It looks like the Utah Jazz are still in the running to draft Ace Bailey at no. 5 according to Jake Fischer in the latest Stein Line.
From Fischer:
Lottery teams picking below Utah aren’t ruling out the Jazz from selecting Bailey fifth. There does not appear to be a surefire phenom for the Jazz to target after the team with the league’s worst record this season (17-65) fell as far as it possibly could in the lottery. An upside gamble on Bailey, in theory, could certainly appeal to the Jazz and their new president of basketball operations, Austin Ainge.
Everything seems to be coming up Millhouse for the Utah Jazz. They had a gut punch on lottery night, but it appears they could get Ace Bailey regardless. How nice is it to have the 5th pick and have that decision? Now, Charlotte could pick Bailey at #4 if the Sixers pick VJ Edgecombe at #3, and that leaves Utah with more decisions, but they would get their pick of that next tier of players, including Tre Johnson, Kon Kneuppel, Khaman Maluach, and Jeremiah Fears. Speaking of Kneuppel and Maluach, Fischer had insights into their workouts. But he also mentioned the Utah Jazz as potential draft night movers. Collin Sexton and John Collins, plus the #21 pick, appear to be something that can get some movement.
From Fischer:
The Jazz also hold the No. 21 pick, veterans such as Collin Sexton and John Collins who are regarded as potential trade candidates and future draft capital to try and acquire an additional lottery pick after theoretically using its own on Bailey. Yet it was just two days ago that we first reported here that Duke big man Khaman Maluach has emerged as a potential draftee for the Jazz at No. 5 after previous workouts with the Wizards, Pelicans and Hawks. I’ve also heard that Duke guard Kon Kneuppel left his Utah visit earlier this week with the Jazz likewise holding a strong opinion of Flagg’s other lottery-rated teammate.
We do know that the #9 pick is a possibility. Would the Raptors be interested in Collins, Sexton, and the #21 for #9? For me, I would love for the Jazz to get to #9 and pick Collin Murray-Boyles, a Draymond Green prototype, who could start a culture of defense for a team that has had the worst defense the last two seasons.
We also got some intel that Jeremiah Fears came in for a second workout. This comes from Scoop B, whose legitimacy I’m not entirely sure of, but we’ll post it here with a grain of salt.
Also, we got some more insight from Tony Jones on the Locked on Jazz podcast that Khaman Maluach had a great workout with the Jazz, hitting a lot of shots. It’s a great listen and one Jazz fans should pay attention to as locked in as Tony is. He also mentions in the podcast if Tre Johnson is on the board alongside Ace Bailey, the Jazz would pick Tre Johnson.
Personally, I’ve come to love Tre Johnson’s game, and his lights-out shooting with limitless range could be a great player to start building around for Utah. I also think if Utah could somehow get Khaman Maluach as the two-way center that all these championship teams have, it could be huge for Utah’s future. Having a him protect the rim on one end while spacing the floor on the other is a game-changer for any team.
Things are heating up, and I, for one, can’t wait to see who will be playing at Utah Jazz Summer League coming up.