CHICAGO — In the lead-up to Sunday’s NBA draft lottery drawing, Austin Ainge set about finding someone to represent the Utah Jazz in the drawing room.

The Jazz didn’t land No. 1. They still walked away feeling pretty good. Utah jumped to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft lottery after entering the night with the fourth-best odds.

The Utah Jazz will learn their NBA Draft fate this weekend. What chance do they have at landing the top pick and AJ Dybantsa?

The Utah Jazz have some intriguing options to look into on the trade market— even some that haven't been as highly rumored.

If that’s the case, the current lottery format could go out with a bang today as a talent-rich draft class awaits, including BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson, all offering superstar potential at the top of the draft.

When the commotion settled into the last two teams in the running for the No. 1 pick, it all came down to the Jazz and the Washington Wizards. Either way, for the first time ever in the lottery, the Jazz actually moved up from their own most likely position in the draft to one of the top two spots.

Gerald Dunn, aka the “Jazz Disciple of Kansas City” and director of entertainment for the American Jazz Museum, is curating the entertainment. Copaken also sits on the board of the museum. The pair’s goal is to bring in local and outside entertainment. Tuesdays through Saturdays are live music, and Sundays are vinyl nights.

Brett Milano, John Wirt and Michael Allen Zell reviews from Jazz Fest Day 8, Sunday, May 3, 2026. For those of us who couldn’t get into the Meters reunion (thank you and suck eg