Losing buys the Jazz less in 2027 than it did when last season's tank ended with Darryn Peterson at No. 2. Utah's own pick is capped and pooled with two others, and the new lottery flattens the bottom.
How the Jazz's 2027 pick works
In the February 2026 trade for Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis gets the most favorable 2027 first-rounder of Utah's, Minnesota's and Cleveland's, Sarah Todd reported for the Deseret News. Utah keeps the second-best, per Jared Koch of Utah Jazz On SI. The cap is an NBA Board of Governors rule from May 2026: no team's own pick can land in the top five in three straight drafts, whether the team keeps the pick or trades it (NBA Communications). The Jazz took Ace Bailey fifth in 2025 and Peterson second in 2026, so their own pick can't go higher than sixth, as James Piercey noted for Yahoo Sports.
The "3-2-1" lottery, for 2027 through 2029, grows from 14 teams to 16. The three worst records each lose a lottery ball and can't fall below No. 12 (NBA Communications), and each has a 5.4% chance at No. 1, Jeff Zillgitt wrote for NBA.com. So a last-place finish likely helps Memphis more than us: the lower the Jazz finish, the likelier their own pick is the one the Grizzlies take, leaving Utah with Minnesota's or Cleveland's.