Darryn Peterson NBA Draft intel + Kansas football’s QB situation | KU Jayhawks Q&A
The NBA Draft is just a little over a month away.
All eyes are on former Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball star Darryn Peterson. Despite a tumultuous season, the one-year KU guard remains in contention to become the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, which takes place next month. NBA scouts and draft evaluators have told The Star it’s unlikely he falls past the No. 2 pick.
The way the draft order is structured is viewed favorably by Peterson’s camp, according to a source close to Peterson. Here’s the order at the top of the draft.
1. Washington Wizards
2. Utah Jazz
3. Memphis Grizzlies
4. Chicago Bulls
Peterson’s team believes he won’t fall past No. 3. In fact, it’s possible that, because Utah ended up at No. 2, Peterson ends up being taken No. 1.
Why so? Well, Peterson is contending with BYU’s AJ Dybantsa for the chance to be selected No. 1 overall. Danny Ainge, the CEO of the Jazz and a BYU alum, has a close relationship with Dybantsa and his family. Ainge was seen at multiple BYU games throughout the 2025-26 season, including at the Big 12 Tournament, where Ainge greeted Dybantsa and his family after games.
As for how likely it is that the Jazz trade up to pick No. 1? Well, one NBA Draft evaluator told The Star that the price to move up in this draft class is high.
Another NBA scout told The Star that he expects the Jazz to make an offer. But he also noted Washington is unlikely to trade back because the Wizards have underperformed for the last three seasons — and now finally own the top pick.
It will be fascinating to see how it all plays out. The NBA Draft is set for June 23-24 in Brooklyn, New York.
With that, let’s jump into another Kansas Jayhawks Q&A. Thanks, as always, for your questions …
Who will be the KUBB GM, and o/u 1.5 seasons before he/she is hired? @j_moneyline
That’s a great question. I don’t foresee the Jayhawks having a general manager under coach Bill Self. I asked Self about it a while ago.
If he were to hire one, he’d want a fundraiser.
“I think that in today’s new time, I think you think about everything,” he said. “Now, I will tell you this: You don’t hire somebody just to hire somebody or to fill a position. What role does somebody like that really see being in your program?
“Could it be beneficial? Absolutely. Could it be detrimental? Absolutely. How much weight are you going to give to somebody to have that much influence when you may not trust that judgment on certain things?”
I’ll take the over on 1.5 years because I think Self will be here past next season. Whenever the new coach does come to KU, I would expect him to hire a GM. I’m not sure who, but it will be a coveted job.
I’ve had several people in the basketball world tell me they’d be interested in KU’s general manager position, if such a job existed. Many of these people are currently involved in the NBA.
Is this a make or break season for Lance after back to back 5 win seasons?@TheJayhawk4ever
I’m not sure it’s make-or-break, but if KU has another season that underwhelms, I think the seat gets a little hot for coach Lance Leipold.
There’s no question that the last two seasons haven’t gone to plan. The Jayhawks started last year 4-2 and didn’t make a bowl.
The previous year, Kansas had a horrid start before ripping off three straight wins over ranked opponents — only to lose badly to Baylor in a must-win game.
The goal for next season should be to make a bowl.
How big is KU mens’ bball’s current NIL budget and how does ours compare to other P5 mens bball budgets?
That’s a great question. The figures I’ve heard are around $15 million-$17 million, but that’s not an exact number.
As Self pointed out in a recent story, that’s not the biggest budget in the country for NIL. But it puts KU in a competitive spot. If I were to guess, I’d suspect the Jayhawks rank in the top 25 nationally.
Marshall, Ballard, or Jenkins? @SSN_Kansas
The competition remains very close, still. I expect the battle to extend into training camp before we learn Leipold’s starting quarterback for the 2026 season.
Right now, the leader is Cole Ballard. He’s done a great job of learning KU’s playbook and has the best arm of the bunch.
That said, Isaiah Marshall has improved since last season. He’s seen as the best of the trio when it comes to moving the football with his legs. And Chase Jenkins missed much of spring practice with an injury but came on late. He was taking some first-team reps by the end of spring workouts.
This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Darryn Peterson NBA Draft intel + Kansas football’s QB situation | KU Jayhawks Q&A."
