Kansas guard Darryn Peterson to meet with Wizards in pre-draft process, per report

Darryn Peterson, the Kansas guard viewed for stretches of the college season as a potential No. 1 pick, will reportedly meet with the Washington Wizards as part of his pre-draft process, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Jeremy Woo. The report also says Peterson will not schedule additional pre-draft visits with other teams that hold one of the top selections, narrowing the window for how clubs can evaluate him outside of workouts and team-led meetings.

Peterson’s draft profile has drawn significant attention because his stock has moved in both directions during the evaluation cycle. He had been treated as a front-of-the-draft type prospect at times, but the report notes that concerns about his health and motivation contributed to him sliding down draft boards. That type of shift tends to be a major storyline in the NBA’s pre-draft period, because it can affect who invests private time in a prospect and how aggressively teams trade up or stay put.

The Wizards meeting matters in the larger context of how NBA front offices build their board. Pre-draft visits are often used to validate fit and development plans, not just talent. For teams at or near the top of the draft, a meeting can also clarify how coaches and medical staff view any risk factors that may have emerged in a prospect’s season or in prior examinations.

Washington’s interest, as described in the report, adds another layer to Peterson’s situation because the meeting reportedly represents his only planned team visit among the highest-selection clubs. In practice, that means other teams with top picks may need to rely more heavily on tape, interviews conducted elsewhere in the process, and medical context that is gathered without a direct, in-person visit.

It is also a reminder of how quickly draft narratives can change in college basketball. A prospect who appears to be rising can still face uncertainty if evaluators believe there are unresolved health questions or concerns about day-to-day engagement. With Peterson, those issues are reported as part of why he is not viewed the same way he might have been earlier in the year.

For Kansas, the bigger takeaway is that Peterson’s NBA pathway remains a high-profile story even as the draft picture grows more complicated. The outcome of his pre-draft process will likely influence where he lands and how teams plan their roster-building timeline, particularly around guard play and secondary ball-handling roles.

As the 2026 NBA Draft approaches, the next item to watch is whether Peterson’s Wizards meeting is followed by any additional team interactions that had not been previously reported, and whether teams that hold top selections alter their interest based on the medical and fit questions that have been circulating. Until there is official confirmation from team or draft authorities, the meeting should be treated as reported, not finalized.