The Utah Jazz just got the kind of lottery luck that should feel like a party, and somehow it still stings. We break down what it means to jump to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, why losing out on BYU star AJ DeBanza hits a nerve across the state, and what the next few weeks could look like as the trade-up question hangs in the air. I also look at the roster context and why a top-two addition could finally make the rebuild feel concrete.

From there, we shift to a headline Salt Lake City doesn’t get often enough: progress in the homelessness numbers. Utah’s 2026 point-in-time count shows a decline overall, and unsheltered homelessness drops by nearly 10%. I put that in context after last year’s spike, talk through what leaders say is working with a more “human first” approach, and call out the hard part that can’t be ignored, including a rise in seniors experiencing homelessness. If you listened to my recent conversation with Volunteers of America, Utah, you’ll hear the connection between the data and the day-to-day work on the ground.

We also hit an end-of-an-era business story as Crumbl Cookies’ founders step back from day-to-day leadership after scaling from Logan to more than 1,100 locations worldwide. Plus: the latest reasons critics are skeptical of the Stratos Project data center in Box Elder County, a new affordable housing complex proposed for the Ballpark neighborhood, and a quick look at Midvale’s Main Street revitalization. Then I tease next week’s interview with Rosie Card on women’s rights and post-Mormon identity, a conversation that feels impossible to separate from life in Salt Lake.

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