Options for Utah Jazz Should They Trade for No. 3 Pick

The 2025 NBA Draft is just a few weeks away, and we have relatively little information leading up to one of the bigger drafts in some time.

At the draft lottery, the league-worst Jazz fell to No. 5, a death blow to their shot at landing one of the very top prospects in the draft. But the team has been fairly aggressive on the trade market, and there could be a pathway toward the team grabbing No. 3 from Philadelphia. 

Should that happen, the Jazz could get a star-level prospect. Here’s a few options for Utah should they actually trade to No. 3:

Ace Bailey, Rutgers

At 6-foot-9 with solid athleticism and some of the best pure shot-making we’ve seen in some time, Bailey feels a shoo-in to go in the top-four, certainly not falling past Charlotte. 

In order to nab his talents, the Jazz would likely have to hop to No. 3. If they’re able to do so without offloading forward Lauri Markkanen — likely the goal — the two could become one of the better scoring forward duos in the league.

Bailey has a long way to go in honing his game to potential stardom, but the bones are certainly there.

VJ Edgecombe, Baylor

At 6-foot-4 with dynamic athleticism and an impactful two-way game, Edgecombe is one of a few players in the class with a potential star outcome.

The Baylor hybrid can score, defend, pass and more, all at an impactful level. And if his handle comes around, he’ll be a special talent.

The Jazz haven’t swung on this archetype in some time, and doing so would certainly give them more hope for the future. He's a somewhat awkward fit with already-rostered pieces, but it wouldn't matter if he panned out as a star.

Tre Johnson, Texas

Johnson was one of the more prolific freshman scorers we’ve seen in some time this year, scoring nearly 20 points per game, mostly with blistering 3-point shooting.

After favorable measurements at the NBA Combine, he’s beginning to earn outright top-five stock. And rightfully so given he’ll undoubtedly be a big-league bucket-getter.

Johnson is a player the team could be able to nab at No. 5, but there’s no guarantee. If Utah was dead set on adding Johnson — potentially likely, given their affinity for scorer’s in recent years — and got the inkling he’d go before, they could trade up for him.