It would be awesome if AJ Dybantsa got to play for the Utah Jazz. Not just because of how talented he is as a prospect, but because of his strong Utah ties. With the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the prevailing sentiment is that the Washington Wizards will take Dybantsa before the Jazz get the chance.
However, there has been plenty of intel suggesting that the Wizards will listen to offers for the No. 1 pick, opening the door for the Jazz to get him. However, while the Jazz would be smart to explore that option, they shouldn't do anything too drastic. One drastic scenario would be trading Ace Bailey to move up from No. 1 to No. 2.
This has been floated since the draft lottery came out. It's very possible Dybantsa will be a better than Bailey, but even so, why would Utah make a deal like that? Even if Dybantsa is the consensus No. 1 pick in this draft, it's not like he's head and shoulders better than every other prospect in this draft. Especially not to the point that Utah should trade the No. 2 pick and Bailey to get him.
They say quality is better than quantity, and they're not wrong, but it's not worth compromising the quantity of quality prospects if giving up two for the price of one damages the team overall.
It's like Steve Jobs once said, "the most important decisions you make are not the things you do, but the things you decide not to do."
Washington would definitely be in their rights to want Bailey and the No. 2 pick with the leverage at their disposal, but that doesn't mean Utah should play right into their hands.
This class is good enough that they should simply let it play out
Like I said, this class is simply too good overall for the Jazz to really even think about dangling Bailey to move up one spot. That's not a shot at Dybantsa at all, but more or less praise for the other prospects like Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer. For how good the BYU alum will be, there's a solid chance those two (and potentially more) will be as good and maybe even better.
In fact, it doesn't even sound like it's a sure thing Dybantsa will be the No. 1 pick. Not because he has looked bad, but because the other prospects in this draft look that good. That's why it truly isn't necessary to pull off a trade like this.
If you asked the Jazz themselves if they truly wanted Dybantsa more than anyone else, they would probably say yes. However, if you followed that up with giving up everything they could to get him, they would say no.
Utah may very well try to move up from No. 2 to No. 1 in this draft, but they'll laugh at any offer involving Bailey in a deal like that out of the room.
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