3 reasons the Jazz won't be picking 5th

The Cleveland Cavaliers really dug deep to stick it to the Utah Jazz.

Imagine taking a leisurely stroll through the Maverik Center and under every one of the 12,500 seats is a piece of paper, but only one has your name on it. With one guess you have to pick the seat with your name on the paper.

That’s what Cleveland did by winning its third No. 1 pick in four years and pushing the Jazz down to the 5th spot in the upcoming NBA draft.

They nailed a .0074 percent chance.

#poll

No worries, Jazz fans, the Utah Jazz are not picking 5th.

It may seem like it, but after being hosed like a burning tire by those Lebron-haters, the Jazz were already in five-alarm problem-solving mode. Thirty minutes after the devastating news, Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey spelled out several options, none of which involved standing pat.

“I feel really good about being aggressive in the draft. That’s really where we can make a difference for the franchise,” said Lindsey.

Here are three reasons the Jazz won’t be picking fifth.

Option 1: Wholesale trade of players and assets to get Top 3 pick

The Jazz don’t currently have an All-Star on the roster, let alone a superstar. If they think Wiggins, Parker or Embiid are superstars, that leaves everyone open to trade and every asset on the table.

“With the fifth pick, 23rd pick and 35th pick … we think those are terrific assets and we feel really good about them. We’ll see if we can aggregate them and move up,” said Lindsey.

I imagine it would take a ridiculous offering to shake Cleveland, Philadelphia, or Milwaukee off their perches, but imagine if the Jazz offered this year’s 5th and 23rd as well as Kanter and/or Burks.

Tempting?

Heck while you’re at it, offer next year’s first if you believe Jabari is the next Carmelo. If there’s a superstar to be had, you get him at any cost.

I asked Lindsey, with such a top-heavy draft, is it especially difficult to move up or can you always move if you offer enough assets?

“Great question, great question. It just takes one partner,” Lindsey said.

Option 2: Trade down

“You may have the conversation with teams in front of you and they say there are no terms that will move and there’s nothing you can do,” said Lindsey.

Ergo, right out of the draft day handbook, you trade down.

The top three are on a separate and distinct tier and the next tier is very “eye of the beholder” with Dante Exum, Julius Randle, Noah Vonleh, Aaron Gordon and Marcus Smart.

I would say, instead of drafting Vonleh at No. 5, trade down to No. 8 and take Smart and a future pick and parlay your No. 23 and the future asset to jump a few spots and grab the sliding Rodney Hood — before the Bulls can grab him at 19.

That’s just an example — that may or may not have been whispered to me by a heavenly messenger.

The fact is, the Jazz have next year’s starting five — Burke, Burkes, Hayward, Favors and Kanter. I don’t see anyone other than the Big 3 bumping anyone out of the starting lineup.

You can also swap picks and add a veteran player. Gather assets and gain more depth seems like an appealing option.

Option 3: Trade out for veteran star

“We’ll see if we want to move out via trade, there are several good options and I think we’ll have a ton of interesting conversations,” said Lindsey.

This draft is considered the deepest draft since 2003 — LeBron, Carmelo, Wade and Bosh. Teams might be very interested in trading veteran players for the chance at one of these young studs.

How attractive is No. 5? In 2003, that pick was Dwyane Wade.

The Jazz are the third youngest team in the league at 24.8. Do they really need another 19-year-old or would they be better served by adding a big-name veteran?

With some additional assets, Minnesota might be willing to dump Kevin Love — a la Deron Williams — for a chance to get a Top 5 pick.

“I think we’ll have a dilemma," said Lindsey, "and I see that in a good way, because we’re going to have several good options. Our job is to pick the best option.”

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