When Darryn Peterson was nominated as the nation’s No. 1 high school prospect in the class of 2025, there was little doubt that Peterson would fall below the No. 2 pick in the next year’s NBA Draft.
Let’s be honest, Peterson’s injury-laden campaign certainly didn’t help his case for the No. 1 spot, but when healthy, Peterson still showed an ability to create points at an elite level.
The biggest problem during Peterson’s only season with the Jayhawks was a cramping issue that saw the former five-star flip-flop between rotations, never truly allowing him to sync up with his teammates and ultimately resulting in an offense that stalled in half-court sets towards the latter end of the season.
That being said, Peterson was never seriously removed from the top two picks of June’s draft, rather shifted between No. 1 and No. 2 as the season wore on, and BYU counterpart AJ Dybantsa led the nation in scoring with 25.5 points per game.
Conflicting reports throw mock drafts in a blender
Earlier this month, the annual NBA Draft Lottery saw the Washington Wizards awarded the No. 1 pick and the Jazz were given No. 2.
From the end of March onwards, with Peterson’s injury issues throwing NBA teams off, Dybantsa was tipped as the No. 1 pick, however recent reports have signaled that Dybantsa may want to keep himself in Utah.
AJ Dybantsa was hoping to remain in Utah and prefers to be drafted by the Jazz, per @AdamFinkelstein
“That comment by Dybantsa was also consistent with one of the most repeated pieces of intel floating around Chicago this week: that Dybantsa was reportedly hoping to stay in… pic.twitter.com/l2tlPqeSmZ
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 13, 2026
In regards to making a trade for Dybantsa, Utah Jazz Governor Ryan Smith was quoted, “Contrary to popular belief. We don't control that. We're trying to win a championship. So everything should be on the table. Austin [Ainge] and Danny [Ainge] have also been known to do some pretty crazy stuff on draft night.”
That quote was published here
Finkelstein has since come out to say that they expect that Dybantsa won’t “play that sort of game.”
What team would be a better fit for Peterson?
Peterson has long been valued as a playmaker, even going back to his high school days, so it is important to keep in mind that while Peterson was exclusively a shooter at KU, throughout the season, NBA teams have reported that Peterson may take on a playmaker role in the Association.
That being said, the Jazz may be the perfect spot for someone like Peterson to come in and make an immediate impact. The Western Conference side already enlists the likes of Keyonte George, Lauri Markannen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ace Bailey, meaning they are one guard away from beginning to compete for the NBA Playoffs
While Washington currently enlists the likes of Trae Young, Tre Johnson and Alex Sarr, bringing in Peterson likely doesn’t catapult Washington into the playoff stratosphere as they have enough guards, and are instead lacking a Dybantsa down low, especially with the future of Anthony Davis uncertain.
All of these reports are known to flip in an instant, so the truth of whether Dybantsa really wants to go to the Jazz could be a bluff, and it is doubtful that these rumors will stop anytime soon.
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