As ugly as it was to watch, the Utah Jazz have been proven right to tank. Not just because they got their hand on Darryn Peterson, but because they avoided allowing Oklahoma City to get even better. To do this, they had to pull out all the stops to ensure nothing went against them.
That included holding out Lauri Markkanen out of games, which they got fined for in 2025, then holding out the likes of Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. in fourth quarters, which they they also got fined for (even though they technically didn't break any rules).
Again, they got the end result they wanted, but unfortunately it appears has come back to bite them: Jusuf Nurkic is expected to be out for four weeks due to a toe injury. It's not the biggest setback, but it is a pretty ironic one. Not because of Nurkic himself, but because after years of holding guys out, the Jazz have now lost a vital piece even after their plans have changed.
Last year, it wouldn't have been a big deal. In fact, it would have fit snugly into their plans. The less legitimate availability from their important players, the better their chances. But now that they've done a 180, now they have to feel the sting of an injury getting in their way for a change.
Some of this may be karma
Make no mistake that the route the Jazz chose was the smartest decision to go. The ends may have justified the means, but that doesn't mean the mean weren't painful to see in real time. The Jazz definitely went the extra yard to ensure that they got what they wanted.
That meant more or less wasting a year off Nurkic, Markkanen, and JJJ, which is hard to see happen in real time. The aternative was getting a lower lottery pick or worse, giving it to the Thunder, but it's possible that the steps the Jazz to get what they wanted may have bult up some bad will.
And now, they ironically are getting the one thing they would have been happy to have half a year ago that they absolutely don't want before their best season in years is about to start: an injury to an important player.
Here's to hoping Utah isn't too snakebitten by the injury bug this season. The real sad and frightening part about all of this is that there's already been quite a few injuries already when some NBA teams haven't even played a preseaosn game yet.
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