Wizards Eyeing AJ Dybantsa With No. 1 Pick?
Rival teams believe the Wizards are targeting BYU forward AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick, ESPN’s Shams Charania said on the network’s NBA Draft Preview show (YouTube link).
Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal reported a couple days ago that Washington “currently” plans to take Dybantsa, who’s ranked No. 2 on ESPN’s big board but goes first in the latest mock draft from ESPN’s Jeremy Woo.
Woo, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, and Charania all say opposing teams continue to think the Wizards will select Dybantsa, a 6’9″ wing who led the NCAA in scoring as a freshman.
“The league-wide belief right now is that BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is who is being looked at strongest for that No. 1 overall pick with the Washington Wizards,” Charania said. “ … They are really narrowing (in) on AJ Dybantsa because of his fit as a wing player, his flair, the passion he plays with as a fit alongside Trae Young at point guard and Anthony Davis at center.
“ … We’ll see what happens. Likely what we’re looking at is AJ Dybantsa at one, potentially.”
Charania and Woo reported last week that the Wizards were deciding between Dybantsa and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson for the top pick. Both players indicated on Monday that Washington hadn’t informed them about who the team plans to select, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
“I’m going to find out when you find out,” Dybantsa said.
Although Peterson declined to work out for the Jazz, who control the second pick, he said he met with the team over the weekend, Robbins writes.
“(It was) just a decision that was made, but I’m definitely not dodging any team. Whoever takes me, I’m going to come in and be delighted to be there,” Peterson said. “And wherever that happens to be, they’ll get the best me. But I’m not dodging any team. I’m ready to play for whoever.”
Peterson did work out for the Wizards, however, and said he enjoyed his time around the team. Both players believe they’d be good fits in D.C., Robbins adds.
“I went out there and met with the staff and the GMs and all that, and we connected, which is something huge for me.” Peterson said. “I want to have a connection with those guys. On the court, (the Wizards have) a young core. I’m going to be coming in as a young guy and playing beside some of those guys I know, I feel like I would fit in perfect.”
The Wizards aren’t listening to trade offers for the first pick and are expected to stay at No. 1, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link).
Draft Notes: Lewis, Dybantsa, Spurs, Top 75
NBL wing and 2026 NBA draft prospect Malique Lewis will work out for the Lakers on Tuesday, Olgun Uluc reports for ESPN. This will be the sixth and final team workout for Lewis, who previously auditioned for the Suns, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Celtics, and Cavaliers, according to Uluc.
Lewis, who is ranked 66th on ESPN’s big board, appears to be improving his stock as the draft nears. He had a strong performance in the adidas EuroCamp in June, which he was able to parlay into multiple workouts. Following the camp, he was medically cleared by the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel after a heart condition prevented him from participating in the G League combine.
Lewis has played in Australia for the past two seasons after spending the 2023/24 season with the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League, where he averaged 8.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per game while shooting 49.2% from the field and 35.1% on three-pointers. At 6’8″ with a 7’1″ wingspan, Lewis has good size for a wing and has shown interesting defensive tools in the various stops of his pre-draft journey.
We have more notes from around the 2026 draft:
- Top prospect AJ Dybantsa credits his father, Ace Dybantsa, for helping him become the player he is today, Jay Drew writes for the Deseret News. “He’s done a good job of just being there, making a lot of sacrifices, obviously, since Day 1, just taking me to practices, games, camps, all that,” the younger Dybantsa said. “I’ve traveled around the world with him. He’s my full-time manager. Most of all, he’s super strict and straightforward. He just tells me the truth. Doesn’t sugarcoat anything.” Dybantsa Sr. that he and his wife expect to move to whatever city drafts his son. “I am his dad, I am his manager, I am his security, I am his disciplinarian,” Ace said. “I am everything.”
- While the Spurs don’t have a lottery selection in the 2026 draft, they do control Nos. 20, 35, 42, and 44, giving them plenty of options, whether drafting at their own spots or moving up. Karim Lopez, Chris Cenac Jr., and Allen Graves are three players who could be available at No. 20 that may fit what the Spurs value, LJ Ellis writes for SpursTalk in his Spurs-specific big board.
