The NBA Draft is one of the most exciting days of the year for fans of the league, and also for the front office executives of teams who look to rebuild and get the best possible pick from a talented pool of players. These picks can sometimes start dynasties or prove to be the missing piece that helps a team reach that next level. But sometimes, the build-up to the Draft can be frustrating, owing to the increasingly controversial lotteries. Just ask Dwayne Wade.
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Wade, a three-time NBA champ, is a minority owner of the Utah Jazz. He reportedly bought a 1% stake in 2021 worth $16.6 million, when the team was competing for the title with stars like Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. His aim? To take the Jazz to the next level.
Wade is succeeding in that business-wise as the team’s brand value has increased to $2.25 billion from $1.66 billion back in October 2020. “Utah is an amazing place, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about the future of the franchise and the future of this state,” the ex-Miami Heat guard had said in an interview.
But just a couple of years into his arrival, they went into a rebuild. After tanking the 24/25 regular season and finishing last, the team based out of Salt Lake City was optimistic about their chances of landing the #1 pick, with their lottery odds standing at 14%. Wade, too, admitted to being certain about getting the first pick. But the result baffled him.
Let alone the first pick, Utah fell all the way to number 5. Well, it’s a “billion-dollar business,” as Delon Wright stated in Wade’s podcast, hinting that the Jazz simply weren’t big enough for the NBA to allow them to get the best prospect, Cooper Flagg.
“I was hot,” Wade added. “I’m sure we get to number one… How do we get five? Now, great things happen at number five. Not saying none of what’s gonna happen in the future, we don’t know. But right now, as we sit here, how do we get five?!”
Wade expected the Jazz to be in the top three at least and suggested some foul play. “I think the thing about it is, it’s open for all of us to say what we feel. And when stuff like that happens, it looks a little funny.”
To add salt to the wounds, the Dallas Mavericks, who had controversially traded their superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, ended up getting the No.1 pick for the 2025 Draft. They had just a 1.8% chance and had finished the regular season 10th in the Western Conference, only losing out to the Grizzlies in the second play-in game.
It looks as though Flagg will be on his way to join Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson in Dallas, while Utah has to make a call regarding their season. At No.5, they could go for Jeremiah Fears from Oklahoma or perhaps Kon Knueppel from Duke.
Not quite a Flagg, who is expected to be one of the stars of the league in the years to come.
