Will the Utah Jazz trade up for AJ Dybantsa and will BYU land a big man? Those are the two most-asked questions this summer for Jazz Nation and Cougar Nation.
The answer on Dybantsa will come by June 23 at the NBA draft. Determining BYU’s height plight might take a little longer.
As a non-Jazz purist who doesn’t live or die by every transaction, I’d offer anyone on the roster to Washington to get from the second pick to the first selection. Dybantsa, in my opinion, is a franchise player, the best available hoopster in the worldwide draft — and most importantly, he wants to be here.
That notion of an A-Lister wanting to play for the Jazz runs counter to all the years of grumbling that superstars, outside of John Stockton and Karl Malone, won’t play or stay in Utah.
Not only did Dybantsa play a year of prep school in the state, but he just finished his All-Big 12 freshman season at BYU.
Call me crazy, but it seems Utah’s chances of having Dybantsa in his best years hinges on making a move to land him for the early ones. Rookie contracts expire and players leave — unless they learn to love it here. Dybantsa already does.
The Jazz just finished a 22-60 season and won 14 of 41 games at the Delta Center. Judging by the numbers, they are more than a tweak or two away from contending.
No question, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson are great players, but do what it takes to land Dybantsa.
Jazz Nation has waited years for this moment — a real chance to get the very best player, a true game changer with unlimited potential, and they have up until the final second before Washington makes the first pick to pull it off.
Answering the next big question of the summer might take a little longer. BYU needs a big man, and no one knows that more than head coach Kevin Young. Getting outsized in the Big 12 and against Texas in the NCAA Tournament made the offseason quest an obvious one.
Young and his staff have been working the international market, and this is a significant weekend. International players had until 3 p.m. Saturday (MDT) to withdraw from the NBA draft, which will make the next few weeks very interesting.
The Cougars have already added key pieces in the offseason, including five-star freshman Bruce Branch III, Kentucky transfer Collin Chandler, Clemson transfer Jake Wahlin and Syracuse transfer Tyler Betsey. Retaining point guard Rob Wright III was also a critical move, and getting a healthy Dawson Baker is monumental.
The current roster boasts five players who are 6-foot-8 or taller, but BYU needs a behemoth in the middle. Sadly, so does everybody else.
For a staff that has landed consecutive lottery picks (Egor Demin and Dybantsa) and another potential No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA draft (Branch), odds are that they will find a guy that can help them.
Dybantsa to the Jazz and a big man to BYU? Those are the two biggest questions of the summer for two very passionate fanbases, and the answers are coming. The world won’t end if things go differently. Both teams will be pretty good either way — but the potential to be great is what has everybody’s attention.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com