And-Ones: Wemby’s Impact, FAs, World Cup Qualifiers, Okobo
Rival teams are watching what Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are doing in this postseason with interest and trepidation, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. As Amick details, front offices around the NBA – recognizing that Wembanyama will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come – are thinking hard about ways to combat him.
“Teams will definitely have to start figuring out, ‘How do we get through this guy?'” an Eastern Conference executive said. “So you look at it, and it’s like, ‘What do we need? How do we build our team to get better to compete against (Wembanyama and the Spurs)?’ Trust me, it’s on everybody’s mind. Teams will try to find ways that they can build a roster out to beat the Spurs, just like they are to beat OKC.”
That executive pointed to Utah’s mid-season acquisition of Jaren Jackson Jr. as a move that may have been made with Wembanyama in mind, since the Jazz now have three athletic frontcourt players – Jackson, Walker Kessler, and Lauri Markkanen – to throw at the Spurs star. That same exec also suggested that a prospect like 7’3″ Michigan center Aday Mara could see his draft stock rise as teams seek players capable of slowing down Wembanyama.
Wembanyama’s impact could even have a ripple effect on Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s trade value this offseason, as one Western Conference executive told Amick: “Giannis is a matchup solution for Wemby, so I could definitely see teams factoring that in when they’re discussing trading for him.”
Still, there’s no obvious answer for stopping this sort of unique player who looks capable of becoming one of the league’s all-time greats.
“He’s a problem from inside the half court, and there’s just no one like that,” an exec said to Amick with a laugh. “At least Shaq was human in the sense that you needed three centers to bang with him. You’ve got 18 fouls (to work with). Maybe one was skilled, and the other two could hold him up while the other guys get rest. But there’s no archetype like (Wembanyama) — no player ever. It’s a problem, and it’s going to be a problem for 15 years.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks takes a closer look at 20 of this summer’s top free agents, breaking down what sort of contract he’d offer each player. Marks’ hypothetical offers include five years and $180MM for Pistons center Jalen Duren, four years and $155MM for Lakers guard Austin Reaves, three years and $130MM for Wizards guard Trae Young, and two years and $40MM for Warriors forward Draymond Green.
- Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Wizards big man Alex Sarr, and Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher are among the players included on France’s preliminary roster for this July’s FIBA World Cup qualifying games (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Serbian head coach Dusan Alimpijevic told Mozzart Sport that Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is expected to suit up for the Serbian national team during both World Cup qualifying windows this offseason, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays.
- Former NBA guard Elie Okobo has been named the Most Valuable Player of France’s top basketball league (LNB Elite), Askounis writes for Eurohoops. Okobo, who appeared in 108 regular season games for Phoenix from 2018-20, averaged 16.7 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game with an outstanding .621/.506/.883 shooting line in 24 domestic league games for AS Monaco in 2025/26.
- Kevin Sweeney of SI.com explores how new eligibility requirement guidance distributed by the NCAA could impact international players looking to play college basketball going forward.
Latest On Trail Blazers’ Head Coaching Search
Jerry Stackhouse will be interviewing with the Trail Blazers for their head coaching vacancy this weekend, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
An NBA player for 18 seasons from 1995-2013, Stackhouse transitioned into coaching following his retirement. He has been an assistant for the Raptors (2015-16), Grizzlies (2018-19), and Warriors (2024-26) and also had head coaching stints with the Raptors 905 in the G League (2016-18) and Vanderbilt University (2019-24).
Reporting last week indicated that Stackhouse’s contract with Golden State had expired and that he wouldn’t be returning to the team, as he was “actively” seeking a head coaching position. He has also been connected to the coaching vacancy in Chicago.
Meanwhile, Chris Haynes of NBA on Prime (Twitter link) hears from league sources that the Blazers have been impressed by Jazz assistant Mike Williams, who is among the candidates the team is still considering.
Formerly a Wizards player development coach, Williams became the head coach of the Capital City Go-Go in the G League at age 25 and served in that role from 2021-23 before being hired by the Jazz in 2023 as an assistant under Will Hardy.
Finally, Fischer also reports within the latest Substack article for the Stein Line that Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook has advanced to the next stage of Portland’s coaching search as well.
