Patience is a Virtue: If the Jazz get Cooper Flagg, TANK AGAIN!

The slow rebuild is the way to go for the Utah Jazz!

By draymottishaw Apr 19, 2025, 8:10pm MDT

“If the Utah Jazz win the lottery on May 12th, should they go in on a star-caliber player?”

It is a question that you sit on and flip back and forth on for hours — adding a guy like Devin Booker, Giannis, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, and other players of that caliber to a team with an already established player in Lauri Markkanen — a former 1x all-star — a borderline top 12 center in the NBA in Walker Kessler, and a young core that is due for natural progression: Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, Kyle Filipowski, Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh, and Cody Williams is very enticing. Some of these guys have more promise than others and have the potential to be starters/rotational players for the Utah Jazz long-term. It brings us back to the question: Should the Utah Jazz trade for a star if they were to land Cooper Flagg?

My short answer is no. They should not.

I am going to break it down from a historical perspective, a current-day perspective, and a future perspective in an attempt to persuade Jazz fans to ride with me in the developmental process for at least 1 more year before we push our chips in, lose our beloved flexibility, and trade for win now pieces.

At the very end, we will talk about the Utah Jazz’ current situation.

Historical Perspective:

For the “Historical Perspective” section, I am breaking down what teams since 1980 have done once they drafted 1st overall, for notable players only (no. 1 picks that eventually became stars — e.g. Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan).

Los Angeles Lakers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson

1979-80 Los Angeles Lakers: Magic Johnson - NBA Champions

It is rare for rookies to have deep playoff runs, but having the greatest center of all time on your team helps a lot. Coming out of Michigan State, Magic Johnson was highly regarded and had the “can’t miss” label when draft time came around. The funny part is that Magic Johnson was selected with the New Orleans Jazz pick that they acquired from a trade 3 years prior, where the New Orleans Jazz traded for Gail Goodrich — the Jazz could’ve had Magic Johnson and a potential championship banner hanging in Delta Center if that trade never went down.

However, that is not the point of the article. The Lakers already had a Hall of Famer on the roster, which led to quick success and a championship in year 2 of Johnson’s career. The current Utah Jazz do not have an all-timer or player of Kareem’s caliber.

1983-85 Houston Rockets: Ralph Sampson & Hakeem Olajuwon

In 1983, the Houston Rockets obtained the 1st overall pick in the draft and selected Ralph Sampson, who went on to be a multi-time all-star early on in his career. In year 1, Sampson was an all-star and also won rookie of the year. However, he only led the Houston Rockets to a record of 29-53, the 4th worst record in the association.

After a rough 1st season for the Rockets and a developmental year for Sampson, the Houston Rockets had the chance to draft at number 1 AGAIN in the 1984 draft and selected Hall of Famer, Hakeem Olajuwon (over Michael Jordan, who went 3rd overall). The Rockets surged from the bottom of the standings to a top 3 record in the Western Conference, and then in the following year, they made it to the Finals, where they lost to Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics.

The Rockets surged after 2 developmental years and top picks in the draft. Instead of trading for a guy like Dennis Johnson after drafting Ralph Sampson, they chose to be patient and ride with the wave of development, ultimately finding themselves in a position to draft another talented player — the 4th worst record in the league, not the worst. They allowed themselves to draft high again. Even if they didn’t draft Hakeem, they could’ve drafted Michael Jordan or Charles Barkley.

Luckily, Hakeem stayed around, and the Rockets drafted more players around him throughout his tenure, ultimately ending up with a few championships.

2000-01 New Jersey Nets: Kenyon Martin

In 2000, the New Jersey Nets had just come off a season where they finished in no man's land, 12th in the Eastern Conference, and had the 7th worst record in the league. There was frustration around the league where rival executives, who had worse records, felt that it was unfair that the Nets won the No. 1 pick when they already had established, high-level players such as Keith Van Horn (former No. 2 pick) and Stephon Marbury, whom they had traded for a year ago.

