Jazz Urged to Make Big Splash by Tanking for Cooper Flagg

What will the Utah Jazz do?

Feb 6, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; From left to right, Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik, CEO Danny Ainge, owner Ryan Smith and head coach Will Hardy sit court side before the game between the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

It’s that time of year. With opening night less than a week away, the news media outlets are releasing their NBA preseason rankings. Instead of assigning teams individual rankings, Fox Sports put teams in tiers, and it’s not pretty for the Utah Jazz. 

According to Fox Sports, the Jazz were lumped in with the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Washington Wizards. The five franchises were labeled under “Cooper Flagg Watch,” and Fox Sports is confident that Jazz CEO Danny Ainge has his eyes set on maximizing Utah’s lottery odds to draft the projected No. 1 overall pick.

“Alas, Danny Ainge, the team's top executive, has made clear that he's not ready to enter the next phase. Ainge has always been about the big swings and going for big talent. Cooper Flagg is a big talent, and one Ainge is going to do everything he can to secure.”

This may be the case, but Utah will need to unload some of its veterans to ensure being a bottom-five franchise. The Jazz revealed their 10-man rotation in Tuesday night’s 117-114 win over the Sacramento Kings, and it’s shaping up to be a repeat of Utah’s last two years.

Jazz veterans Lauri Markkanen, Colin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and John Collins received starter minutes in a victory that resembles what a regular season game would look like. It’s also worth noting that rookie Kyle Filipowski didn’t find his way into the contest, which may hint that he’ll be starting his pro career in the G-League.

There’s also the emergence of Keyonte George and Walker Kessler. The pair appears to have taken their game to another level in the preseason thus far. In Tuesday night’s win, George scored 24 points on 7-for-14 shooting while Kessler recorded 10 points, along with some elite rim protection. Kessler blocked four shots in 28 minutes of action.

This adds up to another season in which the Jazz are too good to tank but not good enough to make a playoff push – and the oddsmakers agree.

DraftKings has Utah pegged to win 29 games this season, which would put Utah at the bottom of the lottery. So, unless lady luck shines on Utah when it's time to pick the ping-pong balls, the Jazz could very well be selecting between the 8-12 range.

One trade would change everything. We know deals are coming based on Utah's free agent signings this offseason. New Jazzmen Drew Eubanks, Patty Mills, and Svi Mykhailiuk were given contracts in which only the first year is guaranteed. They're all appealing contracts for teams looking for salary cap relief next year. However, those exchanges don't start taking shape until a trade partner has a clearer picture of how their season is trending.

It might be too little, too late for the rebuilding Jazz unless they can find a way to move Sexton, Clarkson, Kessler, or Collins during the infant stages of the season. The first game of the year is Wednesday versus the Memphis Grizzlies in Salt Lake CIty.

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