Wizards’ No. 1 Pick Decision May Have Just Taken an Unexpected Turn
As the 2026 NBA Draft quickly approaches, the Washington Wizards are ramping up their preparations for the first overall selection.
Kansas standout Darryn Peterson has reportedly met with the Wizards, but he isn’t expected to meet with any other teams ahead of next week’s draft.
Peterson is touted as one of the top players in this year’s class, as well as a serious candidate for Washington to use the first overall selection to take.
He’s coming off a highly productive campaign at Kansas, where he averaged 20.2 points, which is the most ever by a freshman in school history. However, there are some underlying concerns about his health as he missed 11 games due to injuries.
The decision not to meet with any other teams isn’t expected to impact his status, as the Utah Jazz are not using that as an influential factor on their draft choice if he’s still there when they are on the board with the second overall pick.
It should be noted that Jazz general manager Austin Ainge selected Ace Bailey with the fifth overall selection in last year’s draft despite him not working out with the team.
Want $250 to bet on NBA futures?
The Wizards are likely exploring all their options ahead of the draft, as BYU standout AJ Dybantsa has long been projected as the favorite for the first overall pick.
He’s coming off an impressive freshman season where he led the nation in scoring with 25.5 points per game, which made him the first freshman to accomplish that feat since Trae Young did so at Oklahoma in 2018.