Lashbrook worked for the Sixers from 2014-23, serving in player development roles during his last few years in Philadelphia. He has been on the Celtics’ staff for the past three years and was the head coach of the team’s G League affiliate in Maine during the 2024/25 season.
There has been a flurry of updates on Portland’s head coaching search in the past 24 hours, with Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, and Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter all identified on Thursday as finalists for the job.
Today’s reports adding several new names to the mix suggest that “finalists” may be a loose term — the team reportedly wanted to look at upwards of 30 candidates during the initial stages of its search, so while the field may have narrowed since then, it sounds like there are still several candidates receiving consideration.
According to Fischer and Marc Stein, the Blazers’ search has been difficult for insiders to keep track of, since some candidates have spoken to general manager Joe Cronin, some have spoken directly to team owner Tom Dundon, and have some have talked to both.
Here are some additional notes from Stein on the Blazers’ search:
- Van Gundy’s salary as a Clippers assistant is believed to be in the neighborhood of $3MM per year, so there’s “great curiosity” about what sort of salary Dundon would be willing to offer him, Stein writes, amid rumors that the new Blazers owner doesn’t want to spend big on his new head coach.
- Celtics assistant D.J. MacLeay, Heat consultant Noah Laroche, and Brisbane Bullets coach and president Will Weaver (a former NBA assistant) are among the other names that have been connected to the Blazers’ head coaching vacancy in recent days, according to Stein.
- One league source tells Stein that Dundon is seeking a candidate who will “coach players hard.”
We’re tracking all of this offseason’s NBA head coaching searches right here.
Northwest Notes: Boozer, Lillard, Blazers Decisions, Hartenstein
Projected top-three draft pick Cameron Boozer has clear familial ties to the Jazz, who hold the second pick in the 2026 draft. His father, Carlos Boozer, spent six seasons in Utah, including his two All-Star years, and works with the team to this day in their scouting department.
Cameron was born in Salt Lake City, though he moved away before his fourth birthday, and he says that his conversations with his dad about following in his footsteps generally had more to do with Chicago than his hometown, Kevin Reynolds writes for the Salt Lake Tribune.
When it comes to the young power forward’s potential on-court fit with Utah, though, there are clear questions, as the Jazz already boast one of the larger frontcourts in the league, led by Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler. Boozer could fit in nicely as a big off the bench who can play alongside any of those other big men and focus on his play-making, which was a strength in college.
While Boozer views himself as the top talent in the draft, he said his focus is on getting to the place that will get the most out of him.
“Whether it is one, two, three or four, I want the best fit,” Boozer said. “I mean, it would be nice to play for a city that my dad played for. Obviously, Chicago (picking fourth overall) is another great city.”
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- Damian Lillard‘s first season back with the Trail Blazers consisted of a three-point contest championship and a lot of mentoring from the bench. Next season, he is expected to return to the court, but not everyone is clear on what that will look like. “I don’t understand what he brings to the table, especially with [Jrue Holiday] and [Scoot Henderson] already on the roster,” one anonymous scout told Joe Freeman of Oregon Live. “You could say he brings shooting. Well, yeah, but how did he get his shots? With the ball in his hands. It didn’t work in Milwaukee. If he’s dominating the ball, is [Shaedon Sharpe] developing? Is Scoot developing?” Lillard, for his part, says that his time watching from the bench helped him understand exactly those questions: “I got an opportunity to learn my teammates. I’m going to be playing with these guys, and just seeing what might set them off, seeing what they’re doing when they play well, seeing where they might struggle, seeing where our team struggles, ways that I think we could improve.“
- The Trail Blazers have plenty of roster decisions to make this summer, starting with what to do with Henderson. Unless the former third overall pick is included in a deal for a star player, it would behoove the team to try to work out a reasonable contract extension with him, Sean Highkin writes in a player movement prediction article for the Rose Garden Report (subscriber link), citing Sharpe’s four-year, $90MM extension from last summer as a reasonable starting place for Henderson. Vit Krejci and Sidy Cissoko are strong candidates to stick around, while players like Robert Williams III and Matisse Thybulle are worth hanging onto but could also be more valued by other teams.
