Jazz not fazed by Darryn Peterson’s Wizards preference

With the NBA Draft approaching in a little bit over a week, teams are starting to figure out who they want to pick when they’re on the clock. For the Washington Wizards, they’ll be the first team on the board, and the chances of them picking either AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson are really high.

In the latest report, Peterson only worked out for the Wizards, which has many thinking that the franchise may go with him, leaving the Utah Jazz with Dybantsa. Though it seems like Peterson prefers the Wizards, that wouldn’t bother the Jazz in selecting him if he were there at No. 2, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Woo.

“Although Peterson does not plan to visit Utah before the draft, that is not considered by rival teams to be a major factor in whether the Jazz will select him,” Woo wrote. “There is precedent for that thinking, as general manager Austin Ainge selected Ace Bailey fifth overall last year, despite Bailey’s camp electing not to work out there.

“The Jazz are considered to be comfortable with whichever player falls to them, and they have also brought in Cameron Boozer for a visit. While there is support for Boozer in Utah — as well as the presence of his father Carlos in a front office role — his fit within a loaded frontcourt that includes Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler is less clean than the other two options.”

As Woo stated, the Jazz have a history of drafting a player who didn’t work out for them, so Peterson’s decision doesn’t matter to them.

If the Wizards were to draft Peterson, it would be interesting to see how the fit would be alongside Trae Young, as they both play the same position. Either way it goes, the Jazz will be selecting a player who will help them now and in the long term.