Jazz already pestering Wizards about No. 1 pick trade

The Jazz and the Wizards both emerged as the winners of last Sunday’s NBA Draft Lottery, but it appears the Jazz want to move up an additional spot. Both teams are in the top four of the 2026 NBA Draft, with the Wizards holding the top pick and the Jazz the second.

While the Wizards haven’t given any indication that they’re leaning towards a prospect, the Jazz are looking to trade up to number 1, presumably to keep top prospect AJ Dybantsa in Utah. The trade chatter was floated by Marc Spears in his latest piece on Andscape.

“Dybantsa is the top prospect in the draft, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Woo,” Spears wrote. “The Jazz have reached out to the Washington Wizards, who have the No. 1 pick, about potentially trading up to land the former BYU standout, a source said.”

Also in the Spears’ piece, in which he profiled Keyonte George, George spoke confidently about the Jazz’s improvement and believes they will soon be a playoff contender.

“We get a top-two talent in the draft and get to build on the changes we made with getting Jaren,” said George, who is 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds. “It’s just a lot of things going right for the group right now. On paper, we are definitely a playoff team. Honestly, there is just a different versatility that we have. You got guys who can play [point guard] to [shooting guard]. You got guys who play the [power forward] that can move to the [center position].

He added, “And then we got [Jazz head coach] Will Hardy. I know people know about Will. But his X’s and O’s and the way he breaks down the game for us, that’s really what gives me the confidence, honestly. Having Will and our coaches, the talent is going to take care of itself.”

Perhaps Dybantsa or Peterson can aid in their playoff hunt in a stacked Western Conference.