The Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz will face off tonight in a 7:00 PM contest between teams at the lower-to-middle end of the Western Conference standings. The 20-46 Jazz are headed straight for the ping pong ball pit, hoping to gather as many as possible for the NBA Draft Lottery in May. The 31-35 Blazers have the opposite goal: making the Play-In Tournament and the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Those storylines will dominate the next four weeks for their respective teams.
Next season may tell a different story, however.
Barring trades, the Blazers will likely look the same in 2026-27 as they did in 2025-26. If they don’t make the playoffs, they’ll have an extra lottery pick on board. If they do, their mid-round draft pick will convey to the Chicago Bulls in fulfillment of a 2021 trade for Larry Nance, Jr. Either way, Portland will have to work hard to shake up or improve their roster.
Not so the Jazz. Utah will return high-scoring forward Lauri Markkanen, shiny young guard Keyonte George, recent lottery pick Ace Bailey, and, if they wish, restricted free agent Walker Kessler to the fold. To that foursome and a host of other young players, they will add star center Jaren Jackson, Jr. plus whatever player they acquire with their high selection in the absolutely stacked draft ahead.
This brings up an interesting question. Do you think, after all these players are in place, the Jazz will pass Portland in the Western Conference race next season? If so, why do you like the Jazz? If not, what do you think keeps Portland on top when Utah’s roster looks pretty darn stacked?
Share your thoughts in the comments section below as you await tonight’s game (and Portland’s great chance to win it).
