Jazz Were 'Indifferent' With Results Leading Up To NBA Lottery

The Utah Jazz are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Feb 6, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; From left to right, Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik, / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz got unfortunate luck on Sunday at the NBA draft lottery. However, according to ESPN NBA insider Zach Lowe, the Jazz were "indifferent" to the results leading up to the event. Lowe shared his insight in an article written on ESPN+. 

"In the weeks leading to Sunday, even officials from teams who stood to potentially lose their first-round picks depending on the luck of the draw -- the Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors among them -- seemed indifferent to the results," Lowe wrote.

The selection was top-ten protected, and in hindsight, I'm sure Utah would prefer to pay off that debt in what's projected to be a weak draft class. At this stage, regressing to the tenth spot from eight doesn't feel like a big deal, considering the pool of players that will be available. It could become a much bigger issue next season if Utah has to pay the debt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a draft class that's projected to be flooded with talent. Lowe also addressed the uncertainty of this year's draft class.

"This year, it was borderline casual," Lowe wrote. "There is no consensus No. 1 pick, though several team officials and agents gathered in Chicago for the draft combine told ESPN that center Alex Sarr is the one player most likely to fall in the top two or three of almost every team's draft board. Beyond that, it's chaos."

It appears the Jazz will most likely stay at ten unless the pick is used in a package to pair Lauri Markkanen with an All-Star caliber player via trade. Some names that have been floated in this year's rumor mill are Trae Young, Brandon Ingram, and Dejounte Murray.

That said, it's still unknown what direction Utah is headed this offseason. Jazz CEO Danny Ainge made post-season comments about going "Big Game Hunting" this summer, but tanking the season for a top-tier pick next year could still happen.

Utah is in a tough spot. If they go into next year with Markkanen and Collin Sexton on the roster, they might be too good to write off the season. But the ceiling of the current roster is making the play-in tournament. Adding a fringe All-Star type player might put them in the first-round of the playoffs, but advancing further doesn't feel reasonable unless an unforeseen player emerges. Jazz fans will have a clearer picture of what may be next after the draft scheduled for June 26-27.

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