Utah Jazz 2025-26 Season Preview, Betting Odds

The dramatic deterioration of the Utah Jazz from the top seed in the Western Conference in 2021 to coming off literally the worst season in franchise history has created a desperate need for one of the team's recent draft picks to step up and galvanize a fanbase craving to feel hope again. Perhaps Lauri Markkanen can return to All-Star form, or their No. 5 overall selection from this year's class can be the "Ace" up their sleeve. Regardless of who it is, it simply has to be someone, although that likely won't happen this upcoming campaign.

This 2025-26 season preview will attempt to dig up some sort of value for any betting odds concerning the Jazz as they're projected to finish 30th out of 30 teams across the league for a second year in a row with an economy ticket already booked for the lottery.

(Betting odds will be updated up until the start of the regular season. Be sure to check in regularly for any changes to numbers and picks)

Utah Jazz 2025 NBA Draft

Selected Ace Bailey (Rutgers) No. 5 overall
Selected Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida) No. 18 overall
Selected John Tonje (Wisconsin) No. 53 overall

Utah Jazz 2025 Re-Signings

Utah Jazz 2025 Additions

Kyle Anderson acquired via trade with Miami Heat
Kevin Love acquired via trade with Miami Heat
Georges Niang acquired via trade with Boston Celtics
Jusuf Nurkic acquired via trade with Charlotte Hornets

Utah Jazz 2025 Departures

Jordan Clarkson bought out; agrees to one-year, $3.6-million contract with New York Knicks
John Collins traded to Los Angeles Clippers
Johnny Juzang waived
KJ Martin waived
Collin Sexton traded to Charlotte Hornets
Jaden Springer waived

Utah Jazz 2026 NBA Championship, Western Conference, Northwest Division Betting Odds

Team	NBA Finals Odds	Western Conference Odds	Northwest Division Odds
Utah Jazz	+100000	+50000	+25000

Best Bet: N/A

Buying out Jordan Clarkson's contract removed the last remaining component of the 2021 squad which won 52 games and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, therefore clearing the way for the team's younger guards to be showcased more prominently from the get go. The backcourt hasn't been an area of strength for Utah since the days of Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley, and now the reins have been handed over to a combination of Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh, and Keyonte George, who've all shown glimpses of brilliance on occasion, but are obviously not on the same level as those more established aforementioned names. Collier was one of the better playmakers and facilitators coming out of the weak 2024 class, Sensabaugh just converted 42.2 percent from 3-point range last season, and George nearly averaged 17 points per game his sophomore year, although he did shoot below 40 percent from the field for a second year in a row.

Markkanen's stock is back on the rise after a terrific showing in the recent EuroBasket tournament for Finland, ranking fourth overall in scoring (23.1 points) while guiding his nation to the semifinals of the bracket with an upset victory over Nikola Jokic's Serbia along the way. He's only 28 years old, so anyone suggesting he doesn't fall in line with the Jazz's rebuilding timeline is kidding themselves, but that hasn't stopped the trade machine from working overtime these days. Even during an off-year offensively, Markkanen still averaged 19 points and just under six rebounds per contest, and the powers that be in Salt Lake City reportedly want to keep him around as he's locked in through 2028-29. Utah is so full of rookie contracts that the money Markkanen is still owed isn't too much of an issue.

A lot is riding on Ace Bailey, who's the Jazz's highest pick since Dante Exum (No. 5) in 2014. He may not have necessarily wanted to end up in this dire situation, but his attitude has been fairly positive since his arrival, and beyond top selection Cooper Flagg, Bailey has the most superstar upside of anyone from the 2025 class. There's going to be plenty of growing pains along the way, as will be the case with most of Utah's budding depth chart, and the fruit of their labor will be reaped years down the road. Tossing someone like Cameron Boozer, A.J. Dybantsa, or Darryn Peterson into the fold is what the Jazz should be gunning for, and thankfully, they won't be good enough to contend for anything beyond possessing one of the three worst overall winning percentages anyway.

Utah Jazz 2025-26 NBA Win Total, Make Playoffs Odds

Team	Win Total	OVER	UNDER	Odds To Make Playoffs
Utah Jazz	18.5	-104	-118	+7000

Best Bet: UNDER 18.5 wins, -118

Finishing dead last at 17-65 only generated Utah the fifth pick to take Bailey, but the bottom-three teams each have a 14.1-percent chance of landing the first pick and a 52.1-percent chance of going in the top four. Luck just wasn't on its side when the ping-pong balls started bouncing around, unfortunately, but the Jazz would gladly take those odds once again for a top-heavy class like 2026.

That means ending up with between 15 and 18 wins, though, but that's the price you pay to strike it big with the top prospects in the nation.

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Utah Jazz 2025-26 NBA Awards Odds

Name	MVP	Defensive	Rookie	Most Improved	Sixth Man	Coach
Lauri Markkanen	+100000
Walker Kessler		+10000		+8000
Ace Bailey			+1500
Walter Clayton Jr.			+6000
Kyle Filipowski				+6000
Keyonte George				+7500	+10000
Cody Williams				+20000
Will Hardy						+10000

Best Bet: Ace Bailey for NBA Rookie of the year, +1500

What's working in Bailey's favor in comparison to monster betting favorite Cooper Flagg is that the former isn't a part of a team that knows it can viably compete for the Larry O'Brien trophy when healthy. Flagg is surrounded by superstars like Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving who never met a shot they didn't like. In Utah, head coach Will Hardy will want Bailey to sink or swim with an endless amount of opportunities to score, while Flagg will be the No. 4 option in the Dallas Mavericks' starting lineup most nights, at best. Each of the last three Rookie of the Year winners topped their fellow classmates in points per game, and the likelihood of Bailey achieving that with the Jazz is greater than Flagg's in the Lone Star State, although Flagg's numbers across the board (especially defensively) will be significantly higher.

As of writing, Bailey finds himself behind Flagg, Tre Johnson, Dylan Harper, and VJ Edgecome in the odds race for the Wilt Chamberlain trophy. He has everything you'd want from a wing with limitless athleticism, explosiveness, and a gunslinger mentality, but taking better shots and knowing when to distribute as opposed to forcing up bad looks will be crucial to his development. Bailey will need to be a top-two rookie scorer to give Flagg some competition in this department, and being in Utah will leave the door open for that.