The Utah Jazz had a golden opportunity to move up in the tanking race in their game against the Washington Wizards last night, but they failed. It's not the worst fate in the world as long as they hold steady as the league's fifth-worst team, and when you think about it, they owed the Wizards because they may not have gotten their hands on Ace Bailey if it wasn't for Washington.
It's easy to forget, but at the end of last season, the Jazz were vying for the league's worst record to get the best odds possible. There was one problem: even if they lost their last game of the season, the Wizards held the edge because if they lost too, they got the best odds.
Washington won their last game of the season over the Miami Heat, paving the way for the Jazz to get the league's worst record and the best lottery odds. Granted, they didn't win the lottery, but it was because of that that Utah was able to get their hands on Bailey with the No. 5 pick.
Given that the Wizards were awarded with the No. 6 pick and Bailey preferred them over the Jazz at the time, and it's fair to conclude that they did the Jazz a pretty big favor.
Wizards need a high lottery pick more than the Jazz do
Before Jazz fans light the torches for that statement, keep in mind that everyone is well aware of how good Utah is going to be next season. If all goes to plan, they will add a high lottery pick to a team that will boast a squad of the rising Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Keyonte George, and a re-signed Walker Kessler.
That's a playoff team without question.
The Wizards are a different story. They have added some help and have some intriguing young talent, but it's a little shakier. Trae Young and Anthony Davis are big names, but there have been a lot more questions now than have ever been before.
They also have players like Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coilbaly, and Tre Johnson (who they drafted at No. 6 last year). No one is saying that that's a bad core, but compared to the Jazz's, they have some work to do.
Here's something else to consider: the Wizards have been largely irrelevant for almost a decade now. They were stuck in no-man's land for the tail end of the 2010s and the early 2020s. It wasn't until 2023 that they finally started to build the team the right way by starting over.
They have a longer road ahead of them than the Jazz do. As awesome as it would have been to see the Jazz inch closer in the tanking race, part of why they're in such a good long-term position is because of the Wizards. Hence, any complaining over the Jazz win last night is crying over spilled milk.