The Utah are 10-17, which, if the season ended today and the lottery played out in order, would give them the eighth pick in the draft, which furthermore would prevent them forking over the pick to Oklahoma City. However, they barely have that standing, as they've been better than many thought. Jazz fans need not worry though, because the latest intel confirms that Utah will embrace the tank.
Dallas Hoops Journal's Grant Afseth confirmed the Jazz's plans to keep that pick no matter what, which means fans should expect the Jazz to tank from here on out.
"Utah’s primary focus is retaining its top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick, which would otherwise convey to the Oklahoma City Thunder, sources tell DallasHoopsJournal.com. Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George remain franchise cornerstones, while Kyle Anderson, Jusuf Nurkić, Kevin Love, and Georges Niang are viewed as trade candidates," Afseth wrote.
The funny thing is, one could argue that the Jazz tanking this season is more about making sure OKC doesn't get even better than they already are, more than anything else. The irony is that the Clippers are already doing that for the Thunder.
Adding further incentive for Utah is that this is a pretty hyped draft class, so missing out on one of the prospects would be a problem, especially if it was given to the team to beat in the NBA. This may also make the Jazz as unwatchable as they were last season going forward, but fans would understand why they chose this direction.
Recent Jazz decisions have more or less confirmed this
The Jazz haven't made any trades (yet), but they have made some decisions that suggest they will probably be all in on the tank from here. The most recent indication is that they benched Markkanen over the last few games for what's been speculated as a phony injury.
They did this last year, though it was so blatant that they even got fined for how obvious it was that they were keeping Markkanen out to strengthen their lottery odds. They have been better overall this season than have around this time last season, but that may further incentivize them to do everything in their power to keep Markkanen on the sideline.
Don't be surprised if they do the same thing with George in due time as well. He's been too good for the Jazz to throw games away when he plays, so while it might not be right away, George may see his name on the injury report more often in March and April.
Anyway, it's hard to argue against this being the best route for the Jazz. Benching their best players won't make the team any more fun to watch, but it puts them in the best spot long-term.