ESPN report: Uta Jazz not interested in the NBA Draft

According to an odd rumor, the Utah Jazz didn’t care that they might lose their first-round pick.

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It’s possible that the Utah Jazz are not as desperate as most had assumed when they looked toward the NBA Draft.

In terms of draft positioning, the Utah Jazz received the second-worst deal this offseason. The Utah Jazz needed to stay in the Top 10 in order to hold onto their eighth-best odds of securing the first overall choice. The Oklahoma City Thunder would then own the pick if they dropped to 11 or later in the draft.

Thankfully, the Jazz were able to retain their pick in the 2024 NBA Draft despite dropping two spots from their predicted eighth pick to the tenth pick. For the squad, this is literally the second-worst circumstance. You would think the Utah Jazz would care more about where the pick went, given how badly they performed this season and how they had to deal away important players to obtain it.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe (via Bleacher Report) claims that was not at all the case.

Even representatives of the Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, and Golden State Warriors, among other clubs who might lose their first-round selections based on the lottery’s outcome, appeared unaffected by the outcome in the weeks preceding Sunday.””

Unaffected by the NBA Lottery results? That’s a little unexpected to hear. It’s not fantastic either, because if they had lost all that game simply to give up their own first-round choice, I would have been just as eager to demand the resignations of important team members.

It should be noted that the Jazz’s front staff may not be placing much value in the draft because they enter this summer believing they would sign one or more big players. Alternatively, they can think that the player they desire will be present no matter who gets there first.

That being said, it’s a little unsettling that the people in charge of this front office seemed to be so uninterested in one of the most significant drafts.

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NBA bloggers are mocking the Utah Jazz’s selections in the Mock Draft.

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The first set of mock draft selections is in, and it’s alarming.

The Utah Jazz have the 10th choice in the 2024 NBA Draft, and it’s obvious that those in charge of the mock drafts aren’t Utah Jazz supporters. A compilation of mock draft selections for the Utah Jazz from several sources is shown in a KSL article. The Athletic, ESPN, The Ringer, SB Nation, Yahoo! Sports, and CBS Sports are all present here.

Even though they’re all coming up with various names for the Utah Jazz, they all essentially have one thing in common: they all appear to despise the Jazz, as evidenced by the worst possible choices they made for them.

Isaiah Collier, a guard with trouble making three-pointers who only averaged four assists for a 15-win USC club, was selected by the Jazz according to CBS Sports. Not to mention his inadequate defense.

The Utah Jazz are reportedly taking Cody Williams, a 6’8 forward with an overvalued three-point percentage (less than two a game) and a mediocre defensive presence. This information is based on reports from SB Nation and Yahoo! Sports.

According to ESPN, Ron Holland—not Hollard—will be taken by the Utah Jazz. Playing with the G-League Unite, he is a 6’8 forward with bad three-point shooting statistics, a low offensive rating, and a negative win-share.

Although they aren’t our first choices, we would be content with either of the two. The first comes from The Athletic, who reports that Rob Dillingham, a competent floor general with a respectable three-point shooter, will be joining the Utah Jazz. Although he doesn’t have the desired defensive edge, his shot should make the Jazz’s backcourt much more dangerous.

Finally, of the options offered, the guard/forward Stephon Castle is the choice we’re most interested in. At six feet, he is regarded by many as the second-best defensive player for the UCONN Huskies, right behind Donovan Clingan. Despite being the least effective three-point shooter among the group, he might be the finest defensive perimeter player selected in the draft. The Utah Jazz could use some help making threes, but their biggest need is defense support.

 

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