- Isaiah Hartenstein only played 12 minutes in the Thunder‘s Game 1 loss to the Spurs. Prior to Game 2, coach Mark Daigneault pulled the German big man aside and told him that he “didn’t feel great” about giving him so few minutes, Jenni Carlson writes for The Oklahoman. Hartenstein was unbothered, saying he’d do whatever was needed. In Game 2, what was needed was to take the lion’s share of minutes against Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. “The other night, [Wemby] just had way too much of the restricted (area), but if you zoom out, they turned the ball over a ton, we gave up 101 points in regulation,” Daigneault said. “The quality of shots were what we would want, other than his stuff at the rim.“
- Putting wings on Wembanyama in Game 1 created a shot diet in the paint that the Thunder coach felt was too sustainable, which is why he turned to Hartenstein to add physicality and size as a rim protector. In addition to helping hold the French superstar to just four rim attempts (compared to 17 in Game 1), Hartenstein added eight offensive rebounds and made sure Wembanyama felt him every time down the floor. “I thought he just did a good job of being physical, making him work all game,” Alex Caruso said. “Which ended up being beneficial for him on the glass late in the game. He cleaned that up offensively and defensively for us.”
NBA Announces 2025/26 All-Rookie Teams
The NBA has officially revealed its All-Rookie teams for the 2025/26 season (Twitter links). The First Team is made up the top four picks in the 2025 draft, along with the No. 11 overall selection, while the Second Team consists of four additional lottery picks and one second-rounder.
A panel of 100 media members selected the All-Rookie teams, with players earning two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team nod. The 10 players who made the cut, along with their corresponding point totals (Twitter link), are as follows:
First Team
- Cooper Flagg, Mavericks (200 points)
- Kon Knueppel, Hornets (200)
- VJ Edgecombe, Sixers (200)
- Dylan Harper, Spurs (193)
- Cedric Coward, Grizzlies (125)
Second Team
- Derik Queen, Pelicans (110)
- Maxime Raynaud, Kings (110)
- Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans (109)
- Ace Bailey, Jazz (107)
- Collin Murray-Boyles, Raptors (66)
Flagg, Knueppel, and Edgecombe were the three finalists for Rookie of the Year and received nearly all the votes for that award, so it comes as no surprise that they’re the three players who were unanimously selected to the All-Rookie First Team.
Harper played a key role for the 62-win Spurs, while Coward emerged as a reliable scorer for the Grizzlies, averaging 13.6 points per game on 47.1% shooting. They were the only two players besides the three finalists to show up on any Rookie of the Year ballots.
Fears and Bailey ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, among rookies in scoring, while Queen and Raynaud earned starting roles for their respective teams and responded well, with Queen averaging 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, while Raynaud put up 12.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG. Raynaud, the only non-lottery pick on the All-Rookie teams, was the 42nd overall pick last June.
Murray-Boyles’ counting stats were modest, but he played a rotation role and showed off impressive defensive versatility for a Raptors team that finished fifth in the East. His eight first-team votes and 50 second-team votes helped earn him the final All-Rookie spot over Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who had 43 second-team votes.
Wizards guard Tre Johnson (19 points), Celtics wing Hugo Gonzalez (5), Wizards swingman Will Riley (4), Spurs forward Carter Bryant (3), Nets guard Egor Demin (2), Hornets guard Sion James (2), Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (1), and Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard (1) were the other players who showed up on at least one ballot.
Among all the players who received All-Rookie votes, only Nembhard went undrafted — he signed a two-way contract with Dallas as a free agent, then was promoted to the Mavs’ standard roster in February.
All-Rookie is one of the few awards that doesn’t require players to meet the 65-game minimum and certain minutes-played thresholds. Harper, Coward, Queen, Raynaud, Bailey, and Murray-Boyles each would have been ineligible for consideration if the 65-game rule applied to All-Rookie voting.
And-Ones: Cofie, Awards, Draft Assets, Cuban
After testing the draft waters this spring as an early entrant, USC sophomore Jacob Cofie has decided to withdraw his name and return to the Trojans for his junior year, agent Aman Dhesi tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
A 6’10” power forward, Cofie performed well during the pre-draft process, standing out during the G League combine earlier this month and earning an invitation to the full-fledged combine as a result. However, he was always considered a long shot to be drafted, ranking 99th on ESPN’s big board.
