If there were ever an NBA equivalent of the tortoise from "The Tortoise and the Hare," it would be the Thunder. They made trades years ago, back when they were starting their rebuild, that could pay off big for them now, which would only help them since they're already one of the NBA's best teams. While that's good for them, it could be a problem for the Utah Jazz.
For context, the Jazz owe the Thunder a Top-10 protected first-round pick because of the Derrick Favors trade from 2020. The Jazz are playing badly enough, so they probably won't have to worry about forking it over. However, The Athletic's Tony Jones brought something up that could be a problem for Utah.
Good morning: the Oklahoma City Thunder owns Philly’s first round pick, top 6 protected
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) November 7, 2024
Y’all have a nice day. Now
Like the Jazz, the 76ers also traded a pick to the Thunder in 2020 to get a player off their payroll (Al Horford), which had the protections that Jones alluded to above. This trade made sense since the Sixers knew their current intentions would be the same now as they were four years ago. However, this could backfire on them, which could also be a setback for the Jazz by proxy.
Why this could be an issue
As we know, the Jazz's record of 1-6 to start is not a problem, not just because a record like that prevents them from giving their pick to the Thunder but also, of course, because it helps their chances of getting Cooper Flagg. However, it might be hard for them to keep it up if they've got unexpected competition on the tanking front like the Sixers.
The 76ers also started their season 1-6, but they started it with much bigger aspirations than the Jazz, and things could not have started worse for them. Joel Embiid has yet to play, Paul George has only played two games, and Tyrese Maxey just got hurt.
While it'd be ludicrous to suggest that the Sixers will finish the season at the same losing rate they are currently playing, it might not be too ludicrous to suggest that they could be in the lottery if this keeps up, even if they never intended to be so.
That's a problem for the Jazz if their main intention is to tank because the Sixers could be bad and yet just good enough to give the Thunder a high lottery pick while potentially making the Jazz's lottery placing even worse. Worse enough that it might not be impossible for their pick to be surrendered to OKC.
Similar concerns were raised earlier with the Clippers when Kawhi Leonard got hurt. Luckily, the Clippers have actually steadied themselves without the future Hall of Famer - thanks, Kris Dunn! - but there are currently many more questions regarding whether the Sixers can stabilize.
This is not an immediate concern, but it is something the Jazz shouldn't sweep under the rug. As far as tanking goes, things are going according to plan, but the Sixers' potentially having the season from hell could throw a wrench in the plan.