2026 NBA draft: Round 1 winners, surprise picks, questions
Our ESPN draft insiders break down the twists, turns and trades of Tuesday's first round of the 2026 NBA draft
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Round 1 of the 2026 NBA draft wrapped Tuesday night, and the race for the No. 1 pick was decided with the Washington Wizards selecting AJ Dybantsa first, and then the Utah Jazz taking Darryn Peterson with the No. 2 pick.
As always, draft night is full of surprises, as there were seven trades involving NBA teams.
The night wrapped with the Phoenix Suns acquiring Koa Peat at No. 30 after the New York Knicks traded their No. 25 pick, Sergio De Larrea, to the Dallas Mavericks at No. 30 and then traded that pick to the Suns.
ESPN's Jeremy Woo, Bobby Marks and Ben Golliver break down the biggest winners, questions and their favorite picks from Round 1.
Round 2 is Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) -- follow along on our live Draftcast.
More NBA draft coverage: Wizards take Dybantsa | Utah picks Peterson Round 2 mock draft | Best available prospects Trade tracker | Top 100 rankings | Draft
Woo: Biggest winners of Round 1
Utah Jazz
The pick: Darryn Peterson, PG/SG (No. 2)
Peterson was my No. 1 player in the draft, and he was available one pick later than that slot. To me, that's simple logic. I could certainly be proved wrong by history -- AJ Dybantsa is very good -- but I think much of the perceived risk around Peterson simply won't matter in the long run. The Jazz will walk away with a franchise-changing player and didn't have to win the lottery to do it.
Peterson was arguably the best fit for Utah out of the top four prospects: the Jazz needed another shooter and more size in the backcourt, and in Peterson, they get both. They will have to figure out how he balances alongside another scoring guard in Keyonte George, but Peterson, being a taller guard and frankly, an underrated defender, also helps. The way this worked out will age very well for Utah.
The Grizzlies had a very good night, landing the third No. 1-caliber prospect in the class at No. 3 in Boozer, while also making two deals to maneuver down the board from No. 16 to No. 17 to No. 21 and select Lopez. The Boozer pick is pretty self-explanatory: He's going to be an excellent NBA player and a long-term cornerstone.
The other part of this is more nuanced: tip of the cap to the Grizzlies and top exec Zach Kleiman, who correctly read what was a very strong class for point guards starting at their second pick and extracted value from the two deals by netting five future second-round picks. What those picks end up being is anyone's guess, but Memphis also landed a player it liked in Lopez and was able to get him a bit later than he was expected off the board.
Other teams thought the Grizzlies were dialed in on guards, and they ended up not taking one. This was a good reading of what figured to be -- and was, as many teams expected -- a busy time for trades between picks 16 and 30, and a good night for Memphis.
Woo: Biggest surprises of Round 1
Dallas Mavericks
The pick: Morez Johnson Jr., PF/C (No. 9)
This was an interesting pick purely due to the Dusty May factor, with the now-former Michigan coach taking over in Dallas, having his pick of three Wolverines in the lottery, and selecting Johnson. Johnson, Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg could have conceivably gone in any order -- Mara was generally expected to be first off the board -- but the Mavericks' preference here tells you something about what they value.
Johnson rose up the board during the predraft process, marrying a winning college season, strong rebounding, and versatile defense with his elite intangibles and a good process at the combine, where he measured and tested well. He's physically ready for the NBA and could be a day one starter who matches Cooper Flagg well from an intensity standpoint for the Mavericks. This can be read as more of a culture-setting pick for Dallas, rather than taking a big talent swing, but the fit makes sense overall. It was, however, the spot where my mock draft first went wrong.
Swain was another one of the more interesting first-round curveballs, going a bit higher than I expected, but in a way that made sense. The Bulls were planning to go best available player at this slot and were drawn to Swain's mix of physical tools, downhill scoring, rebounding and defense. Though it's not the player I necessarily would have picked, you can see the vision for Chicago's new-look roster taking shape, and it's an intriguing one.
Adding Swain and Caleb Wilson to a group that includes Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and Noa Essengue gives the Bulls a young group that should be able to play fast, defend and run in transition. The shooting and spacing component is another question -- one that they will eventually have to address -- but this is square one of a full rebuild. Though this was a slightly surprising choice, it makes sense from a roster-building and style perspective.
What was the best pick of the night?
Golliver: Cameron Boozer to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 3. Boozer's impressive statistical body of work as a Duke freshman (22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds) and his track record of driving wins throughout his high school and college careers make him a perfect prospect for the rebuilding Grizzlies.
