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The 2026 NBA Draft will go down in the history books for the Utah Jazz. It really was a long time coming. Tonight, they selected their first top-2 pick since the 1980 Darrell Griffith selection. For weeks, there was a shakeup between the top-3. First, the Wizards-Jazz egregious mock trades (sorry, Ace is still ours, Wizards fans), then came the rumors that the Wizards preferred Darryn at #1, in addition to the consideration of Cam Boozer at #2.
The board fell as expected. BYU phenom AJ Dybantsa was the first name off the board in the 2026 NBA Draft, as well as the wails and cries of Cougar fans ringing off in Salt Lake City.
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Then, it seemed as if the Ainge family was already on speed dial. At 6:13 am MST, Jake Fischer leaked the pick:
The pick seemed like a no-brainer. Utah could have paired the father and son Boozers (who fell the next pick to Memphis), but called through yet another draft bluff and took the consensus #1 high-school star. This moment will *hopefully* play in the back of my head for the rest of my days:
Jazz fans reacted just as enthusiastically, video courtesy of SLC Dunk’s very own Diana Allen:
But Darryn Peterson’s night wasn’t over. An hour later, he graced the cover of SLAM 263 despite being a #2 pick, rocking his brand spankin’ new black and purple threads. I’m no psychic, but I have the belief he may want to play here if he already did a photoshoot in a Jazz uniform during the weeks and weeks of rumors.
Darryn Peterson’s night refused to end. The draft marked the day Adidas signed Peterson to a long-term deal with Adidas, making it the top 5 richest rookie shoe deals in NBA history. No other prominent Utah Adidas rookies to mention…*cough* …none whatsoever.
As of the end of Round 1, the Jazz do not own a second-round pick, or any other pick at all after #2. They could attempt to add another rookie if they decide to reset their contract timeline. Or the Jazz could stand pat and relax in the Darryn Peterson cheers. They’re not in a rush to develop talent anymore. Now they’re ready for the big leagues to battle aliens and Greek freaks. Peterson is going to need…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/first-round-draft-recap-darryn-054501193.html
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Publish date : 2026-06-24 05:45:00
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