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2025-2026 Tank Race Prediction Contest and Current Results Thread

Saint Cy of JFC said:
I would be pretty hesitant to trade Lauri. He's a star. Jazz need to figure out how to get worse on the margins and lose with him. Jazz could be a 50 win team next season if they get Boozer and use that cap-space to sign a legit rotation piece

Trade Nurk and Svi, play Ace/Hendricks/Cody more minutes
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I agree with this, we have pieces and need to add to them, but it would be awful to miss out on our 2026 pick.

I don't want to sit Lauri and Kessler on purpose like last year, but whatever we can do around the edges should be done.
 
hgb said:
Trade the 2nd worst of Jazz/Cavs/Wolves/LAL in '27 (worst is already going to Suns) to OKC for that '26 pick, make playoffs, watch Wolves plunge to lottery behind injuries, swap pick with Wolves, draft star, win title.
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It's been brought up before, but Cody to OKC for our 2026 draft rights should be explored.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
I would be pretty hesitant to trade Lauri. He's a star. Jazz need to figure out how to get worse on the margins and lose with him.
Click to expand...

The margins are already pretty meaningless. This strong start is mainly the product of Lauri, Kessler, Keyonte and Hardy. Nurk , Flip and Svi have been adequate but none of them are critical pieces.

Tanking with this team would necessitate either trading or sitting Lauri (who's playing like a legit All Star but has a massive deal) and Kessler (who's playing for his first big contract).

Both things are much, much easier said than done.
 
SoberasHotRod said:
I agree with this, we have pieces and need to add to them, but it would be awful to miss out on our 2026 pick.

I don't want to sit Lauri and Kessler on purpose like last year, but whatever we can do around the edges should be done.
Click to expand...

You can't sit Kessler when he's playing for a contract. The optics would be absolutely terrible.

Also, we might soon be in a situation where Lauri is realistically playing for an All Star spot. Sitting a guy like that would be another PR nightmare.
 
Tremendous Upside said:
The margins are already pretty meaningless. This strong start is mainly the product of Lauri, Kessler, Keyonte and Hardy. Nurk , Flip and Svi have been adequate but none of them are critical pieces.

Tanking with this team would necessitate either trading or sitting Lauri (who's playing like a legit All Star but has a massive deal) and Kessler (who's playing for his first big contract).

Both things are much, much easier said than done.
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Whether or not you want to call the role players "critical pieces" or not is entirely irrelevant. The critical pieces are replacing those players with young guys who will lose you games.
 
Tremendous Upside said:
You can't sit Kessler when he's playing for a contract. The optics would be absolutely terrible.

Also, we might soon be in a situation where Lauri is realistically playing for an All Star spot. Sitting a guy like that would be another PR nightmare.
Click to expand...
Jazz will play Walker all season. Like you said you just can't sit a contract year player

Lauri will sit after he gets his ASG position secured.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
I would be pretty hesitant to trade Lauri. He's a star. Jazz need to figure out how to get worse on the margins and lose with him. Jazz could be a 50 win team next season if they get Boozer and use that cap-space to sign a legit rotation piece

Trade Nurk and Svi, play Ace/Hendricks/Cody more minutes
Click to expand...
Im down.
What do you think the jazz should do with kessler this season? He is a big time problem for the tank as well.
 
Only 4-5 games in, but this is what I'm seeing for the tank race:

The early favorites:
Brooklyn
Washington

The scrappier than anticipated:
Charlotte
Toronto
Utah

Unwilling Participants:
NOP
PHO
SAC
DAL

The Watchouts:
Indiana
Boston
 
SoberasHotRod said:
Only 4-5 games in, but this is what I'm seeing for the tank race:

The early favorites:
Brooklyn
Washington

The scrappier than anticipated:
Charlotte
Toronto
Utah

Unwilling Participants:
NOP
PHO
SAC
DAL

The Watchouts:
Indiana
Boston
Click to expand...
I look at this and think we are screwed.
 
SoberasHotRod said:
Only 4-5 games in, but this is what I'm seeing for the tank race:

The early favorites:
Brooklyn
Washington

The scrappier than anticipated:
Charlotte
Toronto
Utah

Unwilling Participants:
NOP
PHO
SAC
DAL

The Watchouts:
Indiana
Boston
Click to expand...

If you are Boston, you just need to slip into the lottery, the league will take care of the rest.
 
SoberasHotRod said:
It's been brought up before, but Cody to OKC for our 2026 draft rights should be explored.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately there is no leverage to make that deal since Presti wont buy for a hot second that someone else would compete for Cody's services. Only thing we can do is hold him hostage by opting in on the team options, which just delays the inevitable if OKC wants to unite him with Jalen in some end-of-bench spectator role.
 
framer said:
If you are Boston, you just need to slip into the lottery, the league will take care of the rest.
Click to expand...
Also if you believe in conspiracies and rigged drafts you should believe that finishing 9th is the best we can do to ensure rigging goes our way.

OKC is a small market team who already won a chip and is looking like a future powerhouse. That role belongs to the Celtics, Lakers etc... so NBA cant have any of that.
 
framer said:
If you are Boston, you just need to slip into the lottery, the league will take care of the rest.
Click to expand...

I'm worried about Dallas and Boston. Another team that could end up in the lottery is (drum roll) the Lakers, after they get sent out in the play-in tourney.
 
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