The Washington Wizards emerged from the NBA draft lottery armed with the No. 1 overall selection in what's projected to be a transcendent draft class. Here's what you need to know about the seven teams whose fortunes were most affected by Sunday's drawing, for better or worse.
Wizards find their north star
Though their record didn't show it and the Wizards' biggest splashes came when the team acquired veteran stars Anthony Davis and Trae Young, Washington had already accumulated an impressive array of young talent. Between future defensive star Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, and Will Riley, among others, the Wizards quietly began laying the foundation for a promising future. Landing the No. 1 pick in a loaded class gives the Wizards the type of franchise pillar that can glue it all together and bring the team's grand plan to fruition.
It also allows Washington to stay patient and focus on what should soon be a dynamite young core rather than rushing a timeline based on Davis or Young. The former now becomes an even bigger trade target for rival teams and a good way for the Wizards to add more assets, while the latter has only a $49-million player option remaining on his contract.
The road to contention won't be easy, and the journey will take some time, but the path has at least been laid for a franchise that hasn't won 50 games or appeared in the conference finals since 1979.
Utah's tanking worth it?
Utah wasted years of Lauri Markkanen's prime engaging in a brand of tanking that was so shameless and overt it drew a $500,000 fine from the NBA. If prospects like AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson are as good as advertised, then Sunday's lottery result may have finally made all that worth it for the Jazz.
Despite playing in the tougher conference, Utah's return to the spotlight should come sooner than Washington's, as this year's No. 2 pick will join a team that employs Markkanen and former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. Plus, Utah's stable of young talents is arguably even more impressive than Washington's, headlined by names like restricted free agent Walker Kessler, Ace Bailey, Keyonte George, Kyle Filipowski, Isaiah Collier, Cody Williams, and Brice Sensabaugh.
The Jazz have solid veteran pieces, an exciting young core that just got a massive boost, and an enviable number of future picks. Meaningful basketball could return to Salt Lake City as soon as next season.
The Grizzlies' new vision
Memphis' pivot from an era defined by Ja Morant, Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane has now seen the Grizzlies land a top-three pick in a highly-touted draft class, plus standout rookie Cedric Coward, Walter Clayton, Taylor Hendricks, five future first-round picks, and future first-round swap rights.
Regardless of whether Morant ever meaningfully contributes on the court or returns positive assets in an eventual trade, the Grizzlies are already well positioned to usher in a new, more sustainable era. Let's see what Memphis does with the opportunity.
It's a start for Chicago
Chicago has been left to hope that the 2026 draft is as deep with potential franchise players as scouts project. Either way, jumping from the ninth-best odds to a top-four pick is a big victory for an organization that finally accepted this year that a proper rebuild is necessary.
The Bulls desperately need young talent and legitimate building blocks after years of running the treadmill of mediocrity. This lottery result should help them land such a talent. It also makes their coaching vacancy much more appealing. All Bulls fans can do now is hope ownership doesn't screw this up.
A rare win for the Clippers (via Indiana)
Under the specter of a cap-circumvention investigation that could damage their already mortgaged future, the Clippers got younger and wisely added future-minded assets. Between trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac, an aging, crumbling team that doesn't control its own first-rounder until 2030 still managed to acquire Darius Garland and a top-five pick in an exciting class. That's some good, self-aware business by an organization that has too often been the butt of the joke.
As for the Pacers, they shouldn't fret too much about losing their top-four protected pick. The addition of Zubac to a ready-made contender led by the returning Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and a deep supporting cast could pay immediate dividends. Expect Indiana to be competing near the top of the East again next season.
Is there any hope in Brooklyn?
This is where the good vibes end. Brooklyn has some intriguing youngsters (and a great young coach in Jordi Fernandez), but nothing even resembling a future franchise player. A 62-loss season was supposed to fix that. Instead, Brooklyn was leapfrogged by multiple lottery teams for the second straight year. Can the Nets still land a star with the sixth pick? Sure, but it's a much tougher task than they were hoping for. Oh, and Houston owns the right to swap first-rounders with Brooklyn next year, leaving Nets fans with very little hope for the future. This thing isn't turning around any time soon.
Will things ever change in Sacramento?
Perhaps the only team keeping Brooklyn from being the league's most depressing is dysfunctional Sacramento. The Kings' celebrated return to the playoffs in 2023 proved to be more of a blip than any sort of true change in the club's fortunes. In a league where more than half of teams make the playoffs - and two-thirds of teams now get a crack at postseason basketball in some form - the Kings have missed the playoffs in 19 of the last 20 seasons. It would be one thing if there was a great young hope to latch onto, but outside of Keegan Murray, Nique Clifford, and perhaps another player or two, Sacramento's cap sheet is dominated by fading vets who don't appear to be worth much on the trade market.
After a 60-loss season, the Kings were jumped by two superior teams in the lottery, had to settle for the seventh pick, and continue to project as a cellar-dweller going forward, with two weak draft classes expected in 2027 and 2028. Will there ever be hope for Kings fans?
Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead NBA reporter.
