Not only did the Jazz drop to No. 5 in the draft order, the Dallas Mavericks landed the No. 1 pick (after having only 1.8% chance to do so), the San Antonio Spurs snagged the No. 2 pick, the …
Ryan Smith understands how Utah Jazz fans are feeling right now. At least to a degree.
Apathy quickly set in Monday night for many longtime fans of the franchise, in the aftermath of the draft order for the 2025 NBA draft being decided.
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After finishing with the worst record in the NBA in 2025, the Jazz received the worst possible pick (No. 5) the franchise could have landed, by rule.
It was even worse than just that, though.
Not only did the Jazz drop to No. 5 in the draft order, the Dallas Mavericks landed the No. 1 pick (after having only 1.8% chance to do so), the San Antonio Spurs snagged the No. 2 pick, the Philadelphia 76ers nabbed the No. 3 pick and the Charlotte Hornets got the No. 4 pick.
That sequence of teams and picks, when considered as a whole, was much more improbable than just Dallas receiving the No. 1 pick. There was was 1 in 46,593 chance that order would happen.
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Combine it all together and Jazz fans were feeling anger, frustration, even despair. Emotions ran the gamut for Smith, too.
In a post on X early Tuesday morning, Smith, a co-owner of the Jazz, admitted to feeling disappointed by the results of the draft lottery.
“Woke up frustrated,” Smith wrote. “Went for a run. Audibly screamed.”
Smith didn’t remain frustrated, though. The Jazz’s governor proceeded to try and inspire the fanbase with the remainder of his post. Smith tried to remind fans that the draft and draft position isn’t the be all end all.
“Sun peeked over our mountains. Ran into a fellow disappointed Jazz fan. Remembered THIS IS UTAH,” Smith wrote. “So…… Getting back on the horse. With the best fans in the league. Because it’s what we do here. Goal doesn’t change.”
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Some fans responded reasonably well to Smith’s plea.
But for many fans, Monday night’s events were a bridge too far and maybe even the end of their Jazz (and greater NBA) fandom.
A decent portion of the crowd cried conspiracy. In other words, they think the NBA rigged the draft order to benefit teams it values more than Utah (and, to a lesser extent, Washington).
Others suggested that Smith should sell the Jazz, let the team leave Utah and focus solely on the Utah Mammoth.
Still others think the team should be sold and then a Major League Baseball team should be brought in as a replacement.
Another segment of Jazz fans bemoaned the strategy to tank and rebuild the Jazz in the first place, longing for the days of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert and regular playoff participation by the franchise.
Ultimately, the Jazz will continue on. According to Forbes, the team is (as of October of last year) worth $3.55 billion. By way of comparison, Utah’s NHL team is worth approximately $1.2 billion, per CNBC.
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Which is to say, the franchise is a long standing institution in the state of Utah and it doesn’t appear that Smith is near ready to give up on that, nor on building a championship contender in Salt Lake City, even if it takes longer — a lot longer — than much of the fanbase hoped.
Following the results of the draft lottery, one long time Jazz fan posted on X that after 45 years of fandom, they were finished. With the team, with the NBA, all of it.
Smith responded directly to that post, with a message of hope.
“I get it,” he wrote. “Hang in there man… It’s just gonna make winning it that much sweeter. We will regroup and rise.”
Source: Utah News