The Washington Wizards are holding out hope to land the top overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft, but could the pick draw enough trade interest?
The offseason has officially arrived for the Washington Wizards with the organization now beginning to peel back the layers of the roster to evaluate the best options to maximize the next four months. The next phase will start on May 10 when the NBA Draft Lottery officially takes place with all eyes on whether the Wizards' worst record across the league will finally translate to the top overall pick.
Washington enters with a 14% chance of securing the top overall pick and 40.1% chance to secure a top three pick to potentially add another playmaker to a roster that will return both Trae Young and Anthony Davis in 2026-27. Though he cautioned it isn't a "recommended one," one analyst questioned whether trading the first pick might be an attractive option this offseason.
"That’s extremely risky, as we haven’t seen how the Wizards will look with Davis and Young leading the way. But Washington should expect some calls, given they are looking to win next season and this draft is deep with top-end talent," Keith Smith of Spotrac said of the Wizards' offseason plans.
Maybe the bigger question is if Washington were to ultimately trade the top-five pick in the upcoming draft, would the front office package it with one of the young players eligible for an extension the next two seasons? Bilal Coulibaly will be the first of the group to become eligible for a contract extension this offseason while both Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George will become eligible next summer.
Of course, Washington would have a chance to add a top playmaker to the roster with AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer and Darryn Peterson expected to round out the top three in the draft. While Dybantsa would add size and power to the logjam at the wing, Boozer adds intrigue as a third option in a frontcourt that features Alex Sarr and Anthony Davis. Darryn Peterson has his own question marks after struggle to stay available during his lone season at Kansas, yet he adds playmaking and versatility to the backcourt with a chance to play both on and off the ball.
The good news? Washington has shown little signs or interest of doing anything other than making a pick when it comes time to in June's draft. General manager Will Dawkins admitted the priority is "just get lucky" when the lottery officially unfolds.
"The way I look at it is we're already fortunate enough to add a top five player in this draft. I feel very confident our staff will be able to pick the best player if we have five. I’m very comfortable at five," Dawkins said during his end of season press conference. "It's the most likely outcome - 48% chance we're picking at five and our fans should be excited about who we add. But the way I look at it is we also have a 14% chance to do better at one and 27% to be top two and over 35% chance to add top three. Those are pretty good odds."