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NBA Draft: 7 winners and losers from the first round in 2026
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- NBA Draft: 7 winners and losers from the first round in 2026
Tuesday night in the NBA was a momentous one as we watched the next class of top young players enter the league through the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft .
And make no mistake: The first round had it all.
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You could argue that the top four teams all received a potential future superstar. You could be so happy for a certain first-year coach watching some of his mentees realize their ultimate dreams. You could feel bad for a certain NBA legend being muted on national television during a centerpiece speaking moment. You could even be a little upset if you're not a Los Angeles Lakers fan for watching them get one of the steals of the draft.
There's so much to unpack. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
Winner(s): The Washington Wizards , Utah Jazz , Memphis Grizzlies , and Chicago Bulls
This is hardly a unique or "hot" take, but each of the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Bulls has to be riding high after their respective picks in the top four. No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa should fit like a glove next to Trae Young and a promising young Washington core. No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson could make a lot of magic alongside Keyonte George and a solid frontcourt featuring Lauri Markannen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in Utah. No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer is exactly the kind of solid forward Memphis can build its cadre of youthful players. Finally, No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson's athleticism and upside make him one of the more exciting Bulls draft picks in years.
Everyone here comes out happy, and everyone might have a long-term franchise player on their hands.
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Loser: Anyone expecting much drama or external intrigue in the draft
Well, so much for all the pre-draft bluster about there being landscape-shifting trades on the night of the draft. Not a single meaningful veteran was moved during the proceedings, while the first round was a mostly chalky affair featuring a draft order that everyone more or less expected. Don't get me wrong. The draft class itself, especially at the top, remains one of the best ones in recent memory. But man, it would've been cool to see at least one cool trade happen! Alas. We'll have to get closer to the upcoming free agency period for any of that to happen.
Loser: NBA teams navigating tough financial and future decisions not using the draft as an outlet
On a related note, it was a little odd seeing no NBA teams up against the financial wall (either by necessity or self-imposed) use the first round of the draft as a pressure release valve. For example, the Denver Nuggets , who are apparently trying to shed salary while working to retain promising wing Peyton Watson , instead traded their No. 26 overall pick for three second-rounders. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans are still keeping Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III for now, and Ja Morant still, weirdly, remains a member of the Memphis Grizzlies .
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Squads like this are aware that the first round of the NBA Draft is a fantastic conduit for facilitating deals because of the inherent pressure of a deadline ... right? I'm not so sure after seeing Tuesday night unfold.
Winner: Dusty May, for watching his Michigan Wolverines thrive
Not only did new Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May get one of his former players in Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9 overall, but he also watched two of his former players in Yaxel Landenborg (No. 11 overall) and Aday Mara (No. 12 overall) get selected as lottery picks. That's three, yes, three players picked in the top 14 for the defending national champions. May's reaction to Mara getting drafted says it all:
Talk about a tremendous program win and a testament to all the talent the Wolverines possessed this past season.
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Loser: Dirk Nowitzki , for running into ESPN audio issues at the worst possible time
The good news for Dirk Nowitzki is that we already know what he told new Charlotte Hornet and fellow German Hannes Steinbach about making it in the NBA . The bad news is that when it came time to share this widely to a national TV audience live on ESPN, Nowitzki's audio for the clip was muted . No one heard him say a thing. It felt like the awkward first moments of a Zoom or Teams meeting, except it involved a basketball legend. Sigh.
It seems even the highest levels of basketball aren't immune to technological snafus like this. What a shame.
Winner: The Lakers for getting one of the steals of the draft
Ahead of a pivotal offseason building around Luka Dončić , the Lakers desperately need more athleticism and shooting. They got just that in Cameron Carr at No. 24 overall, a prospect that many were surprised to still see hanging around at that stage of the draft. USA TODAY's draft expert Bryan Kalbrosky is a big fan of the pick:
"Cameron Carr was surprisingly still available this late in the first round despite having arguably the best performance of anyone at the 2026 NBA Draft Combine. Arguably the best athlete of anyone, especially among prospects in this range, Carr also provides value as someone who can stretch the floor as a shooter as well. With a wingspan nearly 7-foot-1, he should make a defensive impact breaking up passing lanes and blocking shots as well."
GRADE: A
Carr's unique ability to stretch the floor, along with his length, could provide an immediate two-way impact that the Lakers will be more than happy to utilize moving forward.
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Loser: The Sacramento Kings , for not setting up their new top prospect to succeed
Don't get me wrong. I think Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 overall pick to Sacramento, can be a great player in the NBA. But man, was this a "counting chickens before they hatch" kind of pick for the Kings, who, at the time of this writing, still consist of so many guards and wings who need the ball in their hands. Not to mention that the Kings have no proven model of development. As Jalen Brunson has shown, Acuff's player archetype of "small guard" can thrive at the highest levels of the NBA.
But the Kings don't have the best track record of developing and keeping high-end initiators in light of Tyrese Haliburton 's and De'Aaron Fox's departures in recent years. Acuff is clearly going to have to break a long-standing trend for a broken franchise.
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: 7 NBA Draft 2026 winners and losers from the first round
