The NBA is already shifting gears, just under two weeks since the New York Knicks celebrated with the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Tonight marks the start of the 2026 NBA Draft, with the Washington Wizards holding the coveted No. 1 overall pick after finishing last in the previous season.
However, what the Wizards plan to do with that pick remains uncertain. There’s quite a bit of speculation, but not much agreement on who might be the best choice. They have several promising options: AJ Divanza from BYU, Darrin Peterson from Kansas, and Cameron Boozer from Duke are all in the mix.
Divanza has been regarded as a strong candidate, having put up impressive stats in his rookie year with the Cougars—averaging around 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets are set to make their initial selection at No. 6, and the defending champion Knicks will pick at No. 24.
Here’s a brief rundown of what you need to know to catch this year’s NBA Draft:
2026 NBA Draft Date and Start Time
The first round kicks off tonight, June 23rd, at 8 PM ET on ESPN and ABC. The second round follows tomorrow, June 24th, at the same time, also on ESPN.
How to watch and stream the 2026 NBA Draft for free
If you’re not a cable subscriber, a live TV streaming service is a decent option to stream the draft for free. DIRECTV offers a five-day free trial that includes ESPN and ABC. After that, it’s about $49.99 per month for access to over 90 live channels.
If you want a shorter commitment, you might consider the Sling Orange Day Pass for $4.99. This gives you access to Sling TV Orange, including ESPN, for 24 hours. There are also weekend and week passes available.
2026 NBA Draft Ranking:
The following list shows the first-round draft order:
- washington wizards
- utah jazz
- memphis grizzlies
- chicago bulls
- LA Clippers (from Indiana)
- brooklyn nets
- sacramento kings
- Atlanta Hawks (from New Orleans)
- dallas mavericks
- milwaukee bucks
- golden state warriors
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Los Angeles Clippers)
- milwaukee bucks
- charlotte hornets
- chicago bulls (from portland)
- memphis grizzlies (from phoenix via orlando)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from philadelphia)
- charlotte hornets (orlando via phoenix)
- toronto raptors
- san antonio spurs (from atlanta)
- detroit pistons (from minnesota)
- philadelphia 76ers (from houston via oklahoma city)
- atlanta hawks (from cleveland)
- new york knicks
- los angeles lakers
- denver nuggets
- boston celtics
- brooklyn nets
- cleveland cavaliers (from san antonio via atlanta)
- dallas mavericks (from oklahoma city via philadelphia)
NBA Draft 2nd Round Pick Order
- new york knicks (from washington, via oklahoma city, houston)
- memphis grizzlies (indiana via milwaukee)
- minnesota timberwolves
- sacramento kings
- san antonio spurs (from utah via minnesota)
- LA clippers (from memphis, via utah, atlanta)
- oklahoma city thunder (from dallas)
- chicago bulls (from new orleans via boston, detroit, and portland)
- houston rockets (chicago via washington)
- boston celtics (milwaukee via orlando)
- miami heat (golden state via charlotte, new york, oklahoma city, atlanta)
- san antonio spurs (portland via new orleans)
- brooklyn nets (from los angeles clippers via houston)
- san antonio spurs (from miami via indiana)
- sacramento kings (charlotte via san antonio, atlanta, new york)
- orlando magic
- phoenix suns (from philadelphia, via houston, oklahoma city)
- dallas mavericks (phoenix via washington)
- denver nuggets (atlanta to brooklyn via golden state)
- toronto raptors
- washington wizards (from minnesota via detroit and new york)
- LA clippers (from cleveland)
- houston rockets
- golden state warriors (from los angeles lakers via toronto, miami, and cleveland)
- new york knicks
- chicago bulls (from denver via minnesota, phoenix, charlotte)
- atlanta hawks (from boston)
- new orleans pelicans (detroit via new york, brooklyn, phoenix, orlando, LA clippers)
- minnesota timberwolves (from san antonio via indiana)
- washington wizards (oklahoma city to san antonio via miami)
