The NBA's trade season has officially arrived, as Trae Young was dealt away from Atlanta to Washington this week. And while that wouldn't appear on the surface to impact the Utah Jazz, it does create a complication for Austin Ainge and the front office all the same.
The Jazz want to appear competitive on the surface, while still retaining its first-round pick this summer (Top 8 protected, or it goes to the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder).
And while a 12-24 mark (sixth worst in the NBA) would make it seem the Jazz are succeeding in keeping the pick thus far, the Young deal to Washington adds a wrinkle that few could have foreseen.
If Washington wants Young as a franchise cornerstone moving forward, they need him healthy. They have 46 games to convince him to stick around this summer. And despite the rumors that Trae actually WANTED to go to the Wizards, he'll change his tune in a hurry if they finish between 20 and 25 wins this season.
When Trae plays, he impacts winning. It's unlikely that the Wizards will continue to stay on a 23-win pace with Trae Young in the lineup.
Both teams need to lose to win
As Jazz fans have found out the last few years, losing a lot of games isn't a guarantee of a high lottery position. And the Wizards themselves found that out last season, despite the 2nd-worst record overall in the NBA at 18-64, they ended up picking sixth in the draft.
To add to this, Washington has a Utah-like predicament stemming from a previous trade that affects its pick this summer. Their first-rounder is owed to the New York Knicks if it falls outside the top-eight selections.
So the Jazz and Wizards both need to lose a lot to guarantee they keep their picks in a talented draft this summer.
While the Jazz have had a breakout star this year in Keyonte George, he hasn't impacted the win-loss column as much as Trae Young has in prior years. The former Hawks star can take over a game offensively and drop 30 or 40 points before you can blink.
And that could end up being the difference for the Utah Jazz in keeping their own pick this summer. Something that we definitely didn't see coming.