Insider: Jerry Sloan 'Would Never' Agree to Tanking

The Utah Jazz are playing with fire.

The Utah Jazz continue to prioritize player development and draft position over a winning culture. Nobody is better at losing basketball games than the Utah Jazz. Since the trade deadline, Utah has only won three games, and after an encouraging start to the year, it has a 29-47 overall record.

There’s been plenty of debate on whether this is the correct path. However, one thing is certain. This would never happen under former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. In fact, former Jazz assistant coach Gordie Chiesa was asked this very question when he joined The Bill Riley Show on ESPN 700.

“It would never happen, but you say hypothetically, there would be friction, to say the least,” Chiesa said. There would be friction.”

Indeed, Jerry Sloan and the former Jazz owner are rolling in their graves about what’s happening in Salt Lake City. They come from a day and age in which winning trumped everything, and manipulating the system was never considered.

Putting winning games on the back burner is nothing new in the modern-day NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers are best known for their strategy during "The Process," which paid off when they drafted 2023 MVP Joel Embiid as the No. 1 overall pick in 2014.

However, they also wrote off the 2016 season for an opportunity to draft an underachieving Ben Simons in the first overall pick. As a result of the tanking, the 76ers have been competitive but have zero championships to show for it.

The NBA established rules in 2019 to deter franchises from letting their foot off the gas. Coming in last place doesn't guarantee the first pick anymore. The best a rebuilding team can do is have a 14% shot of obtaining the top draft pick.

The Jazz's strategy for the past two seasons is unprecedented. Selling at the trade deadline while within striking distance of postseason play is bad for business in Utah and the NBA, too.

Fans lose trust in the franchise they root for, and the NBA regular-season games become less meaningful. This doesn’t happen in the other major sports, but the Jazz have gotten a pass for some reason.

In 2023, the NBA drew the line when they fined the Dallas Mavericks $750,000 for tanking the last game of the season to retain their 2023 top-10 first-round draft pick. MVP candidate Luka Doncic only played 12 minutes despite the Mavericks needing to win the contest to make the play-in tournament.

That situation may be more egregious than what’s happening in Salt Lake City, but it's not far off. If Utah is going to put best foot forward to begin the season, then they should follow through. Looking back on it, the Jazz had a better record than the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline.

Pulling out the rug from an already emotionally invested fan base and players helps nobody. Considering what the Jazz received in return for the deadline deals (late first-round, early second-round pick), it’s really bizarre.

Yes, the Jazz will regain their top-10 protected pick this year, but that pick will most likely be conveyed at some point. With a disgruntled fan base and a roster that's not ready to compete for a championship, it will be interesting to see if Utah triples down on its strategy next season. Time will tell how it all plays out.

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