AJ Dybantsa to the Wizards Is Not a Lock, and the NBA Draft Just Got More Interesting
The 2026 NBA Draft Combine just dropped one of the most interesting storylines of the pre-draft process: AJ Dybantsa going to the Washington Wizards is not the sure thing everyone assumed it would be.
Per CBS Sports, intelligence coming out of the combine suggests that the Dybantsa-to-Washington pairing isn’t locked in, despite the widespread assumption that Washington would take the BYU standout with the first overall pick they won at the lottery last week. Now there’s smoke around whether the Wizards might consider trading down or taking an alternative approach entirely.
That changes the calculus for every team in the top ten.
For the record, Dybantsa’s combine measurements were elite. He measured at 6-foot-8.5 without shoes with a 7-foot-0.5 wingspan and a 42-inch maximum vertical leap. That vertical is the highest recorded at the combine so far, five full inches better than Cooper Flagg’s mark at last year’s combine. The athletic profile is real. The skill is real. There is no debate about whether Dybantsa can play in the NBA at the highest level.
The question, apparently, is whether the Wizards are the right fit and whether Dybantsa’s camp has preferences that could complicate the process. Reports have surfaced that Dybantsa’s people have interest in landing with the Utah Jazz, who hold a pick that could make a trade scenario plausible.
The Wizards haven’t had the first overall pick since they took John Wall in 2010. This is the most valuable position they’ve been in for 16 years. Blowing it by overthinking the process would be the most Washington Wizards thing imaginable.
Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game at BYU this season. He’s a three-level scorer who can operate in the post, in the midrange, and behind the arc. The offensive versatility is arguably the best in this draft class, and the physical profile from the combine only added to his appeal.
The Wizards’ GM Will Dawkins was at the combine and watched Dybantsa closely. He wasn’t giving anything away publicly after Day 1. That’s smart. You don’t tip your hand when you hold the top card.
But if Washington passes on Dybantsa for any reason other than a haul that includes multiple top-five picks, it will be questioned for the next decade. He’s the best player in this class, the measurements confirm it, and the Wizards desperately need a franchise player.
The Draft is June 23-24. That gives teams five weeks to sort this out. Don’t expect this drama to settle down before then.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
