There are only 14 No. 1 overall picks in the NBA right now, but the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards have managed to load up in a way that stands out even in a league full of movement. Each team has six of them on the books after the Mavericks landed Zaccharie Risacher from the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal on Sunday.
That puts both franchises in rare territory. The Mavericks now have Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg and Risacher, while the Wizards are carrying Anthony Davis, Deandre Ayton and AJ Dybantsa. It’s the kind of collection that makes you stop and look twice, especially when you consider how many former top picks are spread across the rest of the league.
The list of current No. 1 picks starts with LeBron James, who was taken in 2003 and is still in the NBA as a free agent. He’s outlasted the seven No. 1 selections that came after him, which is wild on its own. James could theoretically join the Mavericks or Wizards and push one of those teams even further up the count, but that’s highly unlikely.
Irving, the No. 1 pick in 2011 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, has been with Dallas since February 2023. He hasn’t played since tearing his ACL in March 2025, and while the Mavericks are rebuilding, there was some question about whether the nine-time All-Star might be moved this summer. That doesn’t appear to be happening.
Davis, selected by the New Orleans Hornets with the No. 1 pick in 2012, was traded by Dallas to Washington in February 2026. Since then, there’s been chatter about him wanting out, but Wizards GM Will Dawkins recently said the big man wants to be in Washington. Dawkins also made it clear that they want him to keep him, so that’s that.
The Davis talk picked up because Washington also brought in Ayton, who was the No. 1 pick in 2018 by the Phoenix Suns and later acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers. With Alex Sarr already on the roster, it looked like the Wizards might be setting up for Davis to leave. Instead, Ayton is expected to come off the bench.
Ayton’s career has never quite matched the billing that came with being a top pick, and Washington will be his fourth team. He was the last No. 1 pick to be traded by the team that drafted him before Risacher, and neither move came as much of a shock.
Risacher’s exit from Atlanta followed a rough second season. The Hawks took him No. 1 in 2024, but he underwhelmed, saw his role shrink in his sophomore year and barely appeared in the 2026 playoffs. Quin Snyder clearly wasn’t sold on him, and Dallas will hope a change of scenery gets more out of him.
He’ll now join Flagg, the Mavericks’ No. 1 pick in 2025, who won Rookie of the Year and has already looked every bit the part of a future star. Dallas had three No. 1 picks on its roster last season as well - Flagg, Irving and Davis - but Irving’s injury kept that group from ever taking the floor together.
The final name on the current list is Dybantsa, the Wizards’ 2026 No. 1 pick. He put up 50 points across two Summer League games, and the talent is obvious. Whether he becomes a superstar is still a question for later.
In Other News...
Lakers Trade Idea Would Put Mavericks In The Middle Of Luka Drama
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One of the louder ideas floating around would drag the Mavericks into the middle of it, with Bronny James at the center of a package that could send rotation help and future value back to Dallas. The appeal for the Lakers is obvious if they want another frontcourt piece to fit alongside Doncic and Reaves, but for the Mavericks the real intrigue is how much they would be willing to ask for in return if this particular conversation keeps moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
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Now he is with the Lakers on a one-year deal and once again attached to Doncics world, this time as a player expected to handle a major share of the opponents best perimeter assignments. For Dallas, it is a small but familiar sting: the kind of defender it wanted, the kind of defender it could use, and the kind of defender it still has to watch help someone else chase the same goals. [Read more 🡒]
Luka Trade Fallout May Have Just Created Another Mavericks Gut Punch
The Mavericks February trade of Luka Doni keeps echoing far beyond Dallas, and the latest ripple landed in Los Angeles. The Lakers have spent months trying to stabilize the center spot, first with a failed swing at Mark Williams and then by turning to Deandre Ayton as the starter, but their latest move for Walker Kessler came with a price that would have been hard to imagine before the Doni deal reset the market.
Los Angeles sent a heavy package of future draft assets to Utah for Kessler, and part of the internal logic was simple: the Lakers felt more comfortable paying that kind of cost because of what they did not have to surrender in the Doni trade. It is another reminder that Dallas did not just move on from a franchise star in February, it also helped shape the way other teams are now spending, and Kessler may end up as one more player whose value is viewed through the lens of what Doni can unlock around him. [Read more 🡒]