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Reacting to Every Possible Utah Jazz Outcome in NBA Draft Lottery

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Reacting to Every Possible Utah Jazz Outcome in NBA Draft Lottery


The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery results will be revealed on Monday, May 12th, at 5 p.m. MT. As you all know, this will be a monumental evening for the Utah Jazz and what the future of Jazz basketball could look like. 

Armed with the maximum 14% odds of getting the first pick, the Jazz are hoping for some serious luck. They’re one of the few teams that have never picked first in the draft, something they’re hoping changes soon.

The reality of the lottery is that the Jazz have a realistic chance of landing anywhere in the first five picks of this draft. So, just how big are the drop-offs between each pick? Let’s talk about it.

Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) celebrates after a basket during the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide

Mar 29, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) celebrates after a basket during the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the East Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Jazz getting the first overall pick in this draft would be one of the most exciting events in this franchise’s history. For those who have been living under a rock, Cooper Flagg is a terrific prospect. He’s truly one of the best basketball prospects to come through the ranks in the past twenty years.

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Aside from the short-term excitement of landing Flagg, it would bring a lot of long-term hope to a Jazz team that needs it. While they’ve constantly been successful, the Jazz have lacked a guy capable of being the best player on a championship team since Karl Malone left. While there’s no guarantee Flagg becomes that guy, you’d at least have hope.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) celebrates

Jan 13, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) celebrates in front of guard Ace Bailey (4) during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Jersey Mike’s Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

While Flagg is the grand prize, there are two consolation prizes in this draft class for me. Dylan Harper, the consensus number two overall pick, is certainly one of them. He’s a jumbo guard who can get to the rim at will and is continuing to develop as a playmaker and shooter. He’d give the Jazz a foundational guard to build their offense around for years to come.

Next, Ace Bailey, a polarizing eighteen-year-old prospect, is one of the most gifted shotmakers you’ll ever find. With excellent size and athleticism on the wing, Bailey would bring all the tools and unique scoring upside to be a perennial all-star if he hits his ceiling. With Will Hardy’s creative offensive schemes, the Jazz and Bailey seem like a great match.

Getting either of the Rutgers prospects would be a successful outcome to get this team rolling towards a bright future.

Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) dribbles the ball during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.

Apr 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) dribbles the ball during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Every year, some prospects prove they should have gone earlier than they did. There is undoubtedly going to be talent on the board if the Jazz slide to fourth or fifth in the standings, but after the worst season in franchise history, it would be a disappointment.

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VJ Edgecombe and Tre Johnson are the widely projected picks in this range. While they’re both shooting guards, they are vastly different players.

Edgecombe is an otherworldly athlete who defends and has a budding offensive game. Johnson is a pure scorer who can fill it up from the perimeter in bunches. While either would instantly become the best prospect on the team, neither projects to be a franchise-changing talent, something the Jazz desperately need.

While the Jazz will likely continue to be patient with their rebuild, sliding out of the top three will all but force the team to turn their eyes toward the 2026 NBA Draft in hopes of finding a foundational player then.

Here’s to hoping the odds are in our favor.



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Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president

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Here’s who will lead Utah Valley University as its next president


Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.



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Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods

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Beaver County residents set up thousands of sandbags ahead of flashfloods


BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.

After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.

Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.

“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.

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An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.

Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.





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Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months

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Utah man arrested again for allegedly abusing dog twice in three months


EAGLE MOUNTAIN — An Eagle Mountain man currently on pretrial release in 4th District Court who is accused of abusing his dog has been arrested again for allegedly punching the same animal.

Keith Reaves Davis, 43, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of aggravated cruelty to an animal.

Utah County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon to a grocery store on a report that a man was beating his dog after it had gotten off its leash and was stopped by a bystander, according to a police booking affidavit.

“I reviewed security camera footage from the grocery store, and an individual matching the description of the suspect was seen holding the dog in the air by one paw and repeatedly striking the dog on the right hind leg area. I observed the male strike the dog several times before dropping the dog from approximately 1-2 feet. The strikes appeared to be as hard as the male could hit,” the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. “The dog did not cry out or whimper as if the dog was accustomed to the abuse.”

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When questioned, Davis “admitted to striking the dog because it was not behaving,” the affidavit states.

An animal control officer who responded to the scene to take custody of the dog noted it was the same dog he had taken from Davis exactly three months earlier during another animal abuse investigation.

In that case, Davis was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, after deputies received a tip from a neighbor that a dog was being abused at Davis’ home, according to charging documents. When questioned, Davis “acknowledged hitting his dog as punishment,” the charges state.

Deputies also reviewed videos that the neighbor had filmed. The neighbor told investigators “there was blood from the dog on the ground of the garage and (the neighbor) can hear the dog screaming as if it’s being hurt. Deputies got the videos from the (neighbor) and you can hear very loudly the dog screaming and crying with a lot of loud banging noises. In one of the videos, you can hear the dog sounding like it is being choked by a collar and is grasping for air,” a police booking affidavit states.

Davis’ next court hearing in the April case is scheduled for July 28.

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In their latest booking report, sheriff’s deputies note that they “believe further harm will be inflicted on this dog if it is released back to the male a second time,” and have recommended the dog not be returned to Davis.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.



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