- The top of the draft order remains something of a question mark, due largely to the fact that while there are several true No. 1 options, there is no Victor Wembanyama-level prospect, John Hollinger writes for The Athletic in his top-75 big board. Hollinger goes somewhat against the grain, listing Duke’s Cameron Boozer as his top option while including Caleb Wilson (UNC) in his top tier of prospects. He notes that after the top 15 picks, no one has the outlier qualities of Graves, though he admits that there is a lot of potential outcome variance with a Graves selection.
Fischer’s Latest: White, Gobert, Randle, Draft, More
While he doesn’t get the impression that the Celtics are actively trying to trade Derrick White — his sources say a move would be surprising — Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) writes that there’s a belief around the league that Boston has at the very least been willing to listen to calls about the veteran guard.
The Celtics are known to be in the market for frontcourt help and inquired about Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert ahead of the February deadline, sources tell Fischer. Sam Amick of The Athletic reported on Friday that the Wolves had “strong” interest in White, who makes $30.4MM next season, compared to $36.5MM for Gobert.
To be clear, Fischer doesn’t think the Wolves are trying to move Gobert either, but a White-for-Gobert deal makes some sense on the surface, since Minnesota is seeking backcourt upgrades and is believed to be open to various trade concepts to complement Anthony Edwards.
Here’s more from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up:
- People with knowledge of the situation tell Fischer that the Timberwolves have been more willing to float Julius Randle in trade talks than Gobert. Fischer refers to Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid as being “off-limits” in those conversations and wonders what a package built around Randle might bring Minnesota in return, pointing to Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant as one player who is “very available.”
- Although the Kings have been repeatedly linked to Darius Acuff and there’s a perception around the NBA that he’s far and away their preferred option at No. 7, Fischer continues to hear that Sacramento seems content with selecting whichever guard the team has highest on its board at that spot and isn’t solely focused on Acuff.
- Fischer gets the sense that Keaton Wagler and Mikel Brown are likely to be selected fifth and sixth overall, in some order, by the Clippers and Nets, meaning Acuff could indeed be available at No. 7. Sources tell Fischer that Wagler and Brown both cancelled workouts with Sacramento, a strong sign that they’re comfortable with their standing.
- The Wizards remain undecided at No. 1 as they continue to weigh drafting AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson, according to Fischer, who hears the Jazz are are unlikely to trade up from No. 2 in order to select Dybantsa.
- The Hawks haven’t shown any interest in potentially moving up from No. 8, Fischer reports.
Draft Notes: Big Boards, Peterson, Brown, Ament
Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com has made a major change to his final big board ahead of next week’s draft, ranking Darryn Peterson at No. 1 ahead of AJ Dybantsa.
Peterson was Woo’s preseason choice as the top 2026 prospect, so he’s technically reclaiming the No. 1 spot after Dybantsa leapfrogged him during the 2025/26 season.
Learning more about Peterson, the context of his “strange season” at Kansas, and NBA teams’ comfort level with his medicals made Woo reverse course and put the 19-year-old back at No. 1. Woo suggests he rates Peterson and Dybantsa pretty similarly, but Peterson ultimately got the nod for the top spot due to his superior shot-making and potential to be “one of the best guards” in the NBA.
The players ranked third through 12th on Woo’s board remain unchanged, with the next adjustments coming in the teens.
Here’s more on the 2026 draft:
- J. Kyle Mann of The Ringer has also updated his big board, with Cameron Boozer coming in at No. 1, followed by Peterson, Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson and Keaton Wagler. Mann is significantly higher than Woo on Brayden Burries (No. 6 vs. No. 11 at ESPN), Jayden Quaintance (No. 10 vs. No. 22), Henri Veesaar (No. 19 vs. No. 28) and Baba Miller (No. 24 vs. No. 34), and substantially lower than Woo on Nate Ament (No. 20 vs. No. 9 at ESPN), Mikel Brown Jr. (No. 12 vs No. 7) and Aday Mara (No. 15 vs No. 10), among others. The biggest difference between the boards is Mann has a second-round grade (No. 36) on Karim Lopez, whom Woo has No. 14.
- Appearing on The Zach Lowe Show (link via The Ringer), Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress said he’s long had Peterson at the top of his draft board and has always expected the Wizards to give him serious consideration at No. 1. Givony admitted he hasn’t been digging into how the team specifically views Peterson, but noted that Washington tends to be secretive about its selection process. Givony is also excited to see what happens with no consensus top pick, comparing it to 2022, when the Magic unexpectedly took Paolo Banchero after being linked to Jabari Smith Jr. in the lead-up to that draft.
