It’s already common knowledge that the upcoming NBA draft class will be one for the ages. Whether it can rival the legendary 1984, 1996, and 2003 batches is still up in the air, but this is the year when general managers might have the widest safety net. The pool is so deep that it’s hard to get it wrong.
With that being said, there isn’t a bigger safety net than actually picking first. When you’re on the clock at No. 1, the board bends to you, not the other way around. That is why, according to Brian Windhorst, every single one of the 30 NBA franchises is willing to shell out a considerable amount of dough if that’s what it takes to secure it.
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Nine digits for the No. 1 pick?
Anyone out of Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, and AJ Dybantsa can be a franchise-changing piece. However, picking first means you can address a need without sacrificing talent.
For instance, the Washington Wizards do not need a big man like Boozer because they recently acquired Anthony Davis, and Alex Sarr is figuring things out. Putting another mouth to feed in the roster might stall the development of Sarr or Tristan Vukcevic, if they intend to keep the 7-footer beyond his two-way deal.
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The same can be said of the other 29 teams, which explains why they won’t hesitate to spend nine figures to secure top-tier talent who fills a glaring hole on the roster.
“I had an executive tell me the No. 1 pick is worth $100 million,” Windhorst told Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon on “The Hoop Collective.” “That if you gave the opportunity to buy that pick, teams would pay a hundred million dollars for it. So, keep that in mind when the Jazz were fined $500,000.”
Of course, Windy was referring to the NBA’s sanctioning of Utah for half a million dollars because of how they approached a game against the Miami Heat (which they won, by the way). The Jazz sat down three of their five starters in the final quarter, raising eyebrows from the league office.
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The word was that the Oklahoma City Thunder used their so-called “back channels” to bring this to the NBA’s attention, and they succeeded.
Nonetheless, the point was that the Jazz could not care less. $500,000 is a lot of money for most people, but it is chump change for a franchise valued at over $4 billion. Any team would kill for a chance to have the first crack at the 2026 goldmine, and if the price to pay is $100 million, so be it.
Rookie free agents?
Obviously, that scenario will never happen. If it does, Steve Ballmer will just outbid everyone, which makes the whole thing even more unfair than it already is.
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Speaking of parity and fairness, some NBA personalities floated the idea of making rookies free agents. The draft will be gone, and so will the lottery. Every team bids for the services of a certain player within their salary cap situation.
“If you want to go give Cooper Flagg $45 million per year coming out of college, do it. He’s a free agent. Everybody coming out is a free agent. With no draft, there’s no incentive to lose, there’s none at all,” former NBA coach and current Prime Video analyst Stan Van Gundy said.
It’s an interesting proposal, but it sounds more like the old Wild West than anything else. That said, it highlights the value of elite young talent in today’s NBA economy. Whether it’s scrapping the draft altogether or paying a hypothetical nine-figure fee for the No. 1 pick, teams want to control their future.
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Which brings us back to Windy’s point: When NBA front office executives discreetly place a $100 million value on a single draft slot, it tells you everything you need to know about the quality of the 2026 class.
Related: “It’s the dirty little secret that everybody knows about” – High-ranking NBA Executive exposes the league’s biggest problem
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
