The Utah Jazz moved up in the 2026 NBA draft lottery held Sunday, although not quite to No. 1.
Holding the fourth-best odds for the top pick with an 11.5% chance, the Jazz received the second pick, marking the first time the Jazz have moved up in the draft with their own pick.
“Jazz fans have waited a long time for something like this,” president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said. “I’m really excited for our fans.”
The Washington Wizards won the lottery and will have the No. 1 overall pick at the 2026 draft, with BYU star AJ Dybantsa the likely selection.
Since the Jazz traded its All-Stars in 2022 and started this multi-year rebuild, the team has tried multiple times to land a high draft pick. The highest they’d reached prior to Sunday was the No. 5 pick last year, which was exactly where the odds said they would land. The team selected Ace Bailey with that pick in the 2025 draft.
But this time, the Jazz jumped up in the draft and will have the chance to get a player that has All-Star and franchise-changing talent.
“It feels great, a big relief,” Ainge said. “It’s a really important tool for us to help build this winning team. So, couldn’t be more happy.”
Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and Duke’s Cam Boozer are largely considered to be in the mix with Dybantsa for the top three selections of the upcoming draft. Dybantsa is the general consensus for the No. 1 pick, but there’s not full and obvious agreement across the board.
That being said, having the second pick in the draft makes things a lot easier for the Jazz than had they ended up with the fifth or seventh pick, for example.
“For sure, a lot easier,” Ainge told the Deseret News. “We just have to figure out who believe is No. 1 and No. 2... It’s much easier, but we still have to get it right.”
Also on the table is the potential to move up to No. 1, or drop back in the draft via trade, and the Jazz will be willing to listen to any team that wants to make an offer. But an offer for a trade for this pick would have to be one that makes incredible longterm sense for the Jazz, as they are now a team that is ready to start pushing toward contention.
The 2026 NBA Draft is slated for June 23 (first round) and 24 (second round).