The 2026 NBA Draft is roughly 10 months away, yet numerous teams have already traded or encumbered their first-round selections. The following rundown shows where each of the 30 projected first-round picks currently resides and outlines every known protection or swap arrangement. This tracker will be updated as additional transactions occur.
Note: Clubs marked with an asterisk (*) have already dealt their 2027 first-round pick (with or without protections) and, under the Stepien Rule, cannot freely trade their 2026 first-rounder.
Atlantic Division
- Boston Celtics: Own pick.
- Brooklyn Nets: Own pick.
- New York Knicks (*) : Own pick.
- Philadelphia 76ers: Pick owed to Thunder (top-four protected). If protected, Oklahoma City instead receives Philadelphia’s 2027 first (top-four protected).
- Toronto Raptors: Own pick.
Central Division
- Chicago Bulls: Own pick.
- Cleveland Cavaliers (*) : Pick could go to Hawks or Jazz (full details below).
- Detroit Pistons: Own pick.
- Indiana Pacers: Own pick.
- Milwaukee Bucks (*) : Hawks hold swap rights; Atlanta will receive the more favorable of the Bucks’ and Pelicans’ picks, leaving Milwaukee the less favorable of the two.
Southeast Division
- Atlanta Hawks (*) : Spurs hold swap rights (full details below).
- Charlotte Hornets: Own pick.
- Miami Heat (*) : Own pick.
- Orlando Magic: Pick owed to Grizzlies or Hornets (full details below).
- Washington Wizards: Pick owed to Knicks (top-eight protected). If protected, New York instead receives Washington’s 2026 and 2027 second-rounders, and the Wizards retain swap rights on the first-rounder (see below).
Northwest Division
- Denver Nuggets (*) : Own pick.
- Minnesota Timberwolves (*) : Jazz hold swap rights (full details below).
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Own pick.
- Portland Trail Blazers: Pick owed to Bulls (top-14 protected). If protected, Chicago receives Portland’s 2027 first (top-14 protected).
- Utah Jazz: Pick owed to Thunder (top-eight protected). If protected, Utah’s obligation is extinguished and the Jazz gain swap rights on their own pick (see below).
Pacific Division
- Golden State Warriors: Own pick.
- Los Angeles Clippers: Pick will go to Thunder or Wizards. Oklahoma City receives the two most favorable among its own pick, Houston’s top-four-protected pick, and the Clippers’ pick; Washington receives the least favorable of the three.
- Los Angeles Lakers (*) : Own pick.
- Phoenix Suns (*) : Pick will be sent to Wizards, Grizzlies, or Hornets (full details below).
- Sacramento Kings: Own pick.
Southwest Division
- Dallas Mavericks (*) : Own pick.
- Houston Rockets: Pick owed to Thunder or Wizards (top-four protected). If protected, Houston sends its 2026 second-round pick to Oklahoma City, and the Thunder receive only one of the two previously described first-rounders.
- Memphis Grizzlies: Own pick, but subject to swap rights (full details below).
- New Orleans Pelicans: Pick will go to Hawks or Bucks. Atlanta receives the more favorable of the Bucks’ and Pelicans’ picks; Milwaukee gets the less favorable.
- San Antonio Spurs (*) : Own pick, but subject to swap rights (full details below).
Complex Multi-Team Arrangements
Spurs–Hawks–Jazz–Timberwolves–Cavaliers Scenario
The following distributions apply to those five first-rounders:
- Spurs: Receive the most favorable of their own pick or the Hawks’ pick.
- Jazz: If their pick lands in the top eight, they receive the most favorable of their own pick, the Timberwolves’ pick, or the Cavaliers’ pick.
- Timberwolves: Receive the least favorable of their own pick or the Jazz’s pick (if the Jazz pick is in the top eight).
- Hawks: Receive the most favorable of (a) the less favorable between their own pick and the Spurs’ pick and (b) the less favorable between the Cavaliers’ pick and whichever is more favorable between the Jazz (top eight) and Timberwolves picks.
- Cavaliers: Receive the least favorable of the two groupings outlined above for the Hawks.
If the Jazz pick falls outside the top eight, it transfers to the Thunder, the Timberwolves retain their own pick, and the Jazz/Timberwolves selections are removed from the Hawks/Cavaliers calculations.
Suns–Wizards–Magic–Grizzlies–Hornets Scenario
- Wizards: If their pick is in the top eight, they receive the more favorable of their own pick or the Suns’ pick.
- Grizzlies: Receive the two most favorable of (a) their own pick, (b) the Magic’s pick, and (c) the less favorable between the Wizards’ top-eight pick and the Suns’ pick.
- Hornets: Receive the least favorable of the three picks described above.
If the Wizards pick lands outside the top eight, it transfers to the Knicks. In that case, the Wizards’ pick is removed from consideration for the Grizzlies and Hornets, and Washington no longer controls a first-rounder in 2026.
RealGM transaction logs were consulted in compiling this tracker.
Source: Hoops Rumors
