Utah Jazz Trading for No. 1 Pick Looking Increasingly Unlikely

The Utah Jazz have been as highly linked to a trade up to the number-one pick in the NBA Draft as any team around the league has seen since the fallout of the lottery.

With a top talent like AJ Dybantsa sitting atop the board, having played in college at BYU right down the road, on top of being viewed as one of the top prospects in the draft class, it's no surprise that the Jazz would love to get their hands on him as a future cornerstone, even if it took a trade up to do so.

However, it seems like the Jazz's hopes of climbing up just one spot past their number-two slot seem to be dwindling quite quickly.

According to ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel, the Washington Wizards— who currently hold the number-one pick on the board right ahead of Utah— have been willing to hear out offers for their pick, but the consensus expectation seems to be that a deal won't actually come to fruition.

"While the Wizards have made it clear to teams that they are willing to hear out offers for the No. 1 pick, nobody believes Washington will actually trade this pick," Siegel said. "However, many teams are still of the belief that the Wizards are not fully locked into who they will take with the No. 1 pick quite yet."

Of course, while the Jazz may have the chips to deal with the Wizards when combining their draft assets and young players, that only happens if Washington is truly willing to part ways with that top pick for the right price.

But that doesn't seem to be in the cards at this point, and may inevitably leave the Jazz sticking and picking at two, which is far from a poor consolation prize.

Wizards Unlikely to Trade No. 1... Where Do the Jazz Go From Here?

Siegel's report at least leaves the door open for the Wizards to go another direction outside of Dybantsa. That would be sure to make the Jazz extremely happy to see their top target fall into their laps at two.

With Kansas guard Darryn Peterson viewed by many as a real rival to Dybantsa being the top pick with his two-way versatility and offensive ceiling, perhaps the Wizards could have that vision as well and decide to make him their top selection instead of what the general consensus currently says.

Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) returns to the bench during the game against Houston Cougars inside Allen Fieldhouse on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

But even if the Wizards do take Dybantsa, that would put Peterson (or perhaps Duke's Cameron Boozer) in a perfect position to be scooped up by the Jazz.

And especially for someone like Peterson who fits seamlessly in Utah's backcourt next to Keyonte George as a versatile impact player on both ends, it can leave this team walking out of the draft feeling like winners, no matter how Washington approaches their decision at number one.

Regardless of how the Wizards’ fate ends up at the number-one pick, the Jazz should be feeling pretty confident about how their draft will pan out later next month. They'll be ending up with a really talented piece of their future either way.

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