The Utah Jazz surely let out a huge sigh of relief when they learned that the risk of losing their pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder was completely eradicated earlier this week. They get to add a lottery pick to a playoff hopeful team next year. But there's still one lingering question: what if they get the short end of the stick in the lottery again?
Yahoo Sports! Kevin O'Connor brought this up in his latest mock draft, where he had the Jazz falling to the eighth pick. KOC then projected them to pick Brayden Burries.
"With Keyonte George already leading the backcourt, drafting another (guard) might be less than ideal. But Burries doesn’t need the ball to make an impact. He stays pedal to the metal with hustle plays all over the floor. He also flashes stardom as a shot-creator, which helped him earn his spot as a potential lottery pick. He plays with physicality and can beat you from all three levels. He's a methodical creator rather than an explosive one."
O'Connor added that Burries could fit well with the Jazz if they count on him a more of a jack-of-all-trades player.
"If he doesn’t turn into a star scorer, Utah has plenty of other on-ball talents anyway which would allow Burries to slide in as a Swiss Army knife in the backcourt."
However, KOC even went on to admit that he's not the biggest fan of Utah drafting Burries if it came to that, or really what the Jazz's options.
I really don’t love the options for Utah if they fall. Burries definitely feels like the best option…but ehhh idk
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) April 22, 2026
With how their roster constructed, getting the eighth pick won't make or break the Jazz because they aren't depending primarily on this year's draft to take them to the promised land. But, despite being hailed as a loaded draft class, it hurts their options.
It would definitely beg a question.
Would they keep the No. 8 pick or trade it for a win-now player?
Utah is well-positioned to put the NBA on notice next season regardless of what pick they get in the lottery. If they get the No. 8 pick, there's a fair argument to keep it, or to use it, along with other young players and salary fodder, to acquire someone who help them win more now.
This draft is talented enough that while Utah may not want someone like Burries or Kingston Flemings with the No. 8 pick, another team probably would. In fact, they would probably be willing to pay up for someone like him.
Utah could get a very important piece if they were to dangle the No. 8 pick along with some other youngsters, but they should only do it if they get someone who they know can help immensely and immediately because making such a move isn't foolproof.
The NBA values rookie deals now more than ever because it allows teams the window of having productive players on cheap deals. Also, they might be scared of trading a player who could have been of good use long-term.
Obviously, it would be a downer if Utah's bad lottery luck continued after they just caught a pretty massive break, but they could look at the glass half full and see it as a rare opportunity to make the most out of their situation.
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