With the NBA Draft less than a week away, it appears that BYU superstar AJ Dybantsa is no longer a shoo-in to be selected by the Washington Wizards with the No. 1 overall pick. According to the latest reporting from NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake L. Fischer, there are supposedly multiple draft experts that now believe Washington could elect to take Kansas phenom Darryn Peterson with the top pick instead of Dybantsa.
DEVELOPING: Multiple draft experts “legitimately” believe the Wizards could pick Darryn Peterson with the No. 1 overall pick over AJ Dybantsa.
(via @TheSteinLine, @JakeLFischer) pic.twitter.com/l9ulYoc8t5
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 19, 2026
The news comes after it was reported earlier this week Peterson was only going to conduct a pre-draft visit with Washington and was intending on spurning Utah, who was also reportedly “torn” between selecting Peterson or Duke’s Carlos Boozer, presuming Dybantsa was going going to end up in Washington. With the Wizards looking deeper into selecting Peterson, however, it opens up the possibility of Utah ending up with the player they wanted all along in Dybantsa without even having to move up.
Smoke Screen Or The Real Thing?
Of course, you also can’t discount the possibility that these leaks are strategic from the Wizards, who could likely get a seriously intriguing offer from the Jazz depending on how desperate Ryan Smith and company are to land a player who they consider their Golden Goose. Dybantsa played his senior year of high school at Utah Prep in Hurricane before signing a record NIL deal with BYU reportedly worth $7 million, a deal that was in large part facilitated by Smith. Utah hasn’t made an attempt to move up yet, but it’s reasonable to believe they’d be willing to if Washington’s front office picks up the phone.
It’s a near certainty that speculation regarding who will go No. 1 will only ramp up even further in the coming days, but the reality is the Wizards current draft predicament is actually a pretty good one to be in all things considered. Both Dybantsa and Peterson have been deemed generational prospects since they were rising high school seniors and both players possess the traits necessary to change a team’s culture, even if neither necessarily did so during their one-year trial in the college ranks.
Why Peterson Makes Sense + Memphis’ Reprieve
It makes sense the Wizards are reportedly taking a deeper look at Peterson, considering the fact that Trae Young declined a $49 million player option to pursue free agency. Young is still expected to consider Washington among other suitors this summer, but you can never guarantee a franchise as volatile as the Wizards will be able to lock up a player like that. If they don’t expect they will, it makes the Peterson play an especially intriguing option for the Wizards. Doubly so if they can move down and select him.
For the Memphis Grizzlies in the No. 3 slot, the Wizards taking Peterson and the Jazz taking Dybantsa would lock in their ability to select Boozer, Duke’s consensus National NCAA Player of the Year. This pick is essentially a must-hit for Memphis, considering the fact the 2027 first-round pick it acquired from Utah in exchange for Jaren Jackson Jr. can no longer land in the top five after the league’s newly implemented lottery reform. It’s fitting that Boozer is the perfect Jackson Jr. replacement, with even more potential on the offensive end.
Memphis moved up from No. 6 in the draft lottery and it’s not much of a gamble to take Boozer at No. 3. Washington is on the clock, so to speak.
Editor’s Pick
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