Wizards' asking price for the no. 1 pick is too high for the Jazz to take AJ Dybantsa

It's no secret that the Utah Jazz have a large stake in BYU superstar AJ Dybantsa. How often does a projected number-one overall pick actually want to play in Utah above any other destination in the NBA, and furthermore, how often has said player arrived from one of the state's universities? Dybantsa is a rare case in every sense, and BYU's fingerprints are being found all over both at the Delta Center up north and Marriott Center to the south.

Ryan Smith and Danny Ainge have been watching Dybantsa's development with great interest, hoping upon hope that the draft lottery would bounce their way and the fairytale would reach its great 'happily ever after'.

But with the Jazz falling just one position shy of the number-one overall pick, the only way to climb up the order is to shed some critical cargo, and Washington's apparent asking price for a pick-swap is simply too high to justify for the Jazz.

By all accounts, it seems BYU's consensus All-American is the favorite to come off the board first overall, so if the Jazz want to seal the deal with AJ Dybantsa, it'll have to come through a trade.

But it takes two to tango, and the Wizards won't part with the most valuable draft asset on the market for nothing. Even for a one-place nudge, it seems Utah would be compelled to part with the second pick (of course), a future first-round pick (that's reasonable, I suppose), and in all likelihood, Ace Bailey.

That last one is the sticking point, as trading Bailey for the number-one pick essentially states that the Jazz view Dybantsa's value to be as high as last year's number-five pick and this year's number-two pick, which would likely become Kansas guard Darryn Peterson -- who very likely could be picked first after all.

I love AJ Dybantsa. He's a phenomenal prospect, human being, and the best possible fit with the Utah Jazz moving forward -- so much so that it's borderline unbelievable after decades of Jazz fandom. But when it comes down to leapfrogging the order to pick up Dybantsa, I just can't ignore objectivity enough to declare he's worth Peterson and the remaining trade package Washington would demand.

AJ to Utah will only happen if Washington zags and picks up a dark horse prospect in his place. Otherwise, the Beehive State may finally have to say a final goodbye to their superstar.

I'm not crying. You're crying!

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