Darryn Peterson says he met with Utah Jazz on weekend before NBA Draft

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Last week, storylines around the top of the NBA Draft shifted as Kansas guard Darryn Peterson said he would only be meeting with the Washington Wizards.

Speculation on why that decision was made went in every direction, but the sense from Peterson’s camp was that he would be the No. 1 pick in the draft.

At media day today, Peterson told reporters that he met with the Utah Jazz over the weekend.

 

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Considering it was somewhat of a last-minute meeting, he did not make the trip to Salt Lake City.

There are positives in actually visiting the city, like seeing the facilities and meeting people in the organization face-to-face. But pre-draft workouts for top-five picks are less about on-court work and more about sitting down and talking with members of the front office.

AJ Dybantsa said himself that he didn’t actually do any working out during his stops in Washington and Utah. Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge mirrored that idea in a recent interview on the KSL Sports Zone:

The guys in this range of the draft, they come in and typically do an interview and a little shooting workout. Not live against other people. There’s a limited amount of information you can get from that. We try not to overrate it or underrate it. I would say the most important thing is to get them to spend time with coach and us and have dinner and breakfast. Just really get to know them as people.

It is widely assumed that the Utah Jazz will be picking between three prospects with the No. 2 pick. Dybantsa, Peterson, and Cam Boozer.

Both Dybantsa and Boozer made stops in Utah during the pre-draft process, and now the final box is checked with Peterson’s meeting.

Darryn Peterson confirmed he met with the @utahjazz recently and would be happy to get drafted by any team.

He didn’t make it to Utah, but the two sides spoke. #TakeNote | @kslsports pic.twitter.com/pp12zZAns0

— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) June 22, 2026

The NBA Draft will be held on June 23 and 24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Chandler Holt is a Utah Jazz insider for KSLSports.com and co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast. Follow Chandler on X for Jazz and NBA updates.

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