The jury is still out on what the Washington Wizards decide to do with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
All signs point to Washington deciding between BYU standout AJ Dybantsa and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson with their top selection, but a trade down hasn't been ruled out.
Initially, it seemed like the Utah Jazz could make a blockbuster offer to move up from No. 2 overall to select Dybantsa, who was reportedly hoping to stay in Utah ahead of the NBA Draft Lottery.
Nonetheless, those rumors have fizzled down, and the most noise now seems to be the Jazz standing pat at No. 2 to select the best player available after the Wizards make their selection.
Most people assumed that would lead the Jazz to select Peterson, assuming Washington opted to select Dybantsa as most expected.
Nonetheless, based on the draft prediction from NBA mind Bill Simmons, the Jazz could be eyeing Cameron Boozer with their pick, which could open the door for a wild scenario for Washington.
Wizards could trade down with Memphis and still land Darryn Peterson
On a recent episode of the Bill Simmons podcast, Simmons discussed the possible routes Utah could take with their No. 2 overall pick.
The projected route for the Jazz to take is one that not many people have suggested yet, but could make things interesting.
“I think he’s [Danny Ainge] gonna stay away from Peterson, and I could see him taking Boozer at two," Simmons said. "That would be my bet right now. I might be wrong, but I really think they’re gonna take Boozer. I do. I can’t explain it, but I think they’re gonna take Boozer at two.”
If that were the case, and the Wizards happened to settle on Peterson as their guy, they could roll the dice on making a move back with the Memphis Grizzlies, who hold the No. 3 overall pick to accumulate additional assets, whether that be draft compensation or young players, while still managing to land their guy in Peterson.
A lot would have to happen for this scenario to unfold
Obviously, for this scenario to happen, multiple things would have to happen.
For starters, the word would have to get back to Washington that the Jazz would indeed be taking Boozer at No. 2, or Dybantsa, assuming Memphis didn't.
The Wizards would also have to trust that the Grizzlies wouldn't take Peterson for themselves at No. 1, which in turn would leave Dybantsa to Utah and Boozer falling to the Wizards at No. 3.
This wild scenario also stems from the idea that Washington prefers Peterson, which at this point, less than two weeks away from the draft, seems doubtful.
At the end of the day, the most likely outcome is that the Wizards stand pat at No. 1 and select Dybantsa, but if things were going to get crazy, this is an idea that would do exactly that.
