The Utah Jazz have been one of the NBA's worst teams this season, which everyone knows is by design. They aren't being bad only to make their future brighter, but also to make sure Oklahoma City's isn't brighter than it already is.
Yes, everyone knows what's at stake for the Jazz. If they're not bad enough, their lottery pick will go to OKC. That's about as inconvenient as it gets, given that the Thunder are the reigning NBA Champions. Utah has prepared well to avoid this doomsday scenario, but they would not be in this position had it not been for the late-season semi-surges of the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings.
That's helped the Jazz get within reach of clinching the league's fourth-worst record, a mark that would extinguish any risk of losing their pick to the Thunder. New Orleans has more reason to play as well as possible before the season's end - their pick goes to Atlanta - than Sacramento, but both also have a mutual reason to help the Jazz (as does the rest of the NBA): they don't want to see the Thunder get even stronger.
The Thunder have gotten to where they are in part because of shrewd drafting. Not every single first-round pick of theirs has worked out (see Giddey, Josh), but even then, they made up for that by swapping him for Alex Caruso. Look where it got them.
Regardless of what they would do with the hypothetical pick, the rest of the NBA doesn't want to find out, hence the Pelicans' and Kings' recent victories are making sure the rich don't get richer. Besides, the Thunder are rich enough that they won't be too broken up about it if they don't get the Jazz's pick in the end.
But the rest of the NBA might regret this
With how things have played out, it would take a miracle for the Jazz to lose their pick to the Thunder, which would give the entire NBA a collective sigh of relief. Everyone knows OKC will be one of the league's perennial title threats for years to come.
But, helping Utah keep their pick could be a problem because the Jazz have every intention of being on - or as close as possible to - the same level as OKC next season. They might not be successful, and if they are, it may not be right away, but even so, giving a playoff-ready team like the Jazz a high lottery pick from a loaded draft may not only raise their ceiling but also put them among the NBA's best for years.
In the end, this may have been a "pick your poison" scenario for everyone. Because the Thunder are a legitimately good team while the Jazz are only a hypothetical one, the league opted to ensure the latter's future.
Whether that was the right choice or not, we'll find out momentarily.