AJ Dybantsa may be doing whatever he can to stay home.
The top NBA Draft prospect Dybantsa is hoping to remain in Utah and would prefer to be drafted by the Jazz, Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports reported on Wednesday. Finkelstein adds that there are rumors about whether or not Dybantsa could pull some “workout shenanigans” and refuse to work out for the Washington Wizards in the hopes of steering his way to the Jazz.
Dybantsa, 19, is the projected No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. He just completed his one season of college ball at BYU and was already in Utah before that as well, playing out his senior year of high school at Utah Prep Academy in Hurricane, Utah.
On top of that, Finkelstein says Dybantsa’s family is now with him in Utah and that they have grown to like the state. It should probably be noted as well that Jazz owner Ryan Smith is an alum of BYU himself and has been rumored to have invested in Dybantsa’s amateur career.
But the problem for Dybantsa and the Jazz is that the Wizards hold the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft (with Utah at No. 2). That means Washington effectively holds all of the cards when it comes to Dybantsa’s future.
There is obviously a universe where Utah could try to trade up to No. 1 by enticing Washington with extra assets as well as the opportunity to settle for Darryn Peterson, the other gem of the 2026 NBA Draft class, instead. But with Dybantsa also having an interesting live reaction to the Wizards winning the draft lottery over the weekend, it is probably safe to say that he would much prefer to remain in The Beehive State.
