The top of the 2026 NBA Draft was unlike any other in recent memory, and I say that to draw attention to the quality of teams selecting first and second overall. With potential NBA MVPs coming down the pipeline in the form of AJ Dybantsa from BYU, Darryn Peterson from Kansas, Cameron Boozer from Duke, and Caleb Wilson from North Carolina -- a stacked class, yes -- teams were obviously going to clamor for the chance to select a potentially future-altering player.
But the top two selectors weren't quite as down in the dumps as lottery winners tend to be.
The Utah Jazz, owners of the second selection and local team to BYU, the collegiate home of AJ Dybantsa, traded for an All-Defense mainstay in Jaren Jackson Jr, and were one player away from competing for a spot in the playoffs as they boasted a lineup that included Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George.
Then there was the Washington Wizards, owners of the number-one pick, who had been slowly incubating a young core to compete in the wide-open Eastern Conference, and saw the recent trade deadline as an opportunity to wrangle a pair of all-stars in Anthony Davis and Trae Young.
So if AJ Dybantsa was going to one of those two teams, the question on everyone's mind is "who will give up on-ball time to make way for the future face of the franchise?"
The answer has seemingly arrived in the most unlikely of sources.
Trae Young, a player whose ball-dominant and high-usage play style turned the Atlanta Hawks stagnant, is reportedly the player who will shift to an off-ball role as a satellite to the incoming number-one overall pick.
REPORT: Trae Young will be playing off-ball to give AJ and Kyshawn touches
— WizardsMuse (@WizardsMuse1) July 11, 2026
(Via @JoshuaBRobbins)
"The Wizards vision for Young includes him playing off ball and allowing AJ Dybantsa and Kyshawn George to handle the basketball"
THE WIZARDS ARE ALL IN ON AJ AND KY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8EGIVLDsxr
For Dybantsa's development and for the future of the team, this is a fantastic idea. Though Young has frequently been one of the better assist-men in the NBA, AJ Dybantsa is no catch-and-shoot threat. He shot below 33.3% in college, and has hit one of nine three-point attempts in his first two Summer League games. AJ Dybantsa thrives when he can put the ball on the floor and play at his own pace, and Young would be aiding Dybantsa's development by allowing him to play in his style.
It's the least Young can do after stealing Dybantsa's jersey number, right?
But ideas are just ideas; execution is a different beast entirely. We'll have to wait until the regular season to know if these plans are enacted, but on paper, this seems like the best way forward for Washington.
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