As Givony notes, Cofie will be hoping the momentum from his strong combine showings carries over to the 2026/27 season. As a sophomore in ’25/26, he averaged 9.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.8 blocks in 30.5 minutes per game across 32 outings (all starts) for USC. The 20-year-old made just 51.0% of his shots from the floor, but just 31.8% of his three-pointers and 60.5% of his free throws.
We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA will resume announcing its 2025/26 award winners beginning on Wednesday evening, the league confirmed today (Twitter link). The All-Rookie teams will be revealed during Peacock’s pregame show tonight, with the All-Defensive teams (Friday), All-NBA teams (Sunday), and Coach of the Year (next Tuesday) to follow in the coming days.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks places the NBA’s 30 teams into seven tiers based on the current and future draft assets they control, with the Nets, Hornets, Grizzlies, Thunder, Spurs, Jazz, and Wizards making up his top group. The Nuggets are on their own in tier seven, since they’re the only team without the ability to trade a future first-rounder (they can technically move this year’s No. 26 pick after making a selection).
- Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban has no plans to invest in an NBA Europe team, as Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports details. Referring to the prospect of launching a basketball club tied to an established soccer brand as a potential “hornet’s nest,” Cuban said the NBA’s reported buy-in price ($500MM to $1 billion) is more than he can justify spending. “I can buy a team in a smaller league, win that country’s league and work my way up,” he said.
Draft Rumors: Wizards, Jazz, Mara, Bucks, Nets, Kings, Suns
While AJ Dybantsa has emerged as the “presumptive favorite” to be selected No. 1 overall in next month’s draft and is the first player off the board in the latest mock draft from ESPN, Jeremy Woo reiterates that rival teams don’t view the BYU forward as a lock to be taken by the Wizards with the top pick.
As Woo writes, there’s a consensus top four in the 2026 draft, with Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson joining Dybantsa in that group. However, there isn’t a consensus No. 1. Peterson goes No. 2 to the Jazz in Woo’s mock, followed by Boozer at No. 3 (Grizzlies) and Wilson at No. 4 (Bulls).
Team sources tell Woo that Peterson “came across as quiet but serious” in interviews at last week’s combine and “handled that part of the process well.” Peterson faced questions about the cramping issues that plagued his freshman season at Kansas, Woo writes, and NBA clubs are still waiting for his medicals.
There was plenty of chatter about the Jazz potentially moving up to No. 1 at the combine, according to Woo, who says any talk on that front is speculative at this time. Like Sarah Todd of The Deseret News, Woo suggests the Jazz are far more likely to stay at No. 2 and take the best player available rather than trade up.
Here are some more rumors on the upcoming draft:
- Michigan center Aday Mara, one of the stars of the NCAA tournament as the Wolverines won their first championship since 1989, is selected by the Hawks with the eighth pick in Woo’s mock. Atlanta is expected to consider several guard prospects at that spot, but the Spanish big man is rising up draft boards and is considered a lock to be selected in the lottery, Woo reports.
- Milwaukee only controls the 10th pick in the 2026 draft, but rival teams tell Woo that the Bucks have been acting as though they’ll end up with multiple selections. As Woo notes, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported last week that the Bucks are listening to trade offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo, with ESPN’s Tim Bontemps citing a growing belief around the league that the two-time MVP will be moved before the draft.
- Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports has also updated his mock draft, and although he has Brooklyn taking Illinois guard Keaton Wagler at No. 6, he hears from league sources that the Nets have been connected to Mara and Tennessee forward Nate Ament. Woo has also heard the Nets aren’t considered a lock to take a guard, and suggests Brooklyn will consider moving up or down in the draft. For what’s worth, Woo and O’Connor both have Ament going 10th overall to the Bucks.
- The Kings, who control the seventh pick, are “widely believed” to be targeting Arkansas guard Darius Acuff, according to ESPN and Yahoo Sports. As O’Connor writes, there are several connections between Acuff and Sacramento’s front office, plus the Kings need a point guard.
- Phoenix currently only has one pick (47th overall), but league sources tell O’Connor the Suns will explore the possibility of acquiring a first-round selection.
Jazz Considered ‘Unlikely’ To Trade Up From No. 2 To No. 1
The Jazz, who hold the No. 2 pick in next month’s draft, have reportedly reached out to the Wizards about the possibility of acquiring the No. 1 overall selection. However, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News hears a deal involving those two picks is improbable.
