Not many would take issue with how much better the Utah Jazz have looked this season compared to last if it weren’t for the fact that if they play just well enough to not be terrible, their first-round pick goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Perhaps there could be an alternative route to avoiding this fate, one may suggest, but Tony Jones shut any alternative down.
When the possibility of the Jazz being able to escape giving the Thunder the pick came out, the former Jazz reporter made it clear that there is only one way Utah can avoid forking over their pick to Oklahoma City.
The Thunder are not trading the pick back. The Jazz are going to have to keep their pick pick https://t.co/I5muwSxOgz
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) December 9, 2025
As much as Utah would prefer not to have this hanging over its head, what the team owes Oklahoma City really is difficult for them to overlook. Even if the Jazz don’t want to be bad, it is in their best interest to be bad enough.
Besides the fact that the Jazz may potentially give a lottery pick to the reigning champions (who look even more dominant this season), it gets even worse knowing that they could give them a second lottery pick, as the Clippers struggles this season puts the Thunder in prime position to get a top pick already.
It would be awesome if there were some loophole to get the Jazz out of this situation, but the only way they can is if the Thunder agree to it, and there’s no reason for them to do so. Alas, this is one of those moves that sadly came back to bite the Jazz all these years later, when all they were trying to do was shed some salary.
When 2026 begins, how the Jazz fare out will be telling
2025 is coming to an end. The Jazz are 8-15, and while they aren’t consistently getting humiliated, they are still getting the occasional beat down, like the last two they’ve had against the Thunder and New York Knicks.
If the lottery were to happen today and were to play out in terms of worst team to best, Utah would get the No. 8 pick, which would help them narrowly avoid disaster. However, where the Jazz stand among their peers in terms of lottery odds is quite precarious.
How they start the calendar year will likely determine which path they go. While the NBA season is still young, it’s not too young, and plenty has already been exposed about multiple teams. The Jazz have exposed that they aren’t like last year’s team, which is a nice development but comes with consequences if they are a little too good for their own good.
They must choose if the best option is to bottom out while they have the chance or continue to add to this not-terrible but not-average season.