Updated

Updated · NBC Sports · Jun 23

Wizards Take AJ Dybantsa at No. 1 in 2026 Mock Draft as Trades Reshape First Round

Updated

Updated · NBC Sports · Jun 23

Wizards Take AJ Dybantsa at No. 1 in 2026 Mock Draft as Trades Reshape First Round

Q: With Giannis in Miami, which franchise—the Heat or the Bucks—now faces the most pressure to win?

The Miami Heat face far more pressure to win now. Miami made a clear championship bet by trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo and giving up Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, multiple first-round picks, a pick swap and a second-rounder. That kind of package is the definition of an all-in move. It also leaves the Heat with less flexibility to reshape the roster later, so the expectation is immediate contention, not patience. The pressure is heightened by who Giannis is and where he is in his career. At 31, he is still an elite player, but this is a legacy stage for him. He left Milwaukee because he wanted another real title chance after repeated playoff disappointments and a missed postseason. Miami, led by Pat Riley, pursued him for exactly that reason: to win now. The Bucks, by contrast, are under a different kind of pressure. Trading the best player in franchise history is enormous, but Milwaukee’s burden is long-term execution, not immediate winning. The return package and draft assets signal a reset. Their focus now is on rebuilding, developing younger pieces and using picks wisely. So the Heat carry the sharper, more immediate burden. If Miami does not turn this move into a deep playoff run or a title push quickly, the trade will be judged harshly. Milwaukee will be judged over years; Miami will be judged right away.

Q: As new anti-tanking rules loom, is this the last draft where a full 'tear-it-down' rebuild is viable?

Yes. In practical terms, the 2026 draft is the last one in which a classic “tear-it-down” rebuild still makes sense. The key reason is timing. The NBA’s new anti-tanking lottery system begins with the 2027 draft, and it is designed to make finishing at the very bottom much less rewarding. Under the approved “3-2-1” format, the lottery expands to 16 teams, odds are flattened, and the three worst teams are actually penalized: their chance at the No. 1 pick drops sharply, and they can slide as low as No. 12. That removes the old logic of racing to the league’s worst record. The league has also added limits aimed at multi-year tanking. Teams cannot win the No. 1 pick in back-to-back years, and they cannot hold top-five picks in three straight drafts, with that rule already backdated to recent drafts. That makes a long “Process”-style rebuild much harder to execute. This year’s draft still sits under the old incentive structure, which is why teams such as Milwaukee, now rebuilding after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, can still justify prioritizing draft position and asset accumulation. But from 2027 onward, the smarter model will be a softer reset: collect multiple picks, stay competitive enough to avoid the bottom-three penalty, and rely more on trades and development than on outright losing. A full teardown will not disappear entirely, but its payoff will be far less certain. That makes 2026 the likely end of the traditional tank-for-the-top-pick era.

3 articles · Updated · NBC Sports · Jun 23

AJ Dybantsa is projected to go No. 1 to Washington in NBC Sports’ final 2026 mock draft, with the top five otherwise unchanged ahead of Tuesday’s draft in Brooklyn.
Trae Young’s new deal in Washington and Darryn Peterson’s meeting with Utah reinforce that order, sending Peterson to the Jazz at No. 2 and Cameron Boozer to Memphis at No. 3.
Two recent trades are expected to hit later in the first round more than the top: Miami would make Milwaukee’s No. 13 pick in the pending Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, while Brooklyn is set to receive No. 28 in the Julius Randle trade.
That reshuffling sends Yaxel Lendeborg to the Bucks at No. 13 and Jayden Quaintance to the Nets at No. 28, while Chicago’s frontcourt overhaul after acquiring Nic Claxton is reflected by Caleb Wilson at No. 4.
The mock underscores a draft shaped by post-Finals roster moves, with teams still able to trade picks before deals become official when the new league year opens July 6.