Five-star forward AJ Dybantsa only just announced his college commitment, yet he's already looking ahead to a potential career path in the NBA.
Dybantsa, who's the No. 1 overall recruit in 247Sports' composite rankings for 2025, confirmed Tuesday he intends to sign with BYU. During his appearance on First Take, he went on to say he'd like to land with the Orlando Magic or San Antonio Spurs when he takes the step up to the pros.
A lot can change between now and the 2026 NBA draft, the first year that Dybantsa is eligible. It's hard to see how either the Spurs or Magic will be in a position to take the dynamic scorer, though.
San Antonio has already shown some strides in its second year with Victor Wembanyama on the roster. It's 12-12 and only a half-game out of the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.
As long as Wembanyama stays healthy in 2025-26, the Spurs should be on even firmer footing in the West playoff race.
Orlando will want to be even further away from the lottery in 2026. The Magic were a playoff team last year and nearly upset the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. With all of their key players in their early-to-mid 20s, they aren't going anywhere as a threat in the Eastern Conference.
The Spurs do have swap rights with the Atlanta Hawks' first-rounder in 2026, but the Hawks almost certainly won't look to totally bottom out as long as Trae Young is on the roster.
If that did become a valuable pick for San Antonio, the team would then have to resist the temptation to leverage it into more ready-made talent to strengthen the supporting cast around Wembanyama.
By picking the Spurs and Magic as his preferred choices for now, Dybantsa clearly recognizes their bright futures ahead. But he probably missed the window to hop onto one of those squads straight out of the draft.
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