Andy Larsen
Aaron Falk
Jason BatacaoThere were reports earlier this month that Peterson would only work out for the Washington Wizards, who own the No. 1 pick.
Should that worry Utah Jazz fans?
“(It was) just a decision that was made, but I’m definitely not dodging any team,” Peterson told reporters ahead of the draft. “Whoever takes me, I’m going to come in and be delighted to be there. And wherever that happens to be, they’ll get the best me. But I’m not dodging any team. I’m ready to play for whoever.”
Peterson said Monday that he did meet with Jazz officials in addition to his interview with them at the NBA draft combine.
Peterson also recalled a trip he made to Utah earlier in his career.
“It was nice. I liked it,” he said. “You see some mountains and stuff. It was nice scenery.”
The turnout
There are 1,000 or so fans at the team’s watch party.
Jazz fans are lining up early
It’s hot. It’s smoky.
It’s not stopping Utah Jazz fans from showing up early for tonight’s draft watch party.
Where: Northeast parking lot at Shops at South Town
When: 5 p.m. MT
More details on the watch party here.
AJ Dybantsa says social media post was not an NBA draft clue
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) AJ Dybantsa and his father, Ace Dybantsa, watch a Utah Jazz game last season.
AJ Dybantsa says he doesn’t know anything more than you do about who will be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
“I’m gonna find out when you find out,” he told a reporter Monday.
Everyone, however, seems to have a hunch who the Washington Wizards will pick tonight.
While the rumors and reports, the mock drafts and power rankings have gone back and forth between Dybantsa and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson in recent weeks, Dybantsa now appears to be the favorite to hear his name called first.
The BYU star sits atop the mock drafts for ESPN and Yahoo! Sports. NBA insider Sham Charania says the Wizards are leaning Dybantsa’s way.
And the sportsbooks have Dybantsa as the betting favorite.
Dybantsa, meanwhile, says he does not know what the Wizards are planning to do. Nor, he says, was his Father’s Day post — featuring a photo of him and his dad standing in front of the White House — a clue about the draft.
“It was actually just a random photo that I found,” Dybantsa said. “I was going to do one and I was a baby, but I was naked, so I didn’t want to do that one. So the next one to the right just happened to be in front of the White House.”
Andy Larsen, a lifelong Utah resident who graduated with a math degree from Salt Lake City's Westminster College, is now The Tribune’s data columnist (after previously covering the Utah Jazz). When he's not writing about numbers in our world, Andy enjoys playing soccer, tennis and chess.
Aaron Falk manages The Tribune’s award-winning sports staff. Off the clock, you can find him missing fairways, getting lost on mountain trails, or spilling gourmet cuisine on a previously clean shirt.
Jason Batacao, a former Oklahoma City resident who graduated from the University of Oklahoma, covers the University of Utah for The Salt Lake Tribune. When he’s not covering the Utes, Jason enjoys watching movies, playing on his Xbox Series X and reading books.