The Dallas Mavericks took Duke star Cooper Flagg at No. 1 overall as expected, and a whole host of picks changed hands over the two days of the NBA Draft. The Utah Jazz took a gamble by selecting Ace Bailey at No. 5, Duke had three players go in the top 10, and the Brooklyn Nets did, in fact, use all five of their first-round picks.

After going 64-18 in the 2024-25 regular season and earning the conference’s No. 1 seed, the Cavs were eliminated by NBA finalist Indiana in Round Two. The Pacers, who will likely be without star guard Tyrese Haliburton for all of 2025-26, eventually lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

The NBA has had Victor Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg as obvious No. 1 overall draft picks in recent years. AJ Dybantsa has been headed toward that status for 2026.

NBA Draft complete, it's time to look ahead at some of the top players likely to be picked in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.

BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Kansas' Darryn Peterson and Duke's Cameron Boozer headline potential lottery candidates for the 2026 NBA Draft.