The Utah Jazz are positioned to be in a stellar spot ahead of this year’s NBA draft lottery.
Following the Jazz’s final game against their 2024-25 campaign against the Minnesota Timberwolves, ending in a 105-116 loss to close out the season, Utah has now officially landed the worst record in the NBA, and with it, a top-five pick in this summer’s draft.
With the way the NBA lottery odds are set up down the board, the league’s worst team, in this case, the Jazz, has equal 14.0% odds to land the number one pick along with the second and third-worst teams. However, the absolute lowest Utah can fall come lottery day will be 5th-overall, a selection they’ll have a 47.9% chance to get.
It’s a result partially thanks to the Jazz’s final loss of the year, but also due to the Washington Wizards edging out a last-second, buzzer-beater victory against the Miami Heat on Sunday from Bub Carrington. Washington lifted to their 18th win for the year, and with it, have a floor of getting the sixth-overall pick.
BUB CARRINGTON ENDS HIS ROOKIE SEASON WITH A GAME-WINNER 🔥
ONLY ROOKIE TO PLAY ALL 82 GAMES 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kxKFeEK2KK
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 13, 2025
So while it was a grueling season to endure for the Jazz and fans having to witness the long-spanning tank, it ended in about the best way one could expect. Utah is now primed to secure one of their top-five players on the board come June’s draft, hopefully taking helping this rebuild take a major step in the right direction.
The clear number one priority will be none other than Duke’s Cooper Flagg, but other top-tier prospects that fall below him, like Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, or Tre Johnson, will inevitably be names to watch as well once Utah starts shuffling through their pre-draft motions.
For now, though, the Jazz are largely in a waiting game until the draft lottery ensues, helping this team and front office get a clearer picture of how this offseason could pan out, and with it, getting this group on the right track for the 2025-26 campaign soon ahead.
They’ll have about a month between now and when their ping-pong ball fate comes to form, with the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery taking place on May 12th in Chicago.
