BYU phenom AJ Dybantsa's draft decision creates uncertainty. Could the Kings' top pick chase a degree instead of NBA stardom?
With only 19 games remaining in the Sacramento Kings' 2025-26 season, the team is hurtling toward one of its most important moments in recent history.
Owners of a league-worst 14-49 record to this juncture, the Kings have positioned themselves to possibly come away with the top selection in what's been widely recognized as a draft jam-packed with possible franchise cornerstones.
Toward the top of that class sits BYU's AJ Dybantsa, an elite, physical scoring forward who the Kings would be glad to welcome to the squad as a potentially franchise-altering building block.
Dybantsa is currently the top scorer in the nation, averaging 24.8 points paired with 6.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals on a 60.9-percent true shooting percentage.
There's no question that the 19-year-old phenom could become the first selection of the 2026 draft, but that's only if he withdraws his college eligibility and decides to go pro.
Up until Tuesday, it was a foregone conclusion to most that he'd enter his name into the draft pool after his freshman season comes to an end, but a bombshell statement delivered straight from the highly-touted prospect changed everything.
When asked by Deseret News' McKay Coppins if he believed he'd be the first player taken in the upcoming draft, Dybantsa gave a response that could change the course of Kings history in just a few months.
"Well, I might not leave," Dybansta shared with Coppins. "I might not leave college... Because my mom wants me to graduate.
"[BYU] fans might get into my head, talk about one more year, maybe three more years. I don't know. But I'm going to have to talk to my mom. ... She wants me to get my degree."
While it's admirable for both Dybantsa and his family to consider staying put at BYU to secure a degree, Sacramento's front office surely wishes he'll come around to joining the NBA instead and setting his family up with a sizable rookie-scale contract at the very minimum.
The Dallas Mavericks' No. 1 overall pick from in 2025, Cooper Flagg, signed a four-year, $62.7 million deal, with $28.3 million guaranteed, prior to entering his debut season.
Aside from the financial aspect of joining the league as a 19-year-old, the uber-athletic wing would have the chance to rejuvenate a franchise destitute of game-changing talents at that spot on the floor.
Rookie shooting guard Nique Clifford has come on strong in recent weeks alongside the Maxime Raynaud, but Dybantsa's presence offers another level of versatility due to his mix of respectable jump-shooting and defensive potential.
There's no guarantee he'll fall to the Kings come June's draft, but Dybantsa missing the event entirely to prepare for a second collegiate season could royally mess with the franchise's order of events this offseason.
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