- In two separate stories for Andscape, Marc J. Spears interviews Brown, Ament, and their fathers ahead of Sunday’s holiday. “I’ve got probably the best upside in the draft,” Ament told Andscape on May 11. “I’m not even scratching the surface of the player I can be. Ever since I started playing basketball, every year I’ve gotten better and better. So, I do think that I’m just going to continue on that trend.”
Wizards Giving ‘Increased Consideration’ To Drafting Peterson No. 1?
Although the outside perception has largely been that AJ Dybantsa is the frontrunner to be selected first overall during next week’s draft, multiple draft experts believe there’s a real chance the Wizards will instead take Darryn Peterson, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
One “well-placed insider” told Stein that Washington is giving “increased consideration” to drafting Peterson, whose freshman season at Kansas was marred to some extent by hamstring and cramping issues. The 6’5″ guard was considered the preseason and early-season favorite to be selected first before those problems arose.
Jeremy Woo and Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Monday that the Wizards had narrowed down their selection process to either Dybantsa or Peterson, and Stein confirms from sources that Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson aren’t in contention for the No. 1 pick.
Stein acknowledges the increased buzz about the Wizards potentially drafting Peterson could ultimately be “some sort of smokescreen.” He also points out that Jazz owner Ryan Smith, a BYU alumnus, would likely be thrilled if Dybantsa was available at No. 2.
ESPN reported that Peterson participated in multiple on-court workouts for the Wizards and decided against meeting with Utah. Dybantsa visited both teams but isn’t expected to meet with any others.
The Jazz are said to be “torn” and still deciding which player to pick out of Peterson, Dybantsa and Boozer, depending on who’s still on the board.
Southeast Notes: Sweeney, Magic, Wizards, Jakucionis
Although he was hired as the Magic‘s new head coach on June 1, Sean Sweeney wasn’t formally introduced to the media until Thursday because he had been serving as the Spurs’ associate head coach in the NBA Finals, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
“When we finally did get in front of him, it was a long day and he had a lot going on,” president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. “It was during the playoffs and not only was he able to kind of compartmentalize his work with the Spurs and present well to us, but he really knocked our socks off. In Sean Sweeney, we have somebody who, in our minds, has the potential to be one of the elite coaches in this league.”
Weltman described the Magic’s search process as “rigorous” and “very targeted,” according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Sweeney, who turned 42 years old earlier this month, was linked to numerous head coaching vacancies this spring after receiving consideration in previous years, but he stressed that Orlando was the right fit for him.
“The Magic were the most thorough and they did the best job of asking questions and asking follow-ups to get to layers underneath the first answer,” Sweeney said, per Reynolds. “Some interviews that I’ve had in the past, I did not get that same level of detail. And given how I am and how I want to coach, that stood out.”
Here’s more from the Southeast:
- Sweeney discussed how seriously he views his job and what he wants the Magic‘s “values” to be on Thursday, Beede adds. “For me, coaching is not a profession. It’s a vocation,” Sweeney said. “And I’m going to work to my highest level to do the best job I can for this franchise. It’s been 21 years of preparation that’s brought me here, and I’m ready for it. And I’m excited to begin. Our team is going to be built on our values. We’re going to value character, we’re going to value competition, we’re going to value connection and we’re going to value the game. I love the game. I’m a competitor. I want to do things with integrity, and I want to make sure we’re connected in how we play.”
- The Wizards are reportedly deciding between AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson for the No. 1 overall pick. Josh Robbins and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the two players and how they might fit in Washington. Draft expert Vecenie says he’d personally take Dybantsa first, in no small part because of his ability to put pressure on the rim, which the roster currently lacks. Vecenie also expects the Wizards to select the BYU forward.
- Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis has been linked to the trade rumors involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the 2025 first-round pick said he’s trying not to pay attention to the outside noise, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “It’s part of it,” Jakucionis said. “I really don’t pay too much attention to that because I can’t really control it. So I’m just trying to focus on what I do, on the court, off the court. Try to get better now, focus and now soon I’m going to a national team to play for my country (Lithuania). So that’s the main goal, getting better.”
Draft Notes: Warriors, Mavericks, Lopez, Rankings
The Warriors hosted a pre-draft workout on Thursday featuring five projected first-round picks, the team announced (via Twitter).