The following year, the New Jersey Nets finished with a worse record than they did when they landed Martin due to players dealing with injury (Van Horn and Kittles) and Marbury having to inefficiently carry the offensive load himself. They still landed in no man’s land and found themselves with the 7th overall pick in the draft.

They traded Stephon Marbury for one of the best point guards to play the game in Jason Kidd and then traded the 7th pick (Eddie Griffin) to the Suns for pick 13, who ended up being Richard Jefferson.

After those moves, they made it to the finals 2 years in a row — with some moves in the mix (Van Horn for Mutombo) but unfortunately lost to both the Lakers (Kobe & Shaq) and the Spurs (Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and David Robinson).

With Kidd set to turn 30 the next year, an aging group, and multiple attempts to retool, the window for the Nets slowly closed. They were only competitive for 3-5 years in that span. Leveraging their future in hopes of a title. However, they made it to the finals twice, so that is a huge success. Unfortunately, their window was smaller than it could’ve been if they had just traded Marbury either before the season started or mid-season when Vanhorn went down and tanked for Tyson Chandler or Pau Gasol in the 2001 draft. Kenyon Martin and one of those guys could’ve formed a strong foundational duo — a core the Nets could’ve built around with smart trades to extend their contention window well beyond five years.

Seattle SuperSonics v Golden State Warriors

2007-08 Seattle Supersonics & Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden

Woah, woah, woah, Kevin Durant was not a No. 1 pick! However, we’re making an exception for him because many rival executives, including Danny Ainge, would have drafted him over Greg Oden. I’ll make it pretty quick for you.

The Sonics drafted Kevin Durant at #2, and had him develop with a few vets, but ultimately, they landed Russell Westbrook the next year in the draft at #5, and then James Harden the following year at #3. That is 3 MVPs that they drafted in the span of 3 years. They made it to the finals later on and lost. OKC didn’t want to pay them all, Harden ended up in Houston, and they fell apart. We all know how the story went.

The point here is that they acquired 3 HOF’ers. HOF’ers and MVPs typically win you championships, but unfortunately, they did not win any together.

Minnesota Timberwolves v Sacramento Kings

2014-2016 Minnesota Timberwolves: Andrew Wiggins & Karl-Anthony Towns

A more modern attempt at tanking multiple years in a row was the Minnesota Timberwolves a decade ago. After selecting two future all-stars in 2014 (Andrew Wiggins at #1 and Zach LaVine at #13) — they obtained Andrew Wiggins through a trade that sent Kevin Love to the Cavaliers in return for the No. 1 pick (Wiggins) and former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett — they were set for a developmental year. After a failed attempt at reviving Bennett’s career and letting the young players find their way in the league, they found themselves back at the bottom of the standings, and fortunately, they acquired another #1 pick! — Wiggins won Rookie of the Year, by the way.

The Wolves selected Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015. Even though it was Kevin Garnett and Tayshaun Prince’s last year in the league, the Wolves decided to stick with natural development for the young kids as they finished 13th in the Western Conference — some would say that this record is a massive disappointment, especially with 2 back-to-back No. 1 overall selections.

Set to draft with the 5th pick, they took Kris Dunn. You would think that they would go out and try to acquire more talent. NO! They decided to let their young trio — LaVine, Wiggins, Towns — naturally develop once more! They finished with the 13th record in the west AGAIN!!!!

Now, having the 7th pick in the draft, they finally decide to make a move. They traded the pick (Lauri Markkanen), Zach LaVine, and Kris Dunn for Jimmy Butler — THEY STILL SUCKED! We all know what happens next: all hell breaks loose, and they blow it up.

This is an example of where tanking back-to-back years has failed.

