The Utah Jazz did everything right in their tank this season, and they got the worst possible outcome anyway. While the No. 5 pick is still a high lottery pick, it goes without saying that the Jazz wanted Cooper Flagg or would settle for one of the lesser prospects who likely won't be available at the No. 5 spot. That's not the most painful part about this cruel twist of fate.
The most painful part is that, seeing that the Dallas Mavericks won the lottery, the Jazz could have had a repeat of the last two years, where they didn't choose to be bad or good and could have very well gotten the pick themselves had they had a similar record.
For the last two years, fans have demanded that the team make moves to either get back into contention or go for the tank. With the latter being easier to do, the Jazz chose precisely that. So the Mavericks, who were in a completely different stratosphere from the Jazz, winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes despite never intending to, have got to make that Jazz give themselves two facepalms.
Watching a team that got themselves into this position because of both injuries and making the dumbest trade in NBA history get rewarded for it despite the odds makes it more excruciating for the Jazz, whose biggest sin was trying to build a better future for themselves wound up getting punished for doing so.
When the league signals that nothing the Jazz do will improve their situation, it's hard not to look back on the last three years nihilistically, especially because the Jazz have steadily gotten worse for the last three years and have nothing too promising to show for it.
So what should the Jazz do next?
The quick answer is tank again, but that didn't really help all that much, much like how it didn't back in 2014. For whatever reason, the NBA Draft Lottery refuses to help out the Jazz, no matter what happens.
The Jazz could put all their eggs in the acquiring superstars basket, as they already have an All-Star-caliber big man, Lauri Markkanen, and could use assets to acquire a big fish like Giannis Antetokounmpo. But there's no telling if the Greek Freak is available or if he would like to stay in Utah long-term, and thanks to the lottery, competitors have more upfront to offer than the Jazz do.
Utah's one advantage this offseason is that teams will try to cut costs to avoid the NBA's tax aprons. The Jazz have expiring and non-guaranteed contracts to help others avoid those restrictions, which could help them acquire more assets. Fans should probably expect that to be the likely outcome this summer.
Is that exciting? Not in the least, especially because that strategy is playing the long game. The Jazz have been doing just that for three years now, and the team's prospects are still pretty much the same as in 2022. But since the NBA isn't giving them much to work with, that's all the Jazz can do.