Though the 18-year-old son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer didn't generate much buzz as a contender for the No. 1 pick over the past month, he has a good chance of emerging as this talented class's best player. He's big, mobile, smart, good with the ball and comfortable shooting from beyond the arc.
Memphis smartly looked past the questions about his athleticism and made a no-brainer selection once AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson were off the board.
Marks: Labaron Philon Jr. to the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 22. I ranked the Alabama guard as the 13th-best prospect in the draft. What stood out for me is how Philon took the constructive criticism from the 2025 draft combine and applied it this past season. He improved his 3-point shooting from 32% to 40%.
The biggest takeaway is that NBA teams wanted to see Philon as a primary playmaker -- he averaged 5.1 assists as a sophomore at Alabama. With the 76ers, Philon will join an explosive backcourt with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
Woo: Darryn Peterson the Utah Jazz at No. 2. See above.
Which title contender helped itself the most on Tuesday night?
Golliver: Sam Presti's Thunder have the draft process down to a science. With a payroll set to balloon this summer, Presti added Michigan center Aday Mara (No. 12) and Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz (No. 16) to address clear positional needs.
The 7-foot-3 Mara can look forward to countless battles with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama over the next half-decade, and Stirtz's reliable 3-point shooting and disruptive defense could make him a fan favorite. Though the Thunder traded Aaron Wiggins earlier this week and are bracing for painful roster decisions over the next month, they added two keepers while most of the other top title contenders were nonfactors in Round 1.
Breaking News from Shams Charania
Marks: How about the New York Knicks, who didn't actually come away from Round 1 with a prospect? They made three trades down the board, adding five second-round picks and cash considerations. They enter the offseason pressed against the second apron and every dollar matters if the goal is to remain under or slightly above.
New York faces key decisions with free agents Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet and Jose Alvarado. Alvarado has until June 29 to opt in to his $4.5 million contract for next season. The Knicks agreed to a new contract with Mohamed Diawara, last year's second-round pick, for a projected $14 million below the second apron. They are allowed to exceed the threshold and bring back their own free agents.
Woo: The San Antonio Spurs. They were very pronounced about how they tackled their biggest need, which was to become bigger and more physical up front. We saw Wembanyama get beaten up a bit in the Finals. A healthy Jayden Quaintance and NBA-ready Tarris Reed Jr. should give him some cover as San Antonio prepares for physical playoff battles to come.
Outside of the top four picks, who would be your choice to win Rookie of the Year?
Golliver: Darius Acuff Jr. The Sacramento Kings will cast Acuff, the No. 7 pick out of Arkansas, as their latest point guard of the future after trading former lottery picks De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton in recent years.
Sacramento endured a truly demoralizing 2025-26 season in part because coach Doug Christie relied too heavily on his veterans. Hopefully, the Kings course-correct next season by empowering Acuff, who led the SEC in scoring and assists as a freshman. If Sacramento turns him loose, the 19-year-old has a chance to follow in the footsteps of another John Calipari-coached guard who won Rookie of the Year with the Kings: Tyreke Evans.
Woo: Yaxel Lendeborg. He probably won't win, but he's going to play a lot and have to have a significant role for the Golden State Warriors to have a good season.
They picked him at No. 11 with urgency in mind. If he can earn the trust of coach Steve Kerr -- who was thought to have a degree of influence over this pick -- he'll have the minutes necessary to make a case on a team that needs him.
What's your favorite prospect-team fit outside of the lottery?
Golliver: Jayden Quaintance to the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio came out of Wembanyama's first playoff run knowing it needed to add more size and physicality to its frontcourt. By the end of the NBA Finals, Knicks forward OG Anunoby was handily winning his matchup and veterans Luke Kornet and Keldon Johnson were struggling to contribute in their minutes.
Quaintance, 19, fell to the No. 20 pick because he sat out most of last season recovering from an ACL injury. The Spurs are betting that his defensive versatility and strength will help address their shortcomings once he's back to full strength. Fast-forward a few years, and the best-case scenario could be terrifying for opposing offenses. How will anyone score on lineups featuring Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, Carter Bryant and Quaintance?
San Antonio added even more size by trading for UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. before the night was over.
Marks: Christian Anderson to the Charlotte Hornets. When I met with him in April, he was confident that he was the best shooting guard in this draft. Considering that he shot 42% from 3 last season at Texas Tech, there is a case he could be right.
