What do the Utah Jazz plan on for their first round pick this summer?
The Jazz entered the day with the eighth-best odds to land the top pick but instead suffered from a drop of two spots to tenth. It's effectively thrown an extra wrench in their draft plans, but it now seems CEO Danny Ainge could want to pivot off of their selections entirely.
After leaving last year's draft with three first-round picks, it's not a shock to see the Jazz look to ship off some capital this go-around to bring in some veteran talent instead. Ainge made it apparent during his end-of-season presser that Utah would be aggressive in their attempt to improve this roster going into the 2024-25 year, and trading a lottery pick like such would fit that mold.
Instead of attempting to draft and develop for another year, the goal for the Jazz will be surrounding Lauri Markkanen with the best roster to compete after a re-signing and extension takes place this summer. With the right steps, this could be the best road to get Utah back to contention ASAP. It's tough to project how the Jazz's draft picks will be valued in a class predicted to be weaker in prestige, but teams looking to rebuild and sell off quality starters could benefit immensely from the selections Utah might seek to sell. Lottery picks will always be a coveted commodity, and Ainge is using this to his advantage.
Keep a keen eye on what the future holds for this Jazz selection, as there's a strong likelihood Utah opts to make a deal.Jared Koch is the Associate Editor of The Frozen Rope — SI.com's team website covering the Utah Jazz. He's covered the NBA and NFL for the past two years, also being the Managing Editor of Inside The Kings — SI.com's team website covering the Sacramento Kings.
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