Jayden Daniels Already Texting AJ Dybantsa Before He Was Even a Wizard

AJ Dybantsa hasn’t even played a game for the Washington Wizards yet and he’s already getting the VIP treatment from the city’s other young star. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has been blowing up his phone since the lottery, apparently way more confident than Dybantsa was about where he’d end up.

“It feels good. I mean, Jayden’s been texting me since the lottery happened, talking about ‘Welcome to DC, welcome to DC,’ and I’m like, ‘Bro, we don’t know yet,’ but I’m sure he’s happy,” Dybantsa told reporter Alex Flum.

Well now they know. The Wizards made Dybantsa the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday night, and suddenly Washington has a pretty interesting duo of franchise cornerstones across two sports. Daniels took the NFL by storm as a rookie. Dybantsa just spent one year at BYU looking like he was playing a different game than everybody else.

The numbers were stupid. 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals per game. He led the country in scoring, won the Julius Erving Award, made First Team All-American, and grabbed Big 12 Freshman of the Year. One season, that’s all he needed to put his name at the top of every scout’s board.

The Wizards didn’t hesitate. They’re in year five of a rebuild that hasn’t exactly been smooth. Since their last playoff appearance in 2021, they’ve been near the bottom of the East more often than not. This past season they finished 17-65. Dead last. But the roster is starting to look different now.

Washington’s roster is getting real interesting

The Wizards have Trae Young and Anthony Davis on the roster heading into training camp. That’s two All-Stars with serious playoff experience. Davis brings defense and interior scoring. Young brings the kind of playmaking that makes everyone around him better. Add Dybantsa’s scoring ability on the wing and suddenly you’ve got a core that could actually compete.

Dybantsa won’t make his debut until the 2026-27 season, so the excitement is all anticipation for now. But the pieces are there. The Wizards have young prospects developing, veterans who can still play, and a rookie who just dominated college basketball like it was nothing.

And they’ve got a quarterback who’s already acting like the city’s unofficial hype man. Daniels texting Dybantsa before the draft was one thing. Now they’re actually teammates in the same town. DC sports hasn’t had this much energy around its young stars in a long time.