Kansas guard Darryn Peterson is taking an unusual approach to the pre-draft process. Peterson plans to work out only for the Washington Wizards and does not intend to grant any other team a meeting, per ESPN’s Shams Charania and Jeremy Woo, .
As FortyEightMinutes has reported, sources connected to ownership expect the Wizards to select AJ Dybantsa with the top pick. Multiple news outlets have reported that AJ Dybantsa is the favorite to go No. 1 since and with multiple reports indicating that the Wizards don’t intent to trade the pick.
Our scouting has Boozer and Dybantsa as the top two prospects, followed by Peterson, which would mean Peterson falls past No. 1.
The Wizards hold the No. 1 overall pick after winning the 2026 lottery, and Dybantsa has visited both Washington and Utah, holders of the top two selections. Beyond Peterson and Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer is the other prospect widely viewed as having a case to go first overall (Boozer is our No. 1 prospect).
Limiting workouts to one team can signal a prospect expects, or prefers, to land there, but it carries risk. Last year, Ace Bailey set his sights on the Wizards, declined to work out elsewhere, and Utah took him anyway one pick ahead. If Washington looks in another direction, Peterson could similarly slide to the Jazz at No. 2.
In his lone season at Kansas, Peterson averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 38.2% from three. The chief concern is durability after cramping issues cost him games as a freshman.
We have Peterson ranked No. 3 on our 10-Tier, Top 60 Big Board, which evaluates prospects on how they project to contribute toward winning at the next level. The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft is Tuesday, June 23.
