The top of the NBA Draft is getting less predictable.
Marc Stein reported that several draft experts now believe Washington could take Kansas guard Darryn Peterson over BYU's AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 pick. One well-placed insider described Peterson's standing with the Wizards as "increased consideration."
That is the important phrase. Dybantsa has been the expected No. 1 pick for months, and Stein wrote that he had also been expecting Adam Silver to call Dybantsa's name first in Brooklyn. Peterson's late push changes the way Tuesday night's first round has to be read.
There is still uncertainty baked into the report. Stein did not say Washington has decided on Peterson. The question is whether the Wizards are truly considering him at No. 1 or whether this is draft-week leverage before the board starts shortly after 8 PM ET on Tuesday.
The Peterson side has one real marker. Washington is the only team being granted a private workout with the Kansas star before the draft. Peterson's camp also expects him to challenge the Dybantsa expectation and make the race for No. 1 a photo finish.
If that happens, Utah becomes the obvious subplot. Jazz owner Ryan Smith went to BYU, and Dybantsa falling to No. 2 would be a huge result for a team that went 17-65, finished with the league's worst record and still landed only fifth in the Cooper Flagg lottery.
The other top prospects are being treated differently. According to Stein, Duke's Cam Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson are not in contention for the first pick. Boozer is widely projected to Memphis at No. 3. Wilson is expected to go to Chicago at No. 4, where he would become Bryson Graham's first draftee as the Bulls' new lead decision-maker.
That leaves the story clean but tense: Dybantsa is still the name everyone expected, Peterson is no longer just background noise, and Washington has a real decision to make before draft night.
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