After bouncing around between the G-League and the NBA over the past two seasons, Butler seems to have finally found his footing with the Washington Wizards. He’s averaging 7.1 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.

The Washington Wizards are among the handful of teams that are finding their schedule affected after the recent postponements of games in the Los Angeles area.

Midway through the season, Wizards officials believe their youngsters playing extensive minutes is the best way for them to grow quickly

The reason the games are so important is because the Jazz need to lose them in order to stay on the path toward a bottom three regular season record and the best odds at the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. The problem is that the Jazz are completely capable of winning these games.

Due to those notions though, the Lakers scouting department understandably had their eyes elsewhere. One name the Lakers reportedly coveted was Bub Carrington before he was selected at No. 14 by the Portland Trail Blazers then traded to the Washington Wizards, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN:

The Jazz have been tanking for three seasons after choosing to follow the blueprint famously and unapologetically established by the 76ers, who tanked their way into becoming championship contenders (but have ultimately failed to win a championship, which is worth noting).

The non-call may have some pretty big ramifications come May's draft lottery. The Jazz found a way to lose a game they led by 25 points and are two wins behind the Pelicans. Utah's 10-31 record is third-worse in the league behind only Washington (6-35) and Toronto (10-32).

The Washington Wizards currently have the league's worst record as the NBA trickles around the halfway mark in the season. The second half of the season could be totally different than the first, but for teams like the Wizards,

Three of Washington’s games at Western Conference teams, including a matchup with the Clippers originally set for next week, have new dates.

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The New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz met for the second straight time on Monday night at the Smoothie King Center. New Orleans took the matchup 136-123 behind