The Utah Jazz have the motherload of draft assets. Judging from how this season has turned out, they will likely use those draft picks instead of trading them for another star. This year's draft pick appears destined to be in the high lottery since they're on pace to break a franchise record, but what about the other picks?
Every Jazz fan is keeping their eyes peeled on the Lakers top-four protected pick and for good reason. No one knows how much time LeBron James has left, and when he's gone, the Lakers might scramble more than they already are.
It's why the Jazz won't send Walker Kessler there, no matter how interested they are in the young center. Even if they'd get more picks for him, they'd be sacrificing quality for quantity. Yup, that Lakers pick could pay massive dividends in two and a half years.
However, two and a half years can be a while even for a team very much tanking like the Jazz. Besides, there's another draft asset that not many are paying much attention even though they most definitely should - the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves shocked the masses when they traded Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. They have not maintained the same winning pace they did last season with their new squad.
They're barely keeping their head above water in the cutthroat Western Conference. At 14-14, the Timberwolves are the No. 10 seed, and they aren't keeping the Suns nor the Kings at arm's length. With the Sixers finally getting healthy, there's a solid chance the Timberwolves could fork over a top-10 pick to the Jazz.
There's still time for them to turn their season around, but while they deserve the benefit of the doubt, so do the aforementioned teams that are right behind them.
This is also something to pay attention to in the future
Initially, many thought that the Timberwolves pick would be right around where that pick the Cavaliers owe the Jazz would turn out this season, but while the Cavaliers have been elite, the Timberwolves are in no-mans land.
Trading Town potentially gives Minnesota some options with their cap room, but there is no guarantee that they can get a game-changer who drastically improves their ceiling from where it is now. Their Jazz alumni, Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley, aren't getting any younger either.
The Timberwolves may have bigger things to worry about, but their struggles are music to the Jazz's ears. If those Timberwolves picks turn into lottery gold for the Jazz, then Christmas may have come early for Utah.