A total of nine prospects attended Thursday’s session. Here are those players:
- Brayden Burries, G, Arizona
- Cameron Carr, G, Baylor
- Anthony Dell’Orso, F, Arizona
- Barry Dunning, F, Pittsburgh
- Lajae Jones, F, Florida State
- Labaron Philon, G, Alabama
- Hannes Steinbach, C, Washington
- Bennett Stirtz, G, Iowa
- Tre White, F, Kansas
Burries is the top-ranked prospect among the group, coming in at No. 11 on ESPN’s big board. Steinbach (No. 15), Philon (No. 16), Stirtz (No. 19) and Carr (No. 20) are all ranked within the top 20.
While Steinbach brings an elite skill (rebounding) to the table, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area believes the German big man isn’t a great fit for Golden State due to his defensive limitations.
Here are few more notes on next week’s 2026 NBA draft:
- Christian Clark of The Athletic weighs the pros and cons of the Mavericks potentially drafting Burries, Kingston Flemings or Mikel Brown Jr. with the ninth overall pick, though he acknowledges it’s possible only of those guards will be available at that spot. Clark says he personally would favor Flemings, assuming the Houston guard is on the board, and writes that everyone on Dallas’ roster aside from Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving appears to be available in trade talks.
- New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez will likely become the first Mexican-born first-round pick on Tuesday, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated notes within a profile of the 19-year-old. Lopez is ranked 13th on ESPN’s board.
- In a story for ESPN.com, Jeremy Woo ranks the top prospects from both 2025 and 2026 based on how he viewed them coming out of college. Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg comes in at No. 1, followed by AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Dylan Harper. Woo’s 10-player list is rounded out by Kon Knueppel, who was selected fourth overall by Charlotte last year.
Draft Notes: Flemings, Anderson, Pelicans, Guide
Houston point guard Kingston Flemings, widely projected to be a top-10 pick in next week’s draft, has only worked out for three teams so far, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman writes within his newest mock draft. Flemings has visited the Clippers, Bulls, and Mavericks.
The Bulls and Clippers have the fourth and fifth overall picks, respectively. The Mavs are lower in the lottery at No. 9 but the player they choose will have the added benefit of playing alongside a true franchise cornerstone in Cooper Flagg. While undersized, Flemings is a talented scorer who showed good off-ball ability playing in Houston’s talented program this season.
We have more notes on the draft:
- Texas Tech point guard Christian Anderson is another prospect looking to separate himself from the other guards, despite generally being ranked slightly lower than the top guard group. He has worked out for multiple teams with top-10 picks so far this summer, Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor reports in his own mock draft. Anderson is one of the better play-makers out of the pick-and-roll in the class and has a case for being the best shooter in the draft.
- The Pelicans held a pre-draft workout on Tuesday featuring Maliq Brown (Duke), Malik Dia (Ole Miss), Xaivian Lee (Florida), JJ Starling (Syracuse), and Peter Suder (Miami, Ohio), Will Guillory reports for The Athletic (Twitter link). Of the six prospects, Brown is the highest ranked, coming in at No. 54 on Jeremy Woo’s big board for ESPN. The Pelicans control the 58th overall pick in the draft.
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic released his 2026 draft guide on Monday, featuring rankings of his top 100 prospects as well as 60 in-depth player breakdowns. Within the detailed guide, he writes that AJ Dybantsa could easily become a top-10 player in the NBA and refers to Cameron Boozer as close to a can’t-fail prospect, noting that the only thing keeping Boozer from a No. 1 ranking in the class is that he profiles better as an elite second star on a team, rather than the primary engine.
Jazz Reportedly Torn, Weighing Options With Second Pick
The Jazz are in an enviable position, with the second pick in a draft that is considered to have three very high-level prospects at the top. That still leaves them with a difficult choice to make, however, and it’s one they have yet to come to a decision on, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who writes that Utah is “genuinely torn” on their preference between AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer.
Each of the three prospects offers an appealing skill set for the Jazz. Dybantsa has great size for a wing while showing off a high-level scoring package and funky footwork that makes him a handful to guard. Boozer has an intriguing mix of bully-ball offense alongside impressive passing instincts and the ability to space the floor at a good level for his position. Peterson is one of the more electric scoring guards that has come out of the draft in recent years, with the ability to get – and stay – red hot from deep.
