When the Utah Jazz got awarded the worst-case scenario last year, everyone groaned, not just because they lost, but because their history with playing the lottery would only continue to be bad. So everyone anticipated the worst this time, even if the Jazz avoided the absolute worst-case scenario period of losing their pick (sorry, Pacers!).
But this time, that wasn't the case. This time, lady luck shone on the great state of Utah, as the Jazz now have the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. They had the NBA's fourth-best odds at the No. 1 pick and moved up two spots. They have moved up before, but this is the first time it has happened since 2011.
For full context, thanks to the Deron Williams trade, the Jazz have the sixth-best odds at the No. 1 pick, and they wound up with the No. 3 pick. Technically, the pick itself wasn't theres, as Brooklyn sent them that pick, but the point still remains that the Jazz played the lottery and won big time from it (even if the player they got didn't pan out).
Now, the Jazz got to do it again. Not only that, but they have the highest pick they've had since Darryl Griffith in 1980. Utah already had a team built for an excellent immediate future, but now, their long-term future is very much set.
This time, the Jazz won't draft the wrong guy
When Utah moved up in 2011, they used the No. 3 pick on Enes Freedom (then Enes Kanter), who definitely was a post-up genius and an elite rebounder, but his impact was consistently negated by his embarrassing pick-and-roll defense, among other flaws.
The Jazz gave up on him before his rookie contract was even up, as it was painfully obvious Rudy Gobert was better than him by the time they traded him to OKC. This time, Utah won't screw up because this draft is too loaded for that to happen.
They might not get AJ Dybantsa, the projected No. 1 pick, but they get their pick of Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Darius Acuff Jr., you name it! There's even a possibility that a team may be willing to give up a lot just to get that No. 2 pick.
The Jazz still haven't won the lottery in franchise history, but it doesn't even matter this time, because they will gladly take the scenario they are now in. In short, they may not have won, but now there's no way they can lose.
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