The last week has brought some significant pre-draft smoke around Cameron Boozer potentially being the pick at No. 2 by the Utah Jazz. That smoke began with comments by Bill Simmons, and then rose with Kevin O'Connor's mock on Yahoo Sports that slotted Boozer in the second spot.
The reasoning behind the smoke was a lack of belief in Danny Ainge, the CEO of the Jazz, signing off on selecting Darryn Peterson with the Kansas star carrying some significant red flags from his one season with the Jayhawks.
Most have cited "fit" as the reason the Jazz would pass on Boozer, but Ainge has always taken the guy he believes to be the best player, regardless of the other pieces he currently has on the roster. There's no reason to believe that wouldn't be the case this time, either.
But what if the decision isn't between Peterson and Boozer to begin with? What if Peterson if already off the board?
Per reporting from ESPN's Shams Charania and Jeremy Woo on Monday, Peterson is operating as if he is going to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick. The Kansas star has only granted a workout with the Washington Wizards, who hold that top pick. AJ Dybantsa, on the other hand, has worked out with both the Wizards and Jazz:
Developments ahead of the June 23-24 NBA draft: BYU's AJ Dybantsa has conducted formal visits with both the Washington Wizards (No. 1) and Utah Jazz (No. 2) while Kansas' Darryn Peterson only visited the Wizards and does not plan to grant anyone else a meeting, sources tell me…
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 15, 2026
A shakeup at the top of the NBA Draft could keep Cameron Boozer from moving up
It's worth noting that despite this reporting, Woo's latest mock draft kept Dybantsa at No. 1 to the Wizards anyway.
But if Washington surprises everyone and takes Peterson at No. 1, that would end any hope Boozer had of going at No. 2 to the Jazz. There's no way the Jazz would pass on Dybantsa, who played high school ball in Utah and played college at BYU. They're taking the homegrown talent 10 times out of 10 with that pick if he's available.
That could be for the best for Boozer, anyway.
The Jazz have a crowded frontcourt, and while the cream always rises to the top, it would take more time for him to become the face of the franchise with the Jazz already having Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler fighting for playing time up front.
At No. 3, the Grizzlies would be picking Boozer with the intent of the Duke star becoming the face of the franchise in Memphis. And despite the Grizzlies maybe not being ready to compete as quickly as Washington or Utah - especially with many expecting Memphis to try and trade Ja Morant this offseason - Boozer would pair with Zach Edey in the frontcourt to give the Grizzlies a legitimate framework to build on.
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