The NBA draft isn’t predictable. There are surprises every year. However, experts agree that there won’t be much drama in the top four this year. Washington, Utah, Memphis, and Chicago will all stay put and take the best player on the board. Current projections have it going as follows: AJ Dybantsa to the Wizards, Darryn Peterson to the Jazz, Cameron Boozer to the Grizzlies, and Caleb Wilson to the Chicago Bulls. However, there is a growing rumor going around that could upset such a delicate balance.
Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports reported that there are legitimate whispers that Dybansta really wants to stay in Utah to further his basketball career. He’s played there since high school. It’s home, and the idea of suiting up for the Jazz would be a dream.
Dybantsa’s own comments on lottery night added a little more intrigue to the scenario at the top of the draft. The BYU star implied that he was open to working out for more than one team (two to be exact).
That comment by Dybantsa was also consistent with one of the most repeated pieces of intel floating around Chicago this week: that Dybantsa was reportedly hoping to stay in Utah.
He’s been in Utah now for two years (one season at Utah Prep and one season in Provo at BYU). His family is now with him in Utah, and they’ve grown to like the state and were hoping to stay.
This idea would require a pick swap between the Wizards and Jazz. Utah puts together a package for Dybansta, while Washington gets more assets while still landing one of the top four players. Much would depend on how highly they rank Dybansta among the other top prospects.
Such an AJ Dybantsa outcome could lead to consequences.
If the Wizards are suddenly the ones picking at #2, everything changes. Do they take Peterson as everybody originally predicted? That seems unlikely since they already have Trae Young. It is more likely they’d focus on Boozer or Wilson to upgrade their forward spots. Considering their need for wing and defensive help, Wilson becomes the name to watch there. Then you move to Memphis at #3. Do they stick with the original plan of Boozer to help their front, or do they look to add a playmaking guard to replace Ja Morant, who many believe they will trade?
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That means either one of two outcomes. Either the Bulls get Boozer, the safest prospect in the class with elite playmaking skills and great passing for a big man, or they get Peterson, the most physically gifted player in the entire draft. We’re talking Dwyane Wade comparisons, but with some lingering questions about his health status after some odd issues at Kansas. What would Bryson Graham do in that situation? We know he tends to prefer size, so using his first-ever pick on a guard might be tough.
This might explain the Morant rumor.
Some speculate that the Bulls and Grizzlies could work out a deal of their own. Memphis is seeking a way to dump Morant’s huge remaining contract. Chicago has the most available cap space in the NBA. The idea is the Bulls flip Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro, Rob Dillingham, and the 4th pick to Memphis for Morant and the #3 pick. This way, the Grizzlies manage to dump the contract and still end up with one of the top four players. Meanwhile, the Bulls likely get one of Boozer or Wilson.
It is crazy to imagine how much AJ Dybantsa pulling a small power play can throw things out of whack. It all depends on whether Washington is willing to play ball. If they’re dead set on picking him, there isn’t anything he can do. Still, if a deal does happen, every projection you’re seeing right now for the Bulls gets thrown out the window. Anything can happen at that point.
