TITLE: Wizards and Nets Officially Knocked Out of 2026 NBA Playoff Race
SLUG: wizards-nets-eliminated-2026-playoffs
CONTENT:
The Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets were officially removed from postseason contention on Thursday night after both clubs suffered road losses that left them too far back in the Eastern Conference standings.
Washington fell 119-114 in overtime to the Orlando Magic, dropping the Wizards to 16-49. With only 17 games remaining, the team sits 18 wins behind the 10th-place Charlotte Hornets (34-33), the final spot in the East play-in field.
Brooklyn met a similar fate a few hours later, losing to the Atlanta Hawks and slipping to 17-49. The Nets have 16 games left but trail Charlotte by 17 victories (16.5 games), making a comeback mathematically impossible.
The Wizards and Nets become the third and fourth teams eliminated from the 2026 postseason picture, joining the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings.
Draft-pick implications
Washington’s 2026 first-round pick is top-eight protected and would transfer to the New York Knicks only if it lands ninth or lower. At present, the Wizards own the league’s third-worst record, ensuring the selection cannot fall out of the top eight. If that holds, Washington will instead send the Knicks two second-round picks in 2026 and 2027.
Brooklyn controls its own 2026 first-round pick. The Nets do not possess full control of their 2027 first-rounder, however; the Houston Rockets hold the right to swap selections that year. Even if the swap is exercised, Brooklyn would still retain two first-round picks in 2027—Houston’s and New York’s.
A previous version of this report inaccurately stated that Washington had already been eliminated before Thursday’s game in Orlando. The Wizards were officially ousted only after their overtime loss to the Magic.
Source: Hoops Rumors
