AJ, meet D.C.
In 44 days, AJ Dybantsa will hear his name called at the NBA Draft.
But what appears to be the BYU star’s most likely landing spot was just decided.
The Washington Wizards won Sunday’s NBA draft lottery for the third time in franchise history, thus being awarded the No. 1 selection in June’s draft.
Washington, who finished a league-worst 17-65 this past season, was tied with the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets for the best lottery odds, holding a 14% chance of picking first.
The Wizards are the first team to both lead the NBA in losses and win the draft lottery since 2018.
Dybantsa was the nation’s leading scorer (25.5 points per game) and a First Team All-American during his lone campaign at BYU. The versatile 6-foot-9 wing is widely considered to be the top prospect in this year’s draft, making him Washington’s presumed favorite at No. 1 overall.
Both ESPN and Yahoo have projected Dybantsa to the Wizards in their respective post-lottery mock drafts, along with a number of other notable sites and sources.
Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, however, put Kansas guard Darryn Peterson at the top of his mock draft, with Dybantsa instead being picked second by the Utah Jazz.
“I think I’m pretty versatile and adaptable, so I think I can play anywhere,” Dybantsa told Wizards insider Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network at the lottery.
Dybantsa also told Hughes he already knew several Wizards players, including veteran All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis, who were acquired by Washington prior to this most recent trade deadline.
Due to injuries, Young only played in five games for the Wizards in 2026, while Davis has yet to suit up for the team.
Despite winning just 17 games this past season and not having posted a 50-win campaign since 1979, Washington is viewed by some as an organization on the rise, having hired former Oklahoma City Thunder executive Will Dawkins as general manager in 2023 to pilot a full-scale rebuild in the nation’s capital.
Simply put, Washington has very little to show for its past five decades. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, especially if Dybantsa is the team’s pick.
In addition to playing alongside Young and Davis, Dybantsa would join a group of young Wizards talents such as Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Will Riley and Tre Johnson — an overall core that should immediately compete for at least a play-in spot within the Eastern Conference.
A lot can happen over the next 44 days. Perhaps the Jazz or another team makes a push to trade up for Washington’s selection. Maybe the Wizards end up favoring Peterson or another prospect in this year’s deep class.
But as things currently stand, expect Dybantsa to be wearing red, white and blue in Washington.
