Despite the fact that Darryn Peterson and his camp have gone all-in on becoming the number-one overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, BYU star AJ Dybantsa likely has something to say about that as he reportedly anticipates being the top selection after receiving "strong signals" from the Washington Wizards during his pre-draft workout and interviews.
AJ Dybantsa met with the Wizards leadership at the end of last week and his camp got strong signals from them that he would be the first pick in this year's draft, per @BrettSiegelNBA
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) June 17, 2026
(https://t.co/RYUmA9yU7M) pic.twitter.com/tsj085WxEK
Dybantsa and Peterson are in a heated race for that top pick -- it matters to these players who each believe that coming first off the board is a statement to the world. A declaration to basketball. A simple announcement that as the first overall pick, Dybantsa or Peterson secure their place as the future of the NBA, and the face of basketball's destiny.
In actuality, the difference between the first and second pick is microscopic in the grand scheme of things, but neither of these competitors would listen to such a statement. Besides, what else do we have to talk about now that all the prospects have been evaluated, all the mock drafts have been compiled, and all of our collective patience has been worn catastrophically thin?
I believe I speak for all of us when I say: I can't wait for the NBA Draft to just happen already, so we can put an end to the nauseating cycle of hearsay and predictive journalism. I'm tired of writing about it. I'm sure you're tired of reading about it. Every day, we receive a new piece of intel that completely flips the narrative on its head. One day, Dybantsa is the obvious pick, the next it's Cameron Boozer. Then Darryn Peterson cancels his workouts with the owners of the number-two pick because (get this), he will be the number one pick after all.
And around and around and around we go. Smoke screens and misdirections plague the discourse of offseason basketball, and right now, it seems absolutely no one outside of these basketball teams has any clue what's going to happen until Adam Silver announces the number-one overall pick.
That just means these NBA franchises are pumping the PR machine with just the right stuff.
They don't want their competition to know the gameplan -- they'd rather die than tip their hands. For those who hope to trade up at an absurd premium, or would scramble at the event of a shakeup to the predicted order, Washington and Utah hold the power to shape the draft as they see fit.
It may be best if we all just sit quietly and wait for draft night to just get here already.
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