The NBA's early-entry deadline for the 2026 Draft expired at 11:59 PM ET on Friday, April 24. The three players the league has been talking about for two years all filed: BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Duke forward Cameron Boozer, and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson. With them, the 2026 class is now formally the deepest top-three of the post-Wiggins-Parker-Embiid era — and the question of who actually goes No. 1 is suddenly less settled than it was in February.
Dybantsa, the 6-foot-9 wing who reclassified up to BYU and led the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament, has been the consensus No. 1 since he was a high school sophomore. The pre-college tape, the high school dominance, the BYU year (averages of 20.4 / 6.1 / 3.7 on 47% shooting against Big 12 defenses), and the late-March eye test in the tournament all argue he is the best prospect in the class. The case against him is binary — durability concerns from a December ankle sprain that lingered into March, and a Big 12 conference defensive scheme that flattened his per-game efficiency in the back half of the year.
Cameron Boozer is the prospect a lot of front offices privately have at No. 1. The Duke freshman put up 18.7 / 9.8 / 4.2 on 53% shooting and a 64% true-shooting clip — the most efficient freshman season at Duke since Zion Williamson. Boozer's bet is on translatability: every measurable he posts (vertical, hand size, lateral quickness, shooting motion) projects cleanly to NBA-starter-or-better, and he is the only prospect in the top tier with both elite frontcourt scoring and switchable defense. The case against him is shorter — he is a 6'9" four with a developing handle, and if his three-point shot doesn't hold, he is a slightly-better Pascal Siakam at No. 1 instead of a slightly-worse Anthony Davis.
Darryn Peterson is the dark horse who has climbed every published board for six straight months. The Kansas freshman lead guard — 18.9 / 4.8 / 5.1 on 49/40/82 — has the cleanest scoring profile in the class and the only true point-guard skill set in the top five. His on-ball pull-up game at the elbow plays at the next level immediately. Brooklyn, holding the No. 1 odds in the lottery (14% along with Indiana and Washington), reportedly has Peterson at the top of its tier — a function of incumbent personnel (the Nets need a lead guard) more than absolute talent ranking.
The lottery is Sunday, May 10 at 3 PM ET on ABC. The draft is split across two nights — Round 1 on Tuesday, June 23, Round 2 on Wednesday, June 24. This is the final cycle under the current lottery odds before the league's planned anti-tanking reform takes effect in 2027. Three teams (Brooklyn, Indiana, Washington) hold a 14% chance at the No. 1 pick; the Wolves, in front of us as we publish this, will start the lottery with the No. 16 pick after Saturday's win in Denver.
If the lottery breaks for the Nets, expect Peterson at No. 1 with Boozer No. 2 and Dybantsa No. 3 — a positional fit play. If it breaks for the Wizards, expect Boozer No. 1 (they need a frontcourt anchor next to Bilal Coulibaly) with Dybantsa No. 2 and Peterson No. 3. If it breaks for the Pacers — the most fascinating outcome — expect Dybantsa No. 1, because Indiana is the only team in the top three that doesn't have a positional need that overrides best-player-available.