If that's what it takes to get AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson will suffice.
From the moment the oracle of ping pong balls revealed the NBA Draft order on lottery night, the Utah Jazz were the obvious top candidate to trade up to Washington's number-one spot and the rights to secure the Beehive State's golden child, AJ Dybantsa from BYU.
Both parties -- Utah and AJ -- have been soul-bound since the projected number-one pick enrolled at Utah Prep in Hurricane down south near the Arizonan border. So, when Utah arrived at the second slot, they were in prime position to cut in line and return home with their prize.
But after learning what it would take to pry the top spot away from Washington, Utah's zeal has been stifled.
According to Brett Siegel with ClutchPoints, the league-wide consensus of what the Wizards would ask from Utah is simply too much to consider.
Washington, D.C., is asking a president's ransom for the number-one pick
By all measures, the Wizards are well within their rights to put the market price as high as demand will push it. The number-one pick is the most valuable asset available during the offseason (presuming a Giannis or Jokic tier star doesn't publicly demand a trade, of course), but for a Jazz team poised to clean up whichever of Dybantsa or Peterson falls to the second pick, the comparative return simply doesn't fit the asking price.
To jump from 2 to 1, it's believed that a trade would cost Utah:
- 2nd overall pick (2026)
- Future first-round pick
- Ace Bailey (likely)
Breaking down this trade package , one hits a wall almost instantly.
Dybantsa and Peterson, the two most likely candidates to come off the board first overall this summer, are 1A and 1B type options. Both players are expected to enjoy remarkable careers as both players are viewed to be of number-one pick quality.
Sure, Dybantsa has been the favorite for some time now, but it's not unpopular to hold to the opinion that Peterson is as good -- if not better -- as a prospect at the next level. Compared to legendary guards like Kyrie Irving and Kobe Bryant, Peterson is the best guard prospect to enter the draft since the former was drafted number one back in 2011.
Utah is incredibly high on Ace Bailey -- he's not going anywhere.
The Jazz view their future draft assets as trading leverage first, and potential developmental pieces second.
This Jazz team was meticulously constructed; they're not intent to throw it all away to move up one spot in a loaded draft class. If that asking price is accurate at all, Utah's front office won't be picking up the phone any time soon.
