The Washington Wizards' interest in Darryn Peterson has gotten loud over the last week or so as the NBA Draft looms.
Washington has their pick of the litter from the loaded draft class, but all expectations are that the decision for the Wizards will come down to Peterson and AJ Dybantsa.
Considering many deemed the NBA Draft Lottery as the AJ Dybantsa sweepstakes, it always felt that the most likely outcome would be that the BYU star would be headed to the nation's capital, rounding out their talented frontcourt and giving them a franchise cornerstone to build around for the future.
With the noise coming out of D.C. in the recent days, though, specifically from NBA Insider Marc Stein (subscription) in his latest scoop of intel, it feels like one of two things is happening.
Either the Wizards are seriously considering a last-minute pivot to Peterson with their top pick, or they could be sending out a smoke screen that shakes up the entire draft night.
Wizards could be leaking Darryn Peterson interest intentionally
Peterson is a talented prospect, there's no doubt, but it never felt like his fit in Washington was the best landing spot for the sharpshooting guard.
Not only does his desire to play point guard cloud the vision about his future, but pairing another unreliable defender alongside Trae Young (assuming he re-signs in free agency) doesn't feel like the winning recipe the Wizards are searching for.
And with the recent reports of Peterson's lack of desire to land in Utah, the Wizards may be intentionally attempting to shake up the draft order by putting false hope out to the Jazz that their dream of Dybantsa falling to them at No. 2 could come true.
The reality is, if the Jazz have their hopes set on Dybantsa and the Wizards select him, Utah would then have to pivot to Cameron Boozer (as expected), and the Grizzlies would then be left to take Peterson.
Obviously, it's not a major shakeup, and the top 3 is all but decided up to this point, but there's a reason why this smoke is coming out of Washington all of a sudden.
The Wizards certainly could be considering taking Peterson at No. 1, but it's important to take every report with a grain of salt leading up to draft night, considering the leverage plays being made around the league.
Regardless of what reports come out, fans should prepare for the pick to be one of Dybantsa or Peterson.
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