The Brooklyn Nets know they have the No. 6 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after Sunday’s Lottery and now, they’ve had a chance to talk to prospects during the 2026 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago this week. Brooklyn fell into the range where they likely won’t be able to draft any of the four players in the first tier of this class, but that didn’t stop them from doing their due diligence.
Marc J. Spears of Andscape and ESPN reported on Thursday that BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, who’s widely expected to be the first overall pick, met with a variety of teams that includes the Nets. In addition to Brooklyn, Dybantsa met with the Washington Wizards, who hold the first overall pick, along with the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Understandably so, many fans were curious about why Dybantsa met with so many teams when most people expect him to be the first player off the board when the draft begins on Jun. 23. While the Wizards aren’t likely to pass up on the chance to select Dybantsa, there is always a chance that another team, possibly the Nets, could try to acquire the No. 1 pick so it would make sense to touch base with him just in case.
While there is a chance that Brooklyn could throw whatever they had at the Wizards to give them the No. 1 pick, it will definitely take the entire kitchen just to make Washington even consider moving off a talent like Dybantsa. To put this scenario in perspective, the last time a team traded away the No. 1 pick was 2017 when the Philadelphia 76ers received the No. 1 pick from the Boston Celtics in exchange for the No. 3 pick in the same draft that later became perennial All-NBA player Jayson Tatum and a future first-round pick.
Based on history, it’s rare that a team with the No. 1 pick trades out of that spot and if they do, they are usually getting the No. 3 pick, at worst, along with somewhere between one to three first-round picks. For the Nets to move from No. 6 to No. 1, it would be virtually impossible for them to convince the Wizards to reconsider their decision to add Dybantsa to their roster. However, Brooklyn made sure to talk to him anyway, just in case.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets met with BYU forward AJ Dybantsa during 2026 NBA Draft Combine
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