“Countless people” broached the topic to Todd after the draft lottery, but she was unable to nail down where the speculation was coming from beyond the team’s connections to BYU, where AJ Dybantsa played his freshman college season. Owner Ryan Smith, CEO Danny Ainge, and president of basketball operations Austin Ainge are all BYU alums.
Either way, Utah is “highly unlikely” to trade the second pick, according to Todd, citing conversations with league executives and members of the Jazz.
That doesn’t mean the Jazz won’t — or haven’t already — talk to Washington about potentially moving up, Todd writes. Utah will also listen to calls regarding the possibility of moving down. But Todd suggests those conversations are just the Jazz performing their due diligence, rather than a sign of a trade being imminent.
As Todd observes, there’s no consensus No. 1 pick in this draft, and whomever is available at No. 2 is widely considered to be a franchise-changing type of talent. Dybantsa and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson are regarded as the top two prospects, though some teams are very high on Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson as well.
Boozer’s father — former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer — is currently a scout with the Jazz, but that won’t have any impact on their draft process, Todd adds. Just like many other teams around the league, Utah is focused on taking the best player available, with college or family ties essentially irrelevant compared to the “talent and belief” in the prospects.
Draft Notes: Dybantsa, Ejiofor, Momcilovic, Updated Mock
Among the ways AJ Dybantsa stands out from the rest of his draft class is his openness about wanting to be the No. 1 pick, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. Todd notes that Dybantsa’s bravado was among his characteristics that were on display during this week’s draft combine in Chicago.
“It’s definitely a goal of mine,” Dybantsa said of being the first name off the board. “I’ve been number one in the ranking since what, ninth grade? And I ain’t dropped. So, I’m not planning on dropping in the draft.”
Todd adds that the ultra-confidence can be interpreted in various ways by different team executives. While some may be concerned about drafting a diva, there’s an understanding that most highly successful professional athletes have a certain level of ego. Dybantsa’s stated desire to become a “Hall of Famer” should appeal to decision makers who are looking for someone to carry their franchise.
Although Dybantsa is considered the favorite to go to Washington with the top pick, he met with several other teams at the combine as well as the Wizards, according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). Dybantsa also had sessions with the Jazz, Bulls, Kings, Nets, Hawks, Mavericks, Grizzlies and Clippers.
There’s more on the draft:
- St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor raised his draft stock at the combine with a strong shooting performance, states Brian Lewis of The New York Post. During the shooting drills, Ejiofor connected at 17-of-30 off the dribble and 12-of-25 in the three-point star drill. He went 16-of-28 in a side-middle-side drill and 13-of-25 on spot-up shots. “I feel like it’s something I could’ve shown a little bit more in college,” he said. “And then I had the opportunity to just come out here and just prove, not only to myself, but to everybody around that I could do it. And I had decent numbers. And I was pretty proud of it.” Ejiofor’s agent believes he’ll be selected somewhere between 25th and 35th, Lewis adds.
- Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic is still focused on the draft, but he’ll be the top player in the transfer portal if he decides to pull out, per Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog. An NBA source tells Zagoria that Momcilovic is likely to earn more than $5MM in NIL money if he stays in college. Momcilovic recently told Ben Roberts of The Lexington Herald Leader that he sees Kentucky as “a good fit.”
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report updated his mock draft in the wake of the combine with Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson as the top four. Wasserman reports that “the needle didn’t move in either direction” for Peterson at the combine, while Boozer left the event with no new concerns regarding his size or athleticism.
Western Notes: George, Kerr, Clippers, J. Williams
The Jazz are coming off 17- and 22-win seasons, but guard Keyonte George tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he’s confident about the team’s ability to make the playoffs in 2026/27. In addition to star forward Lauri Markkanen and an improving young core, George points to newcomer Jaren Jackson Jr. – who appeared in just three games after being traded from Memphis to Utah in February – and the No. 2 overall pick as reasons to be optimistic about Utah going forward.
“We get a top-two talent in the draft and get to build on the changes we made with getting Jaren,” George said. “It’s just a lot of things going right for the group right now. On paper, we are definitely a playoff team. Honestly, there is just a different versatility that we have. You got guys who can play (point guard) to (shooting guard). You got guys who play (power forward) that can move to the (center position).
