Utah Jazz Have Been Paying Homeless People To Pick Up Trash In The Vivint Arena After Games

The Vivint Arena in Utah may not be one of the iconic venues in the NBA but it's among the most advanced. It is one of the best arenas in the country and often increases the level of Utah's homecourt advantage, coupled with the high altitude of the state. 

Homelessness is a massive problem in most US states right now and Utah is no different. The Gardner Policy Institute says that 76% of Utahns are priced out of home ownership, with Wendy Garvin, executive director of Unsheltered Utah saying that there are more homeless families than there are shelters to support them.

The Jazz have found a novel way to combat the situation by paying homeless people to perform labor after games, including paying them to pick up trash at the arenas.

While this just scratches the surface of what needs to be done to effectively combat such a situation, the Jazz taking even a minor step in that direction should be encouraged. 

Will The Utah Jazz Make The Playoffs?

The Utah Jazz started the season extremely positively and were mixing it up with the best in the West. While Lauri Markkanen may have secured playing his first All-Star game in his home city, the Jazz have plummeted to 10th in the standings and are fighting to hold on to their play-in spot.

They've been ruled out as sellers at the deadline by most people to continue their bid to contend. However, the next week will be crucial in deciding what the team does. If they manage to find good offers for Jordan Clarkson or Mike Conley, the team is likely to jump on that. 

The team has been heavily linked to Dorian Finney-Smith in Dallas, so it seems they want to start using their asset pool to make moves to make the roster better instead of worse. A playoff berth may be a challenge this season, but the future is very bright for the Jazz.