Ranking the 10 championship-less NBA teams by closeness to title

At the beginning of last season, the Utah Jazz would’ve likely been seen as the furthest team from their first title. They traded both Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell away, sacrificing the franchise’s best duo since Karl Malone and John Stockton. A full rebuild was in order.

A funny thing happened, though – the moves Danny Ainge and the front office made paid off quicker than expected. For a brief stretch, the Jazz were one of the best teams in the league, so much so that they played themselves out of the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, even though they didn’t make the playoffs.

Lauri Markkanen finally became the player everyone expected he would be when he was dealt in the trade that sent Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Markkanen became a three-point machine, earning All-Star accolades for the first time.

Utah also seems to have something in coach Will Hardy and big man Walker Kessler, both of whom impressed during their maiden seasons in Salt Lake City. If Collin Sexton – another Cavs addition – can get healthier, he can be an important contributor as well.

Like some of the preceding teams, the Jazz have a war chest of draft picks to play with in the coming years. If Markkanen and Kessler (and to some degree, Sexton) become cornerstone-type players for Utah, they could be a few good picks away from being relevant once more.