Washington D.C. — The Washington Wizards landed the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and for a fan base that hasn’t seen a conference finals appearance since 1979, that ping-pong ball bounce felt like a lifeline. But if there’s a blueprint for turning a lottery win into a championship, it might have just been written 250 miles north in New York.
The Knicks just hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time since 1973, and their path from laughingstock to champion looks a lot like the one Washington is trying to follow. Both franchises hit rock bottom — New York went 17-65 in 2018-19, Washington matched that record this past season. Both have owners who famously meddled and then learned to step back. And both had a chance to draft a franchise-altering talent at the top of the board.
The difference? The Knicks didn’t win the lottery in 2019. They fell to No. 3 and took RJ Barrett, while Zion Williamson (New Orleans) and Ja Morant (Memphis) became All-Stars. It looked like a franchise-altering miss. But New York turned Barrett into OG Anunoby, who hit a game-winning tip-in in Game 4 of the Finals and helped close out San Antonio in five games.
Washington, on the other hand, holds the keys to this draft. The consensus around the league, per ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, is that the Wizards will select BYU forward AJ Dybantsa at No. 1, though Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and Duke forward Cam Boozer also have top-pick talent. Dybantsa left his Washington workout last week “fully of the belief that he will be the No. 1 pick,” Siegel reported, calling the visit “perfect.”
Patience at the Top
The Wizards’ front office, led by president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins, has followed a similar long-game philosophy to Knicks president Leon Rose and executive vice president William Wesley. Both ownership groups — Ted Leonsis in Washington, James Dolan in New York — have publicly admitted they interfered too much in the past. Dolan told Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson’s podcast in 2025 that he regrets earlier moves like the Carmelo Anthony trade. Leonsis told Sports Business Journal in April that Winger and Dawkins “play chess when sometimes it seems I might have been playing checkers.”
The Knicks built through patience: they signed Brunson in 2022, traded Barrett for Anunoby in 2023, dealt Julius Randle for Karl-Anthony Towns in 2024, and replaced Tom Thibodeau with Mike Brown this past season. Brown led them to the title. Washington’s version of that puzzle is still being assembled, but the pieces are starting to fit.
The Roster Taking Shape
Washington flipped Bradley Beal (and his no-trade clause) to Phoenix for Chris Paul, then turned those assets into Trae Young from Atlanta last season. They sent Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee and eventually landed Anthony Davis from Dallas. Young (6-foot-2, 164 pounds) and Davis (with a $62.7 million player option looming) give the Wizards veteran star power, while young players like Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, and Kyshawn George provide a developing core.
Sarr averaged 16.2 points and 7.4 rebounds last season. Johnson shot 35.8% from three as a rookie. George put up 14.8 points per game. The incoming No. 1 pick — presumably Dybantsa — will be the centerpiece.
There have been missteps. Washington dealt Deni Avdija to Portland for Bub Carrington and a future first-round pick; Avdija made his first All-Star team this year. The Wizards also reportedly turned down two first-round picks from Dallas for Kuzma in 2024 at the veteran’s request, a decision that looks questionable given the Mavericks won the 2025 lottery and took Cooper Flagg.
But the big-picture approach is clear: accumulate young talent, stay patient, and let the front office build without interference. It worked for the Knicks. Washington is betting it can work for them, too.
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