Importance of Home-Grown Stars:

As Jazz fans, we should know the benefits of having a home-grown core. From 1988 to 2001, the Utah Jazz won 50+ games in 11 seasons. Not only did they do that, but Karl (drafted in 1985) and John (drafted in 1984) made the playoffs as a duo for over 17 straight years!!! Though they did not come up with a championship, they still had a huge window to do so, not just 4-6 years, but over a decade of high-level competitive basketball.

You hardly see home-grown stars that stay together in the league today. A lot of teams like to chase temporary fixes instead of finding long-term solutions — for example, the current-day Phoenix Suns.

The Warriors built around Steph, Klay, and Draymond — three guys they drafted and developed into a dynasty. Denver stuck it out with Jokic and Jamal Murray, even through Murray’s injuries, and it paid off. Boston has done the same with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, grooming them from young talents into All-NBA pillars — even though the Celtics didn’t tank for Jayson Tatum or Brown (picks were acquired from the Nets when they traded for aging players Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to build around All-Star Brook Lopez), either way they still drafted them, and they grew together. Even Milwaukee kept it close to home-grown with Giannis and Khris Middleton (traded for Middleton after he played only 27 games in Detroit his rookie year) — guys who grew within the system and climbed the mountain together.

You can go further back, too. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili ran the league for nearly two decades after the Spurs drafted and developed all three. The Celtics of old drafted Larry Bird and Kevin McHale and led the Celtics to multiple championships. The Detroit Pistons in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s had a homegrown core of players that were vital to their championship success. Isiah Thomas, drafted by the Pistons in 1981, became the face of the franchise. Alongside him, players like Joe Dumars (1985), Bill Laimbeer (drafted by Cleveland but traded to Detroit), and Dennis Rodman (1986) formed a formidable core that helped the team win back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990.

The Pistons’ success with this core is a great example of how a team that builds through the draft and keeps a strong, home-grown foundation can find long-term success, not just a few years of contention.

The pattern is clear: when stars grow together, they trust each other deeper, the chemistry is more natural, the window of title contention expands, and the ceiling is championship-level. It’s not just about talent — it’s about time, trust, and continuity. We want a dynasty, not a 1–2-year makeover.

Sometimes being Home-Grown doesn’t always work:

The Utah Jazz have had many experiences with home-grown players who have failed to reach the ultimate goal. The most recent example being the duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. While both players were drafted (traded for them on draft night) by the Jazz and showed all-star potential, neither was ever truly considered a top-10 player in the league at the time — Donovan is borderline top 10 now — which is often a prerequisite for championship contention. Despite Mitchell’s scoring ability and Gobert’s dominance on defense, their time together ended without a championship. The Jazz struggled in the postseason, frequently falling short of expectations in a stacked Western Conference. The inability to reach the next level eventually led to both players being traded, as the Jazz chose to rebuild around a different core.

This pattern of home-grown duos failing to find sustained success isn’t exclusive to Mitchell and Gobert. In the mid-2000s, the Jazz had a promising duo in Deron Williams and Andrei Kirilenko. Both were drafted by the Jazz and seemed poised to lead the team to greater heights, but internal conflicts and chemistry issues ultimately halted their progress. Despite their individual talents, they couldn’t gel together, and the Jazz couldn’t break through to an NBA Finals appearance. The team was eventually dismantled.

These instances show that even the best home-grown duos can struggle to fulfill their potential. Whether due to roster construction, team dynamics, or bad timing, sometimes being home-grown just isn’t enough to push a team to the top — especially without that top-tier, championship-level talent.

Other teams that have failed home-grown experiences:

Grizzlies: Marc Gasol & Mike Conley
Wizards: John Wall & Bradley Beal
Pacers: Paul George & Roy Hibbert
Pacers: Reggie Miller & Rik Smits
Magic: Shaq & Penny Hardaway
Thunder: KD, Russ, and Harden
Suns: Devin Booker & DeAndre Ayton
Trailblazers: Damian Lillard & CJ McCollum or Lillard & Aldridge
Trailblazers: Clyde Drexler & Terry Porter

And many more.