Shooting is not the only thing Anderson did well last season. He averaged 7.4 assists and was active on defense (1.5 steals). Anderson's competitiveness stood out for the 2025 FIBA U-19 World Cup. He led the German national team to a silver medal while averaging 6.6 assists.
Woo: Aday Mara to the Oklahoma City Thunder. This is a pick I speculated about last month that actually came to fruition.
I'm simply fascinated by the idea of Mara as an offensive hub who can give the Thunder a unique look up front. Whether he can develop enough shooting to pull opponents out of the paint is a fair question, but I will tune in when the Thunder and Spurs play next to see how he handles inevitable matchups with Wembanyama.
There is no real counter for Wemby, but Mara has the size and attitude to match him physically, as well as the passing skills to make teammates better and make the Thunder a more dynamic offensive team. It's a pretty cool concept.
Fill in the blank: The Bucks landing Brayden Burries and Nate Ament is ______.
Golliver: A reminder that it will be a long road back after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee can claim it got good value with both picks: Burries (No. 10) and Ament (No. 13) were both projected by some analysts to go higher than where they landed. Burries, a two-way guard from Arizona, and Ament, a long forward from Tennessee, are both one-and-done prospects with the potential to blossom into solid NBA players.
Whether they pop as rookies in Milwaukee is a different question. Ideally, Burries would be cast as a tertiary offensive option alongside an established star-level playmaker. Could he get lost in the shuffle as new Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins reworks the offense without Antetokounmpo? And it's probably best to remain patient with Ament, who must fill out physically and improve his scoring efficiency.
2026 NBA draft coverage
• Round 1 recap | Round 2 mock draft • Dybantsa to Wizards | Peterson to Jazz • Boozer to Grizzlies | Wilson to Bulls • Johnson reunites with May, leads U-M trio • Jeremy Woo's top 100 rankings • More draft coverage
Marks: A strong foundation to life after Antetokounmpo.
Burries got out of the gates slowly but turned it on in Big 12 games, averaging 17.5 points while shooting 50.2% from the field and 38.2% from 3. He gives the Bucks a big guard who can bully smaller defenders. He also averaged 1.7 offensive rebounds.
Ament played hurt at the end of the season but still averaged 7.5 free throw attempts in his final 10 games. His size and play during the SEC showed that he has top-10 talent.
Keep in mind that before the trade, Antetokounmpo was the only player on the roster Milwaukee drafted in the first round.
Make one prediction for a first-round pick, for this season or his career.
Golliver: Darryn Peterson will have a chance to set a Utah Jazz franchise record for scoring in a season. Pete Maravich, Karl Malone and Adrian Dantley are the only players in Jazz history to average more than 30 points, and no player has hit that benchmark in Utah since Malone in 1989-90.
Could Peterson, an effortless scorer who averaged 40.7 points per 100 possessions during an injury-plagued freshman season at Kansas, eclipse Maravich's franchise record of 31.1 points per game? Records are falling left and right in the modern NBA thanks to an offensive boom driven by 3-point shooting and a high pace of play. What's more, Peterson has drawn pre-draft comparisons to Kobe Bryant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, two scoring craftsmen who averaged more than 30 points multiple times in their careers
Maybe the real answer is all three. Aday Mara was a perfect fit for the Thunder, given their need for interior size and Yaxel Lendeborg made total sense for the Golden State Warriors because they've lacked size and athleticism at the forward spots since their 2022 championship.
But the physical and energetic Johnson will now get the chance to grow alongside 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg in a dynamic frontcourt. With Flagg drawing extra defensive attention, Johnson should feast on easy opportunities around the hoop. And as Dallas attempts to set a new culture after its disastrous Luka Doncic trade and its short-lived dalliance with Anthony Davis, Johnson's nonstop motor will be a major plus.
Best of all, he gets to reunite with coach Dusty May, who left Michigan to join the Mavericks earlier this week.
What is your biggest regret from your final mock draft after seeing Day 1 play out?
Woo: I felt very good about my mock overall and more importantly, the logical throughline of the intel and team strategy, which in my mind is the best measure of quality. Things always go off the rails somewhere.
The final scenario I put together was thrown off by putting Karim Lopez at No. 13 (a selection the Bucks could have made). Teams thought he had a chance to fall, and he did, dropping to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 21.
Who are you most surprised to see still on the board heading into Round 2?
Woo: Henri Veesaar (North Carolina). Other bigs ended up jumping him in the 20s, but he's not likely to be on the board long Wednesday. He's my No. 28th overall prospect.
