Besides their own draft picks, the Utah Jazz have a treasure trove of draft assets that other teams owe them. Among the most appealing is the 2027 top-4 protected Lakers pick and the 2031 unprotected Suns pick. However, one pick that is beginning to have more promise - when no one expected it, no less - is the 2027 unprotected pick the Cavaliers owe the Jazz.
No one would have given this pick a second glance after the success the Cavaliers have had over the last three seasons with Donovan Mitchell. However, something feels off about Cleveland this time around. Besides the eerily similar circumstances Mitchell is dealing with in Cleveland to those he faced in Utah, the Cavaliers have not played like the Eastern Conference titan they were last season.
At 14-11, the Cavaliers are now the No. 8 seed in the East. Granted, they are four games better than the No. 10 seed, the Bucks, who are a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade from starting over completely, but even while the playoffs are very much within their grasp, declining all the way to making the play-in is undoubtedly a massive step back for them.
To be fair, they are hurt (as is seemingly pretty much every team in the NBA, it seems), but right now, Jarrett Allen and Max Strus are their injured players. Those two are valuable, but a team with title expectations shouldn't decline this much without them.
Especially in an Eastern Conference that currently has two of its very best players out indefinitely with injury, and the very best player on a team whose future hangs in limbo. Because it feels like Cleveland is on the decline, even when the cards have been stacked in their favor, that asset they owe Utah suddenly becomes a whole lot more valuable.
If Cleveland falters, Utah could benefit greatly from it
Thanks to the Donovan Mitchell trade, the Jazz will likely get their 2027 pick. The only way in which they wouldn't is if they play better than Utah or Minnesota (then it would go to Phoenix), but it has suddenly become a possibility that the Cavaliers' pick they owe the Jazz next year could be something special.
This is pure speculation, but one has to wonder what Mitchell would think if the Cavaliers only get worse from here. Part of why Mitchell and Utah were on the outs was the lack of progress over the years. Mitchell wanted a better situation and on paper, Cleveland was that, but hardly anything has changed four years later. In fact, it's only gotten worse.
If Mitchell grew tired of Utah not going further back then, who's to say he won't feel the same way about Cleveland if they not only fail to make a lengthy playoff run, but get ousted in the first round again? He's at the point of his career where he can't waste his prime.
There have been no rumors of Mitchell wanting out, but if the Cavaliers don't get better from here (and potentially get worse), their situation could get concerning enough to give the Jazz an amazing draft asset.
We're not there yet, but the fact that it's suddenly a possibility should excite Jazz fans.