With the 2025-26 season beginning to wind down - which Utah Jazz fans want now more than anything - the Jazz know what's at stake, which is why it was imperative for them to lose both of their most recent games against the New Orleans Pelicans. Because the Pelicans are in the same ballpark as the Jazz and don't want to be, both teams did each other a massive favor.
The Pelicans have everything to play for, as they won't get their pick this year following their trade with the Atlanta Hawks. Unlike the Jazz, the Pelicans have been unmistakably terrible and tyring their best not to give the Hawks a golden asset.
It might be too late for them to make a playoff push, but it isn't too late for them to escape being one of the NBA's absolute worst teams. Dejounte Murray vowed that they would play their hardest, and, even if he didn't play tonight, that's exactly what the Pelicans did.
The Pelicans beating the Jazz allowed the Jazz to surpass them
With their two consecutive wins over Utah, New Orleans is now No. 6 in the tanking race, putting Utah at No. 5. If the Jazz keep it that way (or potentially get worse), they have 99% odds of keeping their pick.
Granted, the No. 6 seed in the tank gave them a 96% chance, but compared to over 99%, as Gail Boetticher said in Breaking Bad, "That may not sound like a lot, but it is" when comparing the two numbers.
The Jazz are not out of the woods yet. While the Pelicans are trying their hardest to win as many games as possible from here on out, that doesn't mean they are going to win that many more from now until April because, again, they have been a very bad team this year.
What helps them (and works against the Jazz) is that the Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks have also made moves to ensure their respective tanks. They are a few games behind the Pelicans and Jazz, but not that far behind.
Still, this worked out great for the Jazz
At 18-42, the Jazz now have a bottom-five record in the Western Conference. If they stay there or bottom out even further, they are in fantastic position to keep their pick from Oklahoma City. If that's not enough, they still have another game against New Orleans before the season's over.
It hasn't been fun to watch them lose, and making it more painful is knowing how exciting next season will be for them. However, the fans understand and would rather go this route anyway because it would be great to have a high lottery pick from a loaded draft class added to a team like this than lose it to a team that could repeat as NBA Champions.
20 games left of this Jazz fans. All the Jazz need is for you guys to hold on just a little bit longer, because before you know it, the real games will begin.