Oddsmakers Project Doom & Gloom Ahead For Jazz

The bar has been set for the Utah Jazz

Mar 27, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) reacts to a play against the San Antonio Spurs during the fourth quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

The new odds for the 2024-25 NBA season have been released, and DraftKings has a bleak outlook for the Utah Jazz. The popular online bookie has Utah pegged as a 300-1 shot of winning the NBA championship.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, but what is eye-opening is there are only three franchises that have worse projections than Utah. The Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, and Detroit Pistons are the bottom three teams, while the Brooklyn Nets are tied with Utah.

Nobody expects Utah to win their first championship anytime soon, but considering the Jazz already have some nice pieces in place, the grim outlook is eye-opening. However, nobody was better at losing games than Utah after the trade deadline.

The Jazz could still climb up the rankings ladder if the “Big Game Hunting” comments that Danny Ainge made during his post-season press conference come to fruition. The assets to bargain with are there to make a move if an opportunity presents itself, but even if Utah upgrades the roster via trade or free agency, the prospects of making the playoffs are still questionable.

So, with the Jazz still multiple pieces away from contending for a championship, is it time to push some of their chips in the middle? This is the big debate that continues on the social media front.

The pros of not moving forward with an upgrade are the 2025 draft is projected to be loaded with talent. Securing a top-four pick could be a game-changer for a small market franchise. Having club control with a player over the life of two contracts will be a necessity moving forward. Holding back for one more year certainly increases Utah’s chances of obtaining a franchise changer via the draft.

The cons of pulling a “mini-tank” is it doesn’t guarantee anything. The Atlanta Hawks are proof of that when they landed the No. 1 overall with the tenth-best odds while the Jazz tanked post-trade deadline and regressed two spots.

Promoting a losing culture next season could hurt in the long term. Teams such as the Wizards and Pistons have been drafting in the lottery for years with no progress being made.

Without a crystal ball, there really is no way of knowing which is the correct path. Jazz fans should find out soon enough which path will be taken with the negotiation period for free agents starting on July 1. 

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