The Washington Wizards are on the clock with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft

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The Washington Wizards are on the clock with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa celebrates his three-pointer in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor, Feb. 10, 2026, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

2026-06-23T14:57:13Z

                                       

NEW YORK (AP) — The Washington Wizards are on the clock as the next team to make news in a busy June around the NBA.

The Wizards have the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on Tuesday night, with         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-draft-2026-dybantsa-peterson-wizards-white-house-e7aa5d0e0eb7c260aaf1441368bee04b">AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer among the options after strong freshman seasons in college.

The buzz is just winding down in New York after the Knicks won their         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/knicks-nba-championship-b86c921cf7116980fe01ff4524cfaf48">first championship since 1973 by beating the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. The team’s         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-ticker-tape-parade-3a701ffd169009d5cfb418334734646b">championship parade was held last week, a few miles from where the draft takes place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the home of the Nets.

And on the eve of the draft, Milwaukee and Miami agreed to a blockbuster deal that will send two-time NBA MVP         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/article/giannis-trade-miami-heat-milwaukee-82aa3dcaa4296f3f23fe69ea7a230304">Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat, perhaps instantly creating another challenger for the Knicks.

The Wizards hope they can pick a player that will help them become one.

   
       
   

Washington’s NBA title drought is almost as long as the Knicks’ was, having last won in 1978 when the team was still known as the Bullets. The Wizards could go for Dybantsa, a forward who led the nation in scoring at BYU; or Peterson, a guard with tons of talent but some question marks after missing 11 games at Kansas with injuries and illness; or Boozer, a forward who was college basketball’s player of the year at Duke.

Dybantsa hopes he’s the choice, already picturing how he will feel after the sacrifices he said his family made to get him this far.

“Who knows, I might cry,” Dybantsa said.

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AP NBA:         data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA" href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/nba

                                   
                               
                           

                           
                   
                   
                   

                   
                   
   
       
           
               
   
       
           
               
                   
     
   

   
   
       

   

   
       

   
       
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                BRIAN MAHONEY
           
       

       
           
                Mahoney is an editor on the AP Sports desk. He also is a pro basketball writer, primarily covering the two NBA teams in New York.
           
       
       
       
           
               
                   
                       
   
   
       
           
       
   
   
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