Three Elite Prospects. One Franchise-Altering Decision.

The 2026 NBA Draft Lottery is the latest example of big stuff happening with the Washington Wizards when I’m traveling or heavily scheduled and unable to write or talk about the news.

If I’m on an airplane, you can count on the Wizards making a trade or getting a piece of major news. It feels inevitable.

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So, in the last year (at least for a while) where the NBA rewards tanking, the Wizards tanked hardest and best and won the number one overall pick in this year’s loaded draft. “Loaded” in this case is used in a reputational kind of way. I haven’t run Ye Olde Draft Analyzer (YODA for short) yet and don’t have firm opinions on any of the prospects. In other words, I’ve heard people talk about how great this draft is at the top, but I haven’t assessed those claims for myself. Yet.

Judging by the headlines, The Official Rumor Silly Season is underway. The Wizards front office wisely communicated an openness to trading the top pick. If the prospects are as good as they’re reputed to be, a trade could deliver a proverbial King’s Ransom.

My favorite so far is the one about the Utah Jazz wanting to trade up a spot to pick Brigham Young forward AJ Dybantsa. If Dybantsa isn’t Washington’s guy at #1, then taking other stuff to move down a spot and get the guy they wanted anyway is just good business.

Here’s my quick first take on the numbers of the prospects widely considered to be in play for Washington at the top spot in the draft: Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer.

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AJ Dybantsa | F | BYU

AJ Dybantsa could be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft whether the Wizards keep the pick or not. | NBAE via Getty Images

What to like: It’d be hard to argue too much with Dybanta’s on-court production — per 100 team possessions, he averaged 41.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 6.1 assists. He converted 56.8% of his twos, which suggests he’ll be able to compete inside, and he basically never fouled. He got to the free throw line regularly, which means he was stressing opponent defenses.

Yellow Flags: He shot 33.1% on threes, and his 77.4% free throw percentage is fine but…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/three-elite-prospects-one-franchise-100000447.html

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Publish date : 2026-05-15 10:00:00

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