The Utah Jazz did not win the lottery, but they still won big, all things considered. Getting the No. 2 pick in a loaded draft to add to a team already primed for a playoff run is about as ideal as it gets. And it wouldn't have been possible had it never been for the Sacramento Kings
This has been talked about before, but that was before both the coin flip and the lottery itself. Just as a recap, the Kings were the NBA's worst NBA team during a season where they weren't actually trying to be bad, but injuries forced their hand.
One would think that Sacramento would have cut their losses and folded once it was clear they weren't making the play-in, but instead, they went on some late-season winning stretches, notching five wins in an eight-game stretch, then winning half of their last six games dropped all the way to tie with the Jazz for the fourth-worst record in the NBA.
The coin flip not only then worked in the Jazz's favor, but now they get the No. 2 pick. If Sacramento had just lost one more game, they would have the No. 2 pick in a loaded draft. Because they inexplicable won more games than they had to in what was already a lost season, the Jazz now get the franchise player the Kings could have gotten.
The Jazz would have the No. 7 pick if it weren't for the Kings
Because Sacramento tied with Utah, and then lost the climactic coin flip, they lost big time, as they now have the No. 7 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. In other words, no good deed goes unpunished, intentional or no.
As bizarre and unfortunate as things have played out for the Kings, this is par for the course for them. Not the bad luck necessarily, but they still can't seem to get out of their own way. Even when they build a playoff team, they manage to hurt their ceiling - swapping Domantas Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton - in the process.
It's not like the Jazz have any complaints whatsoever about this. They just got the chance to draft a franchise player to a team that arguably lacks one, even with all the talent they have. No one in Utah should complain about the good fortune Sacramento more or less presented to them on a silver platter.
In fact, during times like these, the Kings should get free meals and beer from the great state of Utah going forward! It's the least they can do now that they've more or less ensured the Jazz's future.
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