How long does it take for the top 3 picks to be good?

I went down the line of successful/notable top 3 picks (from 2000-2015) and how long it took for them to not only make the playoffs, but also when they made a solid playoff run (getting past the 1st round). I also state the foundation of the team on which they were drafted (who was on their team in their rookie season):

3rd Pick: Pau Gasol - Year 2 for playoffs, year 7 for deep playoff run.
Infrastructure: Jason Williams, (Gasol was drafted with Battier)

2nd Pick: Tyson Chandler - Year 4 for playoffs, year 7 for deep playoff run.
Infrastructure: Jalen Rose, Metta World Peace, Ron Mercer

1st Pick: Yao Ming - Year 2 for playoffs, year 7 for playoff run.
Infrastructure: Cuttino Mobley, Steve Francis

1st Pick: LeBron James - year 3 for playoffs, year 3 for solid playoff run.
Infrastructure: Larry Hughes, Ilgauskas

3rd Pick: Carmelo Anthony - Year 1 for playoffs, year 6 for deep playoff run.
Infrastructure: Andre Miller, Marcus Camby, Vashon Lenard, Nene

1st Pick: Dwight Howard - Year 3 for playoffs, year 4 for deep playoff run.
Infrastructure: Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Grant Hill, Turkoglu

3rd Pick: Deron Williams - Year 2 for playoffs, year 2 for deep playoff run.
Infrastructure: Boozer, Kirilenko, Okur

2nd Pick: LaMarcus Aldridge - Year 3 for playoffs, year 8 for playoff run.
Infrastructure: Zach Randolph, Brandon Roy (drafted 6th), and Travis Outlaw

2nd pick: Kevin Durant - Year 3 for playoffs, year 4 for playoff run.
Infrastructure: Wally Szczerbiak, Chris Wilcox

3rd Pick: Al Horford - Year 1 for playoffs, year 2 for playoff run.
Infrastructure: Bibby, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams

1st Pick: Derrick Rose - Year 1 for playoffs, year 3 for deep playoff run.
Infrastructure: Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, John Salmons, Joakim Noah

1st Pick: Blake Griffin - Year 2 for playoffs (sat out 1st year so technically year 3?), year 2 or 3 for a deep playoff run.
Infrastructure: Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, DeAndre Jordan, Baron Davis, and Chris Paul in the later year

3rd Pick: James Harden - Year 1 for playoffs, year 2 for deep playoff run.
Infrastructure: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Jeff Green

1st Pick: John Wall - Year 4 for playoffs, year 4 for deep playoff run.
Infrastructure: Rashard Lewis, Gilbert Arenas, Kirk Heinrich, Andray Blatche, Jordan Crawford

1st Pick: Kyrie Irving - Year 4 playoffs, year 4 deep playoff run.
Infrastructure: Antawn Jamison, Varejao, Anthony Bennett

1st Pick: Anthony Davis: Year 3 playoffs, year 6 deep playoff run.
Infrastructure: Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, Greivis Vasquez

3rd Pick: Bradley Beal - Year 2 playoffs, year 2 good playoff run.
Infrastructure: John Wall, Jordan Crawford, Nene

1st Pick: Andrew Wiggins - Year 4 playoffs, Year 8 good playoff run.
Infrastructure: Kevin Martin, Thaddeus Young, Corey Brewer, Zach LaVine, Rubio, Garnett

3rd Pick: Joel Embiid - Year 2 playoffs? (injured for 2 years, so 2-4), year 2-4 for playoff run
Infrastructure: Ben Simmons (Injured), Robert Covington, Ilyasova, Saric, (got Fultz this year)

SO HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE??

