2026 NBA Draft: Peterson Leads the No. 1 Race

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June 17, 2026

The 2026 NBA Draft has no consensus No. 1 prospect three weeks out. Kansas guard Darryn Peterson leads the betting market at -135 to go first. The Washington Wizards hold that No. 1 pick after the May 10 lottery.

Peterson and Dybantsa Split the No. 1 Debate

The 2026 NBA Draft runs June 23 and 24, per CBS Sports. The Washington Wizards control the No. 1 pick, secured at the May 10 lottery in Chicago. Three names headline the class: Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer.

Darryn Peterson opened at -135 to be the No. 1 pick, per AOL oddsmakers. AJ Dybantsa of BYU sits next at +120 in that same market. Cameron Boozer of Duke trails at +1000 to go first overall. Those three prospects separate from the rest of the 2026 NBA Draft board.

Betting markets favor Darryn Peterson, yet mock drafts lean toward AJ Dybantsa. CBS Sports projects AJ Dybantsa to Washington at No. 1 overall. That gap between odds and mocks signals a genuine two-player race. The Washington Wizards have not tipped a choice between Peterson and Dybantsa.

Darryn Peterson projects as a scoring guard out of Kansas. AJ Dybantsa profiles as a wing scorer who played at BYU. Cameron Boozer brings frontcourt size from Duke as the class’s top big man. Cameron Boozer is the son of former NBA forward Carlos Boozer.

The Washington Wizards enter the 2026 NBA Draft deep in a rebuild. A No. 1 pick hands Washington a franchise cornerstone for the next decade. Peterson, Dybantsa, and Boozer each offer Washington a different positional fit. The Wizards last held the No. 1 pick in 2010, when Washington drafted John Wall.

Peterson’s -135 price implies about a 57 percent chance to go first, per standard odds conversion. AJ Dybantsa’s +120 converts to near 45 percent in that same market. Cameron Boozer’s +1000 sits under 10 percent to land at No. 1. The 2026 NBA Draft again spans two nights, with Round 2 on June 24.

Round 1 of the 2026 NBA Draft begins June 23. Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa remain the two names to watch at No. 1. Washington’s selection sets the order for every team drafting behind the Wizards.