This newsletter addresses a reader’s question regarding the Utah Jazz’s draft pick protection and their obligation to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The reader asked: “Sarah, the Jazz owed the Thunder a draft pick, which was top-10 protected. But since the Jazz are getting the 10th pick in the draft, what does that mean? Do we still owe them a pick? Does it still have the same protections every year?”
The Jazz owe the Thunder a draft pick due to a 2021 trade in which Utah offloaded Derrick Favors’ contract to Oklahoma City. To make this deal palatable, the Jazz included a top-10-protected draft pick as part of the compensation. This protection means that if the pick falls within the top 10 selections, the Jazz retain it, and the obligation is deferred to a future year.
This year, the Jazz managed to keep their pick because it landed exactly at the 10th spot, which means the draft pick obligation rolls over to the next year. As a result, the Jazz will still owe OKC a draft pick, and it will carry the same top-10 protection in 2025. If the pick again doesn’t convey in 2025, the protection adjusts slightly: it becomes a top-8 protected pick in 2026. If by 2026 the pick still hasn’t conveyed to the Thunder, the obligation is extinguished entirely.
The impending pick obligation has significantly influenced the Jazz’s strategy. During the 2023-24 season, the team made tactical moves to ensure they retained the pick. These moves included strategic trades and resting key players to maintain a record that would ensure they did not fall out of the top 10 in the draft order.
Looking ahead to the 2025 draft, the Jazz will face a similar scenario. The top of the 2025 draft is expected to feature several players with the potential to become franchise-changing stars. Thus, the Jazz will be motivated to retain their top-10 protected pick if they can, potentially influencing their decisions throughout the season.
Even in 2026, if the Jazz still owe a pick to the Thunder and the pick falls within the top 8, the incentive to keep it will remain. However, the likelihood of the Jazz engaging in a full-scale tanking strategy (deliberately losing games to secure a higher draft pick) is low. The Jazz believe they possess the players and assets necessary to build a competitive team without resorting to such tactics. Therefore, fans might witness a season similar to the last, where the team’s actions are influenced by the draft pick obligation but not to the extent of a complete teardown.
In other news about the Jazz, Will Hardy, the team’s head coach, has recently lost assistant coach Chad Forcier to the Phoenix Suns. This development is part of the usual offseason changes that teams undergo.
Speaking of the offseason, with fewer basketball activities, my focus has shifted to reading. I’ve been immersing myself in various books and welcome recommendations from readers. Here’s what I’ve been reading:
1. “The Mountain in the Sea” by Ray Nayler – This book explores the discovery of a species of octopus with language and culture, amidst a backdrop of androids and geopolitical tensions. Despite its intriguing premise, I found it somewhat disjointed and felt it would have been better suited as a series of short stories.
2. “A Deadly Education” by Naomi Novik – The first book in a series set in a magical boarding school, this novel stands out for its darker, more violent take on the familiar trope. While I found parts of it confusing, the compelling world-building has me looking forward to the sequel, “The Last Graduate.”
3. “Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Audio Collection” by Arthur Conan Doyle, narrated by Stephen Fry – Despite holding a literature degree, I had never read the Holmes stories. This collection has been an enjoyable way to rectify that oversight.
4. “The Bullet Swallower” by Elizabeth Gonzalez James – I’m currently reading this and will share my thoughts once I’ve finished.
As the true NBA offseason approaches, my book intake is set to increase, and I look forward to more literary adventures.