There is a whole lot more, from Karl-Anthony Towns to Ben Simmons to Luka Doncic to Anthony Edwards to Victor Wembanyama. It takes around 3-5 years for a good/successful top 3 pick to make some noise in the playoffs. LeBron James didn’t make his first playoffs until year 3. Cade Cunningham, a No. 1 pick, just barely made his first playoff appearance ever as of today! The only players ever (that I can recall) that were drafted No. 1 and won a championship within 2 years are Magic Johnson and Tim Duncan, both of whom were drafted to a team with an MVP caliber player already on the roster.

Current Day: The Utah Jazz

As stated earlier, the Utah Jazz sit with the worst record and are in the best possible position to select Cooper Flagg, but who is here to stay, and what is going on? Right now, we have Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, who are the Jazz’ 2 best players. Walker Kessler is eligible for an extension, and it seems as if the Jazz are set on keeping him long-term, according to Jazz media and rumors around the league.

Lauri Markkanen, a former all-star, set to turn 28 next month, just signed an extension with the Utah Jazz last offseason and will be making about $115 million over the next 3 years.

If we land Cooper Flagg, or any of the top 3 guys in that matter, the timeline cannot be about how we can maximize Lauri Markkanen’s 7-year window, it has to be about how we maximize Cooper Flagg’s 17-year window, or Dylan Harper’s window, or Ace Bailey’s window — it has to be about them and their development.

Adding a guy like Devin Booker (28 years old) to a team with Lauri, Walker, and Flagg may boost our playoff success odds, but if it takes Cooper Flagg 3-5 years to become THAT guy — without Flagg being THAT guy yet, you don’t have a No. 1 option on your team for years, or never if he doesn’t figure it out — then you’re hoping Lauri and Booker can still produce at 31-33 years old while you have a 2-4 year window with whatever trio, it doesn’t have to be just Devin Booker. The only reason I bring up Devin Booker’s name is that Jazz media and Jazz fans have been talking about it a whole lot recently.

It doesn’t have to be just Booker; there have been conversations among fans talking about adding Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Domantas Sabonis, Nikola Jokic, and other players to this Jazz roster next year.

The Utah Jazz have had a consistent mindset throughout the entirety of the rebuild thus far:

A) They want to maintain flexibility and be ready for anything that comes up.
B) They want to be competitive for a long time.

These are the two mantras that Justin Zanik, Danny Ainge, and the front office have had ever since they shipped out Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Now, in my mind, I do not think that means that we trade for a 30-year-old Giannis. In fact, I believe that means quite the opposite.

However, on the chance I am wrong, and we do make a move, here are some players that are on ESPN’s top 25 players under the age of 25 that might become available:

Tari Eason (Rockets)
Jalen Green (Rockets)
Tyler Herro (Heat)
Zion Williamson (Pelicans)
LaMelo Ball (Hornets)
Scottie Barnes (Raptors)
Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner (Magic)
Jalen Williams (Thunder)

Most of these guys are probably not someone that I would like to spend our assets on, and probably not someone that I trust to take us further long-term either. Not only that, but I am also not sure if some of these guys have the ability to scale down in order to play next to Cooper Flagg & still provide a winning impact on games.

THE ONLY GUY I WOULD TRADE FOR THAT HAS A SLIVER OF A CHANCE OF REQUESTING A TRADE AND BECOMING AVAILABLE IS ANTHONY EDWARDS.

More importantly, the Utah Jazz do not know what they have in Taylor Hendricks — the highest pick of any of the Jazz’ young guys since the rebuild began. Battling back from injury, it would be best for Taylor Hendricks to have a full season of recovery where he can ease back into games without being a detriment to the goal of tanking for another top 5 pick in 2026. Playing off of a guy like Cooper Flagg and next to Walker Kessler, Hendricks would provide another defensive element to that group while still coming into his own — a frontcourt that would not win us many games, as Cooper Flagg would be figuring out the league and where Hendricks is finding himself again.

