Did Jazz make mistake with Darryn Peterson over Cameron Boozer after trading Walker Kessler to Lakers?

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Did Jazz make mistake with Darryn Peterson over Cameron Boozer after trading Walker Kessler to Lakers?

Bailey Bassett, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Wed, Jul 1, 2026 ·

4 min read

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Did Jazz make mistake with Darryn Peterson over Cameron Boozer after trading Walker Kessler to Lakers? appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Utah Jazz have been busy over the last few months constructing a roster that can contend in the Western Conference. They traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline before embracing a tank job that landed them the second overall pick. With pick number two, Utah selected Darryn Peterson from Kansas, who they will now trust as the face of the franchise.

Peterson was the second overall pick in one of the most loaded drafts ever . AJ Dybantsa went first overall, and Cameron Boozer also had a case to be picked number one after winning national player of the year honors as a freshman. Peterson was expected to join a core featuring Jackson, Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Ace Bailey, and Walker Kessler , but the team has continued to tweak the roster this offseason.

Kessler was seemingly unwilling to sign for what the Jazz were willing to offer, so they shipped him to the Los Angeles Lakers. While Utah received a massive haul, which included two first-round picks and two pick swaps, the loss of Kessler does hurt their chances of contending during Peterson's rookie season. It also begs the question: Was the Peterson selection over Boozer the wrong choice?

The Jazz made the right call drafting Darryn Peterson

The Jazz were reportedly high on and open to taking all of Dybantsa, Peterson, or Boozer ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft. With Dybantsa off the board, one possible reason they settled on Peterson over Boozer was because the addition of the Duke product would have created a frontcourt logjam.

Markkanen can play the three, but he is 7-foot-1 and perhaps best as a stretch four. The team was also not only planning on giving minutes to Jackson and Kessler, but to Kyle Filipowski and the now recently re-signed Jusuf Nurkic as well. Boozer can play both inside and outside on offense, but he is best when posting up and attacking the painted area, and he has only really guarded power forward and centers on defense.

Peterson, meanwhile, plays the shooting guard position that was arguably Utah's biggest need coming into the offseason. The departure of Kessler has led to some wondering if the team should have gone with Boozer at pick two, though. Jazz fans can take a breath of relief because the Kansas product was the correct pick, even with Kessler leaving the team.

Peterson was arguably the top prospect in the draft, and he has a much higher ceiling than Boozer. The shooting guard can score from all three levels at an elite level and boasts serious defensive potential. Scoring is the name of the game and is the reason Peterson can become a star, but his defensive outlook is what is really intriguing for Utah. The Jazz were the second-worst defensive team in the NBA last season, and Peterson's point of attack defense, combined with Jackson's rim protection, will help prevent other teams from scoring on them so easily.

Boozer, meanwhile, has been labeled a tweener who isn't enough of a rim protector to properly guard centers nor enough of an athlete to thrive defending power forwards. Plus, the Jazz still have plenty of frontcourt depth, even after moving on from Kessler. Nurkic was traded for in a then-shocking move last year, but he impressed much more than expected before his season was shut down because of a nose injury. Filipowski has also played a significant role as a stretch big man through two seasons.

The Jazz will likely eventually need to get a true center replacement, as Jackson has always been best as a four due to his lack of rebounding and his foul tendencies. Even so, Boozer was more of a power forward than a true center, and the Jazz were likely a few years away from true contention anyway. By adding two first-round picks and two pick swaps, the Jazz could be contenders for a long time, and Peterson was the best prospect for them to add to lead the way.

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