Jazz Owner Ryan Smith Leaving Options Open at No. 2 Pick

The Utah Jazz struck gold in this year's NBA draft lottery by jumping up to obtain the number two pick on the board, making it the franchise's first second-overall pick dating back to 1980.

The historical and current implications of the Jazz's lottery leap are significant. Not only were the Jazz able to move up in the lottery with their own pick for the first time ever, but doing so couldn't have come at a better time for a draft class as strong as this one.

Having a pick as high as the top two slots gives the Jazz a ton of optionality for how they want to approach their next few weeks leading up to June's draft.

They could stick and pick for a blue-chip talent like BYU's AJ Dybantsa if he's lucky enough to fall. They might land on another similarly graded prospect like Darryn Peterson or Cameron Boozer, or perhaps make a move up or down the board if the right opportunity arises.

At least for Jazz owner Ryan Smith, he won't be counting anything out from now until that time finally arrives to reach the ultimate goal of a championship––especially with the front office brain trust he's put into place.

"I've hired a pretty good team here that works with Danny Ainge and Austin [Ainge]," Smith said on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday. "They've got a pretty good track record of how they handle the lottery. There's a lot of time between now and then to see how things go."

"I think our ultimate goal is to build a championship. It'd be irresponsible if everything wasn't on the table to do that, and that's kind of our job. As an owner myself, it's a really interesting thing: I want to be involved, but Danny's also made a living off of over-involved owners. I always try to sit back..."

Jazz Keeping Everything on the Table for No. 2 Pick

The Jazz, for as long as the Ainges have been in the cockpit piloting this rebuild, are frequently known as unpredictable players on the market. So keeping any and all options open is a typical approach you could expect from this regime.

It was only a few months ago when Utah made their surprise push at the trade deadline to acquire two-time All-Star and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies, when virtually no conversations arose about the Jazz being top buyers on the market during that time.

On the surface, the Jazz might not be one to make that type of meteoric splash leading up to this year's draft. Sticking and picking at pick two for the best available player like Darryn Peterson or Cameron Boozer feels like the most likely play, still just freshly removed from the lottery drawing.

But a lot can change in the weeks that remain between now and the start of the draft, especially when the conversations begin to ramp up between Smith and the rest of Utah's decision-making collective.

"We haven't even gotten together yet. We'll sit down, and we'll go through it. But the good news is, if you look at the top half of this draft, it's pretty incredible. You're looking out, and you're saying, 'Hey, there could be a few seven- to 10-time All-Stars."

No matter which direction the Jazz end up going, the number-two pick is a massive asset for Utah to incorporate into their already-appealing core of budding talent, and could make the last two seasons of suffering from over 120 combined regular-season losses worth it all in the end.

Be sure to follow Utah Jazz On SI on X for daily Utah Jazz news, rumors and analysis!

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow