Utah Jazz Urged to Make Blockbuster Trade Up in NBA Draft

Looking back to the recently-passing draft lottery, things went far from in favor of the Utah Jazz.

Instead of landing a premier selection at the top of the board at number one, or even within the top three, Utah ended up dropping a worst-case scenario of the fifth-overall pick, and with it now comes a bundle of questions for how the Jazz could end up pivoting to attack this vital offseason, and with it, a massively important draft for their future.

Of course, the lottery balls did not fall where the Jazz needed them to to secure that aspired spot in that top three, but in the eyes of some, it could set the stage for Utah to make a bold move up the board to truly get a chance at landing their top young talent to build around.

During an appearance on The Ryan Russillo Podcast, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix made a compelling case for the Jazz to make a big swing to trade into the top three, making the claim that perhaps no one else in those top five picks needs to make a move for than Utah.

"No team in the top five needs to make a deal more than the Utah Jazz," Russilo said. "They've got to get inside the top three. They've got to get their hands on Ace Bailey or Dylan Harper... Ace Bailey there at number three– not a sure thing by any stretch, some definite questions about Ace Bailey, but at his best, he has a really high ceiling."

The Cooper Flagg dream is all but dead for the Jazz, but it's far from a one-person class when it comes to potential star talents atop the board. Names like Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey each have steep ceilings wherever they may end up later this June.

And for Russillo, a move up to three with the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire someone like Bailey might be the perfect jolt this rebuild needs to find another key cornerstone of the future.

"He is a bonafide shot-maker; a elite offensive player on the wing. The Jazz need that. If they stay at number five, and draft, like, VJ Edgecombe, who I think is fine, Jeremiah Fears, who probably is fine... To me, if they sit at five, and just draft the best player on the board, that's a whiff. They've got all of these draft picks... Utah's got to do something, man... This is a big, big draft, I think, for Utah."