NBA Rumors: Wizards, No. 1 pick, Celtics, Jaylen Brown, Pacers

Wizards

The Wizards earned the No. 1 overall pick. Now comes the hard part. Or maybe the fun part.

One rival executive summed it up pretty well to The Athletic’s Josh Robbins and David Aldridge: “Great (expletive) problem to have.”

Washington suddenly finds itself in the middle of a loaded debate atop the 2026 draft. And according to the league executives and scouts surveyed by The Athletic, there’s no total consensus on who should go first.

Seven evaluators reportedly favored AJ Dybantsa. Two preferred Darryn Peterson. One picked Cameron Boozer. Three others wouldn’t commit.

That probably tells you all you need to know about this class.

There may not be a slam-dunk choice, but there are several players viewed as potential franchise changers. For a Wizards team deep into its rebuild, that’s not a bad place to be.

Celtics

Jaylen Brown technically becomes extension-eligible in late July. That doesn’t mean the Celtics are rushing to the table.

According to MassLive’s Brian Robb, Boston is expected to take its time, largely because Brown still has three years remaining on his current super-max contract.

In other words, there’s no immediate pressure here.

Instead, Celtics president Brad Stevens is expected to focus on roster tweaks this offseason, particularly adding more athleticism and another ball-handler.

The draft could help.

The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn mentioned Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, Duke forward Isaiah Evans and Texas wing Dailyn Swain as possible names to watch for Boston at No. 27 overall.

The Celtics have never been afraid to target upside late in the first round. Sounds like that mindset hasn’t changed.

Pacers

Lottery night didn’t exactly go Indiana’s way.

The Pacers lost their first-round pick, leaving them with fewer obvious paths to improving the roster this summer. Still, that doesn’t mean they’ll sit quietly.

According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, Indiana may look to add another wing with size through either free agency or the trade market.

There’s also the possibility that the Pacers try to work their way back into the draft, most likely somewhere in the second round.

That could make sense for a team that already has much of its core intact but still needs more depth on the perimeter.