The major factors that will decide the Utah Jazz's future
The anticipation is at an all-time high for Jazz fans — there's officially only four more sleeps until the 2025 NBA Draft, where there are endless possibilities of how the new Jazz management handles their #5 pick.
With a roster consisting of win-now players like Lauri Markkanen/John Collins and a promising young core, the team's path is still largely undecided heading into 2026. We could be headed into a jam-packed offseason that could finally provide the answers we've been seeking for years.
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The stacked Western Conference gives the Jazz a near-impossible chance to compete, and the seats are getting hot if the team continues to head on a downward trajectory. The fans are restless, ready to embrace the Note in the bright lights once again in the NBA Finals. But first comes the internal team-building and culture, so the Jazz can come ready to play.
Here's what I thought were the three most overriding decisions that will loom heavy over the Jazz front office:
The Jazz NEED to nail this top-5 pick
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: FEB 05 Arkansas at Texas
Jazz fans have had over a month to process the grief of falling to the lowest possible selection in the draft, and now they need to get it right. New Jazz President Austin Ainge has been praised for his work on the Celtics for nailing picks late in the draft. He's no stranger to scouting prospects, and that's exactly what the Jazz need to find 'their guy' in the lucrative top-5 range.
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The Jazz haven't had much major success thus far in their three-year rebuild — Keyonte, Sensabaugh, Collier, and Filipowski have been wonderful surprises, but nothing that can get Utah over the hump.
However, this is the first year the Jazz have held a pick higher than #9. Various Jazz sources have covered the team's interest in Kon Knueppel, Tre Johnson, Khaman Malauch and Jeremiah Fears.
Most mocks point to Texas' Tre Johnson as the most realistic selection — one of the best shooters in his class and a sky-high offensive ceiling. He fits the mold as an offensive hub next to Collier and Markkanen, and could be a dynamic scoring backcourt next to Keyonte. The Athletic's Tony Jones even joined the Locked On Jazz podcast, making one thing clear:
'The Jazz have had Tre Johnson in for a workout. They liked the workout; he was good in it. I don't know that the Jazz view him as a perfect prospect, but I think that he has enough fans that if he fell to five, he would be the pick there.'
Austin Ainge needs to emerge from Wednesday with a prospect ready to contribute now rather than later. The pieces to move forward must be clearly defined to shape Utah's future.
The Walker Kessler conundrum
Utah Jazz v Los Angeles Clippers
The 23-year-old just finished his junior season in comeback fashion, restoring hope that Kessler can be a promising building block of the future. These types of players don't come around that often — Brooklyn's Nic Claxton signed a four-year, $97M contract extension last summer, meaning the Jazz have a big decision ahead of them past the draft.
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The offseason is infamous for washed players building their agenda to return to the NBA through workout videos, and 2025 was no stranger. Walker Kessler got work in with the top-ranked prospect of 2027, Lincoln Cosby, in the Elite Performance Institute. There's nothing like watching your rim-protecting big man power his way to the rim and hit step-back triples against YMCA guys.
Just like finding out Bear Grylls was a phoney survivalist, was this merely a performing stunt, considering he'll be eligible for a rookie extension this offseason? He's got all the reasons to — the Jazz are projected to offer him a contract somewhere in the $100M range.
Between him and the rest of the young guys, Kessler seems like the most safe player on the roster. Still, the Auburn big man was shopped in trade rumors just a year ago, and the Lakers have maintained interest according to Dave McMenamin.
Nothing has progressed to the serious stages of negotiation yet, and it's in Utah's best interest to keep Walker. The Ainge family and Justin Zanik have to be smart with how they use their chess pieces. The Jazz could always wait until next summer to determine what they want to do with Kessler. Thus far, he's been held for a kings ransom to pry him away from Utah.
Austin Ainge's conspicuous basketball philosophy
2022 NBA Summer League - Atlanta Hawks v Utah Jazz
The Jazz hired their new President of Basketball Operations — Austin Ainge — just over three weeks ago, and his introductory press conference only led to more questions rather than answers. Throughout it all, he made one very strong call. The Jazz weren't going to tank.
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Whether he meant going against sitting half the roster on the injury report or making a legitimate push for the playoffs/play-in, the hiring means things are going to change. After losing 65 games, the results were a disaster for everyone in the front office. Deseret News' Sarah Todd said that his words were no mere performance stunt.
'Is Ainge just saying what he has to say? No. According to multiple team sources, Ainge's words should be taken seriously. The Jazz will not be tanking next year and if that means they lose a lottery pick to the Thunder, so be it.'
Given the veteran talent on the roster, the team's growing young core, and Utah's additional draft picks, the team has an abundance of options for the future. The Ainge hiring represents the value and importance of maintaining the franchise's flexibility and development.
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