This would entail trading Lauri Markkanen. To where? I do not know, but the goal would be to get worse — trading Lauri for salary filler and picks. If you trade Lauri Markkanen, you would also be getting a top 4-6 pick in return because if the Jazz trade Lauri, you’re likely to be bad as they would be in on the tank and would hopefully make more moves to worsen our record in the coming year.

Play Cody Williams 48 minutes a night.

The 2026 Draft Class: The Goal

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: APR 01 McDonald’s All American Boys Game

If you thought this year’s draft class was loaded, just know that next year’s class is even MORE STACKED!

If the Utah Jazz decide to stay the course and continue building through the draft, fans should keep their eyes locked on the horizon — because the 2026 NBA Draft class might be one of the best we’ve seen in years.

At the top of the class is A.J. Dybantsa, a 6’9” scoring wing who just shocked the basketball world by committing to BYU. That’s right — not Duke, not Kentucky, but BYU. And it’s not just a gimmick. Dybantsa is already being projected by ESPN and other outlets as the No. 1 overall pick in 2026. He’s long, athletic, and polished beyond his years. Most importantly for Utah fans, he’s committed to a program coached by Kevin Young — the same Kevin Young the Jazz nearly hired as head coach a few years ago. Young has worked with elite NBA talents like Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, and his presence at BYU was a huge factor in Dybantsa’s decision. If there’s a shot he ends up in Salt Lake as a pro, Jazz fans need to start paying attention.

Right behind him is Darryn Peterson (tied at my early No. 1 spot with Cameron Boozer), a 6’6” dynamic guard from Prolific Prep who can flat-out score. He’s averaging over 30 points per game and drawing comparisons to Kobe Bryant with his self-creation ability, cold-blooded offensive game, and defensive presence on the other side of the basketball. Peterson is the kind of guard who can change the identity of a franchise from day one.

And then there’s a name Jazz fans will recognize — Cameron Boozer, the son of former Utah All-Star Carlos Boozer. Standing at 6’9”, Cameron plays with the strength, footwork, and feel of someone who’s been around the game his entire life. He is the best defender in high-school basketball because he has the ability to guard multiple positions on the perimeter, has a high defensive IQ in the passing lanes, and has the vertical ability to block shots. He’s a legitimate top-three talent and brings a high-floor, high-ceiling combo that would make him an easy fit in any rebuild.

Put simply, this class is loaded with cornerstone-caliber players. If the Jazz end up with a high pick again next year, they could walk away with the kind of game-changer that helps turn the corner from “rebuilding” to “contending.” And in a world where the Jazz are looking for their next superstar duo, the 2026 class might be the best shot to find a pairing to whoever they draft with their top 5 pick this year.

Conclusion:

The main goal for the Utah Jazz should be putting themselves in a position where they can compete for the longest possible amount of time they can. The best way you do that is drafting high in back-to-back years because you’re drafting 2 young and talented rookies that have a chance to gel together and become something special, like many others have before.

We still have a lot of questions with this current Jazz roster that are unanswered when it comes to not only who we draft or where we will draft this year, but who the young guys on our team right now really are. I believe we have an idea of what some players are, but is Kyle Filipowski a star or a starter? Who is Taylor Hendricks? Can Isaiah Collier develop a shot? There are still so many questions, and we don’t have anyone on the surface level that has a shot to be THAT guy we need to take us to the next level. Another year of waiting and losing will suck, but 1 year is worth 17 great ones, so stick with me Jazz fans and pray for another year of tanking so we can reap the rewards together and hopefully win the first championship in Utah Jazz history!

A duo of Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, or Ace Bailey paired with one of Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybansta, or Cameron Boozer excites me a ton.

EDIT: Great point here by Danny!

Great article by @draymottishaw ! Another point Dray didn’t talk about but we should be looking to get future picks for when Cooper/AJ (or whoever we draft) are going into years 4/5 just like OKC’s current situation. https://t.co/2XgsFTuSPX
— Danny Boi (@dannythebaer) April 20, 2025