Is the Wizards’ asking price for the No. 1 pick too steep for Utah? | Why trading down is unlikely
Greg discusses trade down scenarios for the Washington Wizards, who own the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. What’s the asking price to trade No. 1? Does Utah make Ace Bailey available in trade talks? Could Washington add another first-round pick? All that and more in today’s episode. Enjoy! #nba #nbadraft #wizards #washingtonwizards
Peterson is definitely talented and will need a team that helps him develop. If you believe you can develop him and grab Bailey you potentially add two elite scorers. And you would have to see something in AJ that worries you.
AJ = #2, Ace Bailey & 2030 unprorected frp. No deal? We happily draft AJ and watch Ainge cry ugly main tears. No fks given.
The financial investment put into AJ by Utah and then to lose him by just one draft slot is hilarious. Ty for poetic justice, Adam Silver.
We are not do8ng Ainge any favors. Negotiations start with him bending over and the Wiz not using vaseline.
AJ is our back up plan is crazy work. Thats our worst case scenario. lol
We dont negoatiate down, Utah negotiates up. When 1 &2 are close enough we dont lose our leverage by loweringour asking price in a trade down. We have leverage, use it to manipulate a favorable outcome. AJ fits in our current squad as well as DP would. Our only options shoukd be win (draft AJ) or win more (DP, Ace & 2030 frp)
We need to find a way to draft Aday Mara.
i like Peteraon but I hope we draft AJ just to piss off that ornery troglodyte, Ainge.
We're on top…..we only respond to a kings randsom for our #1 pick.
And yes, ive scouted the 2030 class already
iam not really a wizard fan or any team fan iam here mostly to watch my french boys but i dont want you to be disappointed if they draft peterson or even boozer
I love Boozer, that's who i want. Peterson second and Dybantsa third on my list.
we don’t know who Utah ACTUALLY wants. they could easily have DP #1 on their board.
Utah doesn't want to move Bailey and other assets. That's OK. The Wizards can simply pick AJ Dybantsa and ask questions later.
The same logic applies with a trade with Memphis doesn't it. If the Wiz think Boozer is thier guy, why wouldnt you trade back with Memphis (not sure they covet dybansta). They have better draft assets in this draft too including pick #16 and and early 2nd which is like a late 1st in most drafts.
Im highest on Boozer because I think hes not only the best player but also the best fit for the wiz roster. AJ and DP are not great fits imo…
I think the reason the trade down rumors to picks other than 2 (let’s say to 3, 4) is to attempt to gain leverage in talks with Utah if we decide we don’t want AJ to get more assets from Utah in an offer
It’s just a leverage game. They know the Utah fan base is going to put a huge amount of pressure on the front office to make a trade so why not shoot for the moon? It doesn’t really hurt anything. The only way we trade down is if we think Boozer is the true #1 pick. It wouldn’t shock me, but I think we will make the pick for AJ. The wizards are smart they are guaranteed to keep there name in the news for 5 more weeks by keeping these rumors alive. It’s a win win.
Be wary of March NBA games in evaluating rookies. Lots of teams playing out the string, and gleaguers getting burn. Remember when people thought Bub was point guard of the future (and Will Riley is strong enough)?
If you think the most valuable piece to add to a team is someone who can score 40 a game in a playoff game THEN YES AJ and DP are the only options at 1 (Acuff too short). Winger and Dawkins have made it abundantly clear how valuable the personality is and with all these prospects splitting hairs, I think Caleb Wilson is the pick EVEN AT 1 if they can't trade back to 3. Winger said, “they don’t see this as a savior moment for the franchise” and I think drafting AJ or DP would be viewed as the savior. Them joining Trae Young and AD are now the reason the Wizards are good. I JUST THINK this Wizards franchise needs a "WTF you didn't draft Dybantsa!?" to let Wilson and rest of the Wizards youth more time to marinate into a deep defensive juggernaut. Ben Pfeifer has broken down how amazing of a passer Wilson is. Drenchman Sports has shorts breaking down his Wilson's defense. The dude is arguably the most athletic player in the draft AND he has the grudge of being overlooked. The personality and mentality have me wanting to scream this feels like the Dawkins dude and can we gather more assets while still getting him.
The Jayson Tatum trade didn't include anything crazy
Good take, as a Jazz fan it’s nice to see some realism from the wizards side. We just as happy with DP tbh so a trade up involving ace shouldn’t even be considered for our front office
What would be the asking price for a 24 year old Jayson Tatum? That's how I value AJ so even if Utah offered 2nd, Keyonte, ACE and another 1st, I'd still have to think about it. So, we'll keep AJ Dybantsa with a thank you very much and keep making other moves to improve (maybe trade next year's pick for a top 20 this year), and get off the Cam & D'Angelo contracts to make room .