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Wizards Weigh No. 1 Pick as Jazz Seen Unlikely to Move Up

League signals now favor AJ Dybantsa as Washington’s likely target.

Overview

  • The Wizards hold the top pick and have fielded trade interest from at least three teams, including the Jazz and Hawks.
  • Reporting from Utah indicates the Jazz are highly unlikely to trade up from No. 2, with conversations framed as routine due diligence rather than a push to leap Washington.
  • A survey of 13 NBA evaluators by The Athletic showed seven of 10 recommending AJ Dybantsa first, with one executive saying his worst-case outcome resembles Andrew Wiggins’ career.
  • At the combine, Dybantsa said he wants to be the first pick and met with several teams beyond Washington, including Utah, Chicago, Sacramento, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Dallas, Memphis and the Clippers.
  • Fresh post-combine mocks by Kevin O’Connor and ESPN’s Jeremy Woo keep Dybantsa at No. 1 and Darryn Peterson at No. 2, though Woo reports rival teams do not view Dybantsa as a lock for Washington.