Former Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson is one of the top prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft, but he’s also a bit polarizing.
Despite joining the Jayhawks as one of the most highly regarded prospects in college basketball, Peterson dealt with multiple injuries throughout his lone season at Kansas, leading to questions about his draft stock. Now, he is taking a bold approach to the pre-draft process, opting to meet with just one team before the 2026 NBA Draft.
Darryn Peterson Only Meeting With 1 NBA Team During Pre-Draft Process
According to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania and Jeremy Woo, Peterson has taken an aggressive stance on his NBA future by only making himself available to the Washington Wizards, who hold the No. 1 pick in the draft.
“Kansas’ Darryn Peterson only visited the Wizards and does not plan to grant anyone else a meeting,” Charania tweeted.
Charania and Woo expanded on this in their latest mock draft for ESPN.
“Peterson has informed the Jazz that he plans to take no further team visits, signaling that he is comfortable with his position and prefers to hear his name called at No. 1 with Washington,” Charania and Woo reported.
“He has made himself accessible to the Wizards, previously meeting with them in Los Angeles, and has conducted multiple on-court workouts in front of Washington’s decision-makers. Peterson wants to play point guard at the next level, but the presence of Trae Young in Washington is not viewed as an impediment.”
During his freshman season, Peterson missed 11 games due to persistent cramping issues that also forced him to check out of some games early, playing less than 25 minutes in seven of his first 16 appearances. His availability issues threatened his draft stock before he had a strong finish to the season.
Charania reported on X that Peterson’s rival for the No. 1 pick, former BYU star AJ Dybantsa, has conducted formal visits with both the Wizards and the Jazz, who hold the No. 2 pick in the draft.
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While Peterson is refusing to meet with Utah, Charania and Woo note that will not deter the Jazz from selecting him should he fall to No. 2 on draft night.
“Although Peterson does not plan to visit Utah before the draft, that is not considered by rival teams to be a major factor in whether the Jazz will select him,” they wrote. “There is precedent for that thinking, as Austin Ainge selected Ace Bailey fifth overall last year, despite Bailey’s camp electing not to work out there.”
At Kansas, Peterson showed flashes of brilliance that vaulted him into contention to be the No. 1 pick alongside Dybantsa. Peterson averaged 20.2 points on 43.8% shooting from the field and 38.2% shooting from beyond the arc, along with 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
