Though the OKC Thunder may not have been directly involved in Tuesday's trade that sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz, they indirectly have come away from the deal as major winners.
As a result of the 2021-22 deal that sent Derrick Favors from Utah to the Sooner State via salary-dump, Oklahoma City owns the protected rights to the club's 2026 first-round pick.
Through this first half of action, as a result of lackluster play and the high-end competition they've faced out in the Western Conference, the Jazz stand at 15-35 just beyond the halfway mark. With this, if the season were to end today, their pick would fall to sixth overall on the board, meaning their top-eight protections would be enforced, and the Thunder would come away with nothing.
However, the addition of Jackson could very well sway things in favor of OKC during this final stretch of the campaign.
Jaren Jackson Jr.'s arrival in Utah betters odds of Thunder landing pick
Utah didn't just trade for a simple frontcourt upgrade -- they landed one of the best bigs the game currently has to offer.
A two-time All-Star and recent Defensive Player of the Year winner, the 26-year-old finds himself amid yet another impressive go-around here in 2025-26, as he's been dropping stellar two-way averages of 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks on 47.5 percent shooting from the floor and 35.9 percent shooting from deep through 45 games played.
Now, despite what Utah's record may suggest, they are by no means bereft of talent.
Behind the likes of All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen and rising star guard Keyonte George, the Jazz are underratedly one of the league's best offensive teams, ranking sixth in points per game (118.0) and second in assists per game (30.1).
Unfortunately, their putrid efforts on the less glamorous side of the ball have completely overshadowed this impressive level of production, as they rank dead-last in defensive rating (122.1) and opponent points per game (127.0).
With all this in mind, coupled with the fact that they have been void of any semblance of big man stability following the season-ending injury of Walker Kessler five games into the year, there's a case to be made that Jackson could be exactly what the Jazz need in order to get back to a place of relevancy.
A team doesn't trade for an All-Star player at a position of need just to then throw in the towel.
With the fact that they're only eight wins out from a Play-In Tournament spot and that there are still 32 games remaining on the regular season schedule, one shouldn't be surprised to see the Jazz making a move up the standings over the next few months, which, assuming this happens, should ultimately lead the Thunder to yet another first-round pick this coming June.