The Washington Wizards are seemingly ready to cap off their three-year rebuild that started when they traded Bradley Beal in 2023 with a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. If they could do that, their team could go from rebuild to contender with the right pick.
In Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman’s latest 2026 NBA Mock Draft, he has the Wizards selecting Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson. Peterson was one of the best players in the NCAA last season, and Wasserman had his direct NBA comparison being Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards.
“Despite all the controversy around his injuries and in-game tapouts earlier in the season, he still averaged 20.2 points on 43.8 percent shooting (38.2 percent from three) while playing 29.0 minutes a game. Peterson’s shotmaking skill remains as exciting as it seemed at Prolific Prep.We also learned he’s very comfortable scoring from off the ball, a good sign considering his ball-dominant role at Prolific Prep. He posted productive and efficient numbers playing a lot of reps out of spot-ups, running around screens and taking dribble handoffs,” Wasserman wrote.
With Kansas, Peterson was averaging 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 steals in 29 minutes per game. He led his team to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals, where they lost to Houston, and then to the round of 32 in March Madness where they lost to St. John’s on a buzzer beater.
He could easily be a starter for the Wizards, either at the two or be a slightly undersized three. With that, Washington could have a starting five of Trae Young, Tre Johnson/Peterson, Bilal Coulibaly/Peterson, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr. If Peterson is anything like Edwards, that would be an insane starting lineup.
Hopefully, the Wizards are able to land Peterson. If they do, they really have a chance to finally be the contender they used to be in the John Wall and Bradley Beal days.
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