Peterson stands out as the best fit with the current roster, representing a cleaner fit than either Dybantsa or Boozer, Sam Foster writes for the Salt Lake Tribune. Given the Jazz’s crowded frontcourt, the fact that Boozer is still in the mix is a testament to how highly the team regards him, Jones observes.
The Jazz were not caught by surprise by the report that Peterson, the electric guard from Kansas, will not work out for them, nor will they be deterred from selecting him because of it, Jones writes. Utah selected wing Ace Bailey fifth overall a year ago despite the fact that he didn’t work out for the Jazz and appeared to be angling to fall to Washington at No. 6.
However, they have to be sure that Peterson would buy in if they went ahead and selected him, as they can’t afford to make a mistake with this pick, Gordon Monson writes for the Tribune. In the end, the Wizards’ decision at No. 1 could go a long way toward dictating the Jazz’s own decision. While Boozer certainly appears to still be in the mix at No. 2, whichever of Peterson and Dybantsa is still on the board when it’s Utah’s time to pick will likely have pole position.
There’s also the possibility of the Jazz trading up to No. 1 to land Dybantsa, though that is considered an unlikely outcome at this time. The time Dybantsa spent at BYU for college has endeared him to the local fan base, and could make him a rare instance of a superstar who wants to come to Utah, Dave McCann writes for the Deseret News. If the Jazz organization believes that Peterson doesn’t want to play in Utah and Dybantsa does, paying a hefty price in a trade-up could be an idea worth exploring.
NBA Announces Final List Of 2026 Draft Early Entrants
Serbian center Pavle Backo withdrew from the 2026 draft prior to Saturday’s deadline, according to the NBA (Twitter link). He joins Francesco Ferrari and Luigi Suigo as international prospects who withdrew before the league’s deadline on June 13 (three others withdrew prior to the NCAA’s deadline on May 27).
As the NBA confirms, a total of 31 early entrants have decided to keep their names in this year’s draft, which will take place next week on June 23 and 24.
Here are the 26 college underclassmen who are remaining in the draft:
- Darius Acuff, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Nate Ament, F, Tennessee (freshman)
- Christian Anderson, G, Texas Tech (sophomore)
- Cameron Boozer, F, Duke (freshman)
- Mikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville (freshman)
- Brayden Burries, G, Arizona (freshman)
- Cameron Carr, G, Baylor (junior)
- Chris Cenac, F/C, Houston (freshman)
- AJ Dybantsa, F, BYU (freshman)
- Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (sophomore)
- Kingston Flemings, G, Houston (freshman)
- Allen Graves, F, Santa Clara (freshman)
- Morez Johnson, F/C, Michigan (sophomore)
- Aday Mara, C, Michigan (junior)
- Ebuka Okorie, G, Stanford (freshman)
- Koa Peat, F, Arizona (freshman)
- Darryn Peterson, G, Kansas (freshman)
- Labaron Philon, G, Alabama (sophomore)
- Jayden Quaintance, F/C, Kentucky (sophomore)
- Hannes Steinbach, F, Washington (freshman)
- Dailyn Swain, G/F, Texas (junior)
- Meleek Thomas, G, Arkansas (freshman)
- Bryson Tucker, F, Washington (sophomore)
- Henri Veesaar, C, North Carolina (junior)
- Keaton Wagler, G, Illinois (freshman)
- Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina (freshman)
Here are the five international early entrants who are staying in the draft (the country indicates where the player had been playing, not necessarily where he was born):
- Mohammad Amini, G/F, France (born 2005)
- Sergio De Larrea, G, Spain (born 2005)
- Vsevolod Ishchenko, G, Russia (born 2005)
- Jack Kayil, G, Germany (born 2006)
- Karim Lopez, F, Australia (born 2007)
The total number of early entrants has been trending sharply downward in recent years. This is due in part to players who were granted an extra year of eligibility in 2021 due to COVID-19 having graduated, meaning we no longer have dozens of “seniors” on the early entrant list. Additionally, the implementation of a rule allowing student athletes to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) has made college basketball more lucrative than going pro for many young players.
Back in 2022, a total of 283 early entrants tested the draft waters and 149 kept their names in the draft pool. In 2025, those figures were down to just 109 and 46, respectively, and this year’s totals were just 72 and 31.
Our 2026 NBA draft early entrants list has been updated to reflect the latest changes. In addition to the 31 prospects listed above, our tracker also includes the 41 players who withdrew from the draft, including Backo, Ferrari and Suigo.