The Utah Jazz got plenty of flak for how shameless their tank was. They definitely did, and while the primary appeal was to get their hands on a potentially golden prospect (which they did), the secondary appeal was to avoid giving it to Oklahoma City.
Thanks to the Derrick Favors trade, the Jazz owed the Thunder a top-eight protected pick in 2026. Luckily, the Jazz were able to avoid such a fate, which led to Darryn Peterson, but because the Thunder have consistently drafted well, the Jazz also avoided letting the rich get richer. Aday Mara is proving Utah was right to tank the season away.
Even though Oklahoma City came away empty-handed from the Favors deal when it was all said and done, they still got a lottery pick from the Los Angeles Clippers thanks to the now infamous Paul George trade. They used it on Mara, who is shaping up to be more proof of how dangerous the Thunder are when they get a decently high first-round draft pick.
In one half of basketball, the No. 12 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft put up 12 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and three assists while shooting five-for-five from the field. For an Oklahoma City team coming off a disappointing playoff run, Mara might be exactly what they need to get back on top.
Now imagine if, on top of getting him, they added someone like Brayden Burries or Yaxel Lendeborg, or even someone OKC saw as the best guy after the eighth overall pick. Luckily, it never came to that.
It was painful to watch, but Utah was right
What made last season bearable was knowing that the Jazz were likely to get a high lottery pick while also knowing that their efforts were erasing any possibility of further ensuring the Thunder's future. Granted, they couldn't stop other teams from doing that, but if Utah had contributed to this, the rest of the league was in trouble.
Granted, in certain situations, there's not much a team can do when their fate has already been sealed when they are both faltering and will give away their draft pick anyway. The Jazz weren't in this situation, but the Clippers were, and there wasn't much that could be done.
It made sense back then for Utah to do what they did, and Mara furthermore proves they were correct. Watching a tank is not fun in real time, but times like these emphasize when they were necessary. The Jazz weren't in danger of handing someone like Peterson to the Thunder, but they thankfully avoiding fortifying Oklahoma City for the next decade.
Even if that was likely going to be the case with or without their help.
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