“And then we got (head coach) Will Hardy. I know people know about Will. But his X’s and O’s and the way he breaks down the game for us, that’s really what gives me the confidence, honestly. Having Will and our coaches, the talent is going to take care of itself.”
George himself represents another reason to believe in the Jazz. After two up-and-down seasons to begin his professional career, the former No. 16 overall pick had a breakout year in 2025/26, averaging a career-high 23.6 points and 6.1 assists per game on a solid shooting line of .456/.371/.892. The 22-year-old believes his ceiling is higher than what he showed last season.
“I got kind of hurt towards the end, but I think I got another gear,” George told Spears. “I tell myself all the time to get better towards the end. This summer is an even bigger summer for me because of the changes we made. I have to take my game to a whole other level.”
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Within a lengthy, in-depth feature on Steve Kerr, ESPN’s Wright Thompson notes that the Warriors head coach had essentially decided he was going to retire at the end of the 2025/26 season before rethinking that decision last month. Thompson takes a closer look at why Kerr ultimately opted to sign a new two-year contract with Golden State and how the team’s play-in win over the Clippers factored into that decision.
- The Clippers‘ good fortune on lottery night changes their outlook going forward, according to Law Murray of The Athletic. Rather than heading into the offseason without a first-round pick, L.A. will have a top-five selection for the first time since drafting Blake Griffin first overall in 2009. According to Murray, while the Clippers have been in win-now mode for Steve Ballmer‘s entire tenure as team owner, the club likes this draft class and is “eager” to use that No. 5 overall pick rather than trading it for a veteran.
- Jaylin Williams isn’t typically one of the first few players credited for the Thunder‘s success in recent years, but he’s a valued on-court contributor and is even more highly regarded as a “glue guy,” writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. “He’s a tremendous team guy,” head coach Mark Daigneault said of Williams, who will earn $7.77MM next season and has a team option worth the same amount for 2027/28. “The thing that’s always amazed me about him as a teammate is his relatability with everybody on the team. There’s literally no one that he doesn’t have a connection with, and that’s been true of every minute that he’s been here. He’s really got a gift for that, and I think it just comes down to how good of a person he is on that part.”
Jazz Have Touched Base With Wizards About No. 1 Pick
The Jazz, who hold the No. 2 pick in next month’s draft, have reached out to the Wizards about the possibility of acquiring the No. 1 overall selection, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
Spears suggests that if the Jazz were to move up, it would be for forward AJ Dybantsa. While there’s not necessarily a consensus top prospect in this year’s draft, Dybantsa shows up at the top of most experts’ big boards and is a local star, having played at Utah Prep before spending his first and only college season at BYU. Given that Utah typically isn’t a popular free agent destination, the Jazz may like the idea of landing a young star who has embraced the area.
Still, if the Wizards were to select Dybantsa first overall, the Jazz would have a handful of good alternatives at No. 2, starting with Kansas guard Darryn Peterson.
Peterson’s stock took a minor hit this season as he missed time due to health issues, including repeated cramping, but he entered the year as the favorite to be this year’s No. 1 pick and has All-NBA upside. The 6’6″ guard, who averaged 20.2 points per game and made 38.2% of his three-pointers as a Jayhawk, would be a strong fit alongside a loaded Jazz frontcourt led by Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Duke forward Cameron Boozer and UNC forward Caleb Wilson also figure to receive consideration at No. 2, though there’s a widespread belief that they’ll come off the board after Dybantsa and Peterson.
If the Jazz and Wizards were to make a trade involving the No. 1 overall pick, recent history suggests it would probably cost Utah an unprotected or very lightly protected future first-round pick. The last team to move up to No. 1 – the 2017 Sixers – gave up that year’s No. 3 selection and a future first-rounder that became No. 14. Similarly, when the Mavericks moved up from No. 5 to No. 3 a year later for Luka Doncic, they sent Atlanta a future first-rounder that landed 10th overall.
Of course, the Wizards’ willingness to make a deal will depend in large part on which prospect they prefer and whether or not the Jazz are eyeing the same player. If Washington is locked in on a specific prospect and believes Utah wants the same player, the Wizards would likely be resistant to moving down — or at least would seek a Godfather offer to do so. For what it’s worth, Wizards president Michael Winger told Jake Fischer of The Stein Line after Sunday’s lottery that the team is open to listening to offers for the No. 1 pick.