It was recently reported that Kansas guard Darryn Peterson is only speaking with the Washington Wizards ahead of next week’s NBA Draft. Peterson is widely projected to be selected in the top three, and the Wizards own the No. 1 pick.
Peterson’s move could be a red flag for the Utah Jazz, who have the No. 2 pick. But it could also make their decision easier and go with Duke forward Cameron Boozer instead, given that the Wizards would likely take BYU’s AJ Dybantsa.
The 19-year-old Peterson is trying to control his fate, and he believes he has a chance to land with the Wizards. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the talented playmaker wants to have a major role right away, and the Jazz might not give him that.
“For Peterson’s camp, though, sources say there’s as much motivation to avoid a positional overlap with incumbent ballhandler Keyonte George on the team that holds the No. 2 overall pick as there is a desire to go No. 1 ahead of Dybantsa and Boozer,” wrote Fischer on Substack.
George is coming off a breakout campaign, and, as Fischer noted, Utah is prioritizing him “as an absolute cornerstone.”
Aside from George, Peterson could also battle for minutes in the backcourt with Isaiah Collier, Ace Bailey, and Cody Williams. He would also share touches with Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Brice Sensabaugh.
“Add it all up, and you can see that the Jazz, despite winning only 39 games over the past two seasons, are actually teeming with promising players all of a sudden before we even get to Walker Kessler’s thorny restricted free agency looming in July,” added Fischer.
The situation is similar to what happened to the Jazz last year with Bailey, who tried to avoid playing in Salt Lake. The team still selected him at No. 5.
Curiously, Peterson would also be in a logjam in the backcourt on the Wizards, along with Trae Young, Tre Johnson, D’Angelo Russell, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Sharife Cooper, and Jaden Hardy.
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