding a 4.5% chance into the top four. The Bulls made sweeping changes in the offseason, firing Artūras Karnišovas, hiring Bryson Graham and parting ways with head coach Billy Donovan. When it became clear Chicago had moved up, Graham exchanged fist bumps with people at his table. The Bulls are headed toward a rebuild. This pick could speed it up.

Losers? Try Indiana, which saw its pick (fifth) fall into one of the few slots it didn’t want, causing it to be transferred to the L.A. Clippers (another big winner) via the deadline deal for Ivica Zubac. On social media, Pacers president Kevin Pritchard apologized for Indiana losing out. “I own taking this risk,” Pritchard said. “Surprised it came up fifth after this year. I thought we were due some luck. But please remember—this team deserved a starting center to compete with the best teams next year. We have always been resilient.”

A general view during the 2026 NBA draft lottery at Navy Pier. | David Banks-Imagn Images

Brooklyn? Joe Tsai, the lone team owner in the drawing room, sat slumped in his chair when the Nets fell out of the top four. A year earlier, Brooklyn slipped from sixth to eighth. This time around, the Nets fell from third to sixth. Last June, they drafted five players in the first round. None of them look like stars. General manager Sean Marks told reporters “there’s going to be some really good options for us” with the sixth pick. He better hope so.

Sacramento was the last of the lottery losers, a fitting finish for a familiar doormat. After stumbling through most of the season, the Kings went 3–3 down the stretch, pulling them into a tie with Utah for the league’s fourth-worst record. A coin flip determined which team would get the better odds. The Jazz won, and will pick second (Utah’s combination also came up for third). Sacramento lost, and will pick seventh. No team needs a young star infusion more than the Kings. Gone was a golden chance to get one.

The drawing room will look different next year. The lottery rules are expected to change, the NBA’s response to the worst tanking season in league history. There will be relegation, flattened odds and likely an expanded field. Generally speaking, chaos. Not that anyone in the room this year cared. That’s the beauty of the lottery—you never expect to be in it again.

NBA draft lottery order

Pick	Team	2025–26 Record
No. 1	Wizards	17–65
No. 2	Jazz	22–60
No. 3	Grizzlies	25–57
No. 4	Bulls	31–51
No. 5	Clippers	19–63
No. 6	Nets	20–62
No. 7	Kings	22–60
No. 8	Hawks	26–56
No. 9	Mavericks	26–56
No. 10	Bucks	32–50
No. 11	Warriors	37–45
No. 12	Thunder	42–40
No. 13	Heat	43–39
No. 14	Hornets	44–38

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