Utah Jazz Learn Date for Crucial Draft Lottery Coin Flip

The Utah Jazz now have an idea of when their lottery coin flip will take place deciding whether they'll have the fourth or fifth-best odds to claim the number-one pick in this year's draft.

Following the Jazz's end to the season and finishing with a final record of 22-60, Utah is officially tied in the standings at the same record as the Sacramento Kings for the fourth-worst season in the league, and therefore tied for the fourth-best odds in this year's lottery.

As for how that tie is broken, it comes down to a literal coin toss. Whoever wins that coin toss between the Jazz and Kings will get the more favorable spot in the lottery, and a nice boost in their chances to leap up the board for a top-three pick or better.

As for when the NBA lottery takes place, that'll happen on May 10th in Chicago. And according to Jazz president Austin Ainge, the word around the street is that the coin flip for Utah's official odds, and presumably any other ties around the league, will take place on April 20th.

"I believe it's the 20th or give or take a day," Ainge said of the coin flip during his end-of-season media availability. "The league didn't tell me; someone internally said that, and I haven't verified it. But I think that's more or less what's happening."

Utah Jazz to Learn Final Draft Lottery Odds on April 20th

No matter what's in store for the Jazz on Monday, April 20th, if the official day of Utah's coin flip, it'll have some major implications on what their draft odds will look like come time for May's long-awaited lottery.

When taking a look at the difference between pick four and five, two aspects stick out as it relates to the Jazz: not only do their odds drop from a 12.5% to 10.5% chance of landing the number-one pick, but it also opens the opportunity for their selection to drop as low as ninth, with a slim 0.6% chance.

2026 NBA Draft Lottery odds without ties, via Tankathon.com. | Tankathon.com

For the Jazz's first-round pick, which is currently top-eight protected in the hands of the OKC Thunder, it'll officially remain in Utah's favor in the event that they win the coin flip against Sacramento.

If the Jazz land the fourth-best odds, they hold a 48.1% chance of remaining in the top four, and puts them right within range of one of the top talents on the board.

However, if the Kings win, it leaves the Jazz with a slim possibility of losing their first-round pick altogether and filling in with the fifth-best odds in the lottery instead of top four, which is just a little less glamorous after a year of .

There's a clear outcome that favors the Jazz, thus leavings fans eagerly awaiting that April 20th date to see where their odds will stand in a lottery where teams are hungry for some of the top names in a talented draft class.

But of course, the big date on the calendar to circle is Thursday, May 10th, when the lottery odds will finally sort out the top 14 picks and decide whether or not the Jazz could get luck on their side for a big-time move up the board.

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