The Los Angeles Clippers' season ended last night at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. It's a shame to see old friends Kris Dunn and John Collins get eliminated when the Clippers had every intention of going on another deep playoff run.
However, the Clippers' failure to make the playoffs can also spell trouble for the NBA, as it gives the Oklahoma City Thunder a lottery pick. Sound familiar, Jazz fans?
Utah is also in danger of giving their pick to the Thunder if it falls out of the top eight. It's not like the No. 9 pick is lottery gold, but the prospect of the rich getting richer is still a terrifying prospect. The one difference is that the pick the Clippers will give to the Thunder is unprotected, while the pick the Jazz owe them is not only protected, but it's not likely the Jazz will convey it to the Thunder.
Currently, through the Clippers, the Thunder have the 11th-best odds (and who wins the play-in games tonight doesn't change that). They don't have high odds, but do keep in mind that neither did Dallas last year. Even if they don't get lucky at the lottery, they'll still get a pick from a loaded draft. OKC also has a strong history of getting studs, so it's a scary prospect.
While that's scary enough and there's nothing anyone can do about the Thunder repaing the rewards from the infamous Paul George-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade, but last night is a good reminder that the Jazz could do the same.
Even if it's unlikely, the odds still technically exist
There's a nonzero chance Utah's pick goes to OKC, but the odds aren't high. Utah tied with Sacramento for the NBA's fourth-worst record this season. Who gets the fourth-best odds will be determined by a coin flip. If the Jazz win, then all worries will be extinguished, as their pick would be top-eight no matter what.
But if they lose, well, it's not bad, but then the Thunder have 0.6% chance of taking the pick. It would be so hilariously depressing if this somehow ends with them getting it anyway, but 0.6 is higher than zero no matter how you slice it.
The irony in all of this is that because of the Thunder, the Jazz and Clippers were forced to do what they did, and they went in completely opposite direction. In Utah's case, they are more than talented enough to be competitive in the West, but couldn't risk giving the Thunder another young player to develop.
In LA's case, their time in the Kawhi Leonard era has passed, but they can't turn over a new chapter because of Leonard. That probably won't be the case going forward, but still, the Clippers were handcuffed just like the Jazz were.
There was nothing LA could do to prevent this, but Utah could, and look where it got both of them.
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