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The NBA draft is still more than a month away. And decisions are yet to be made as the Utah Jazz are in the midst of an exhaustive evaluation process.

But for the first time during Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey's tenure, signs point to Utah at least attempting to trade its lottery pick, which sits at 12th overall.

For Lindsey and his staff, the reasoning is simple: The building blocks for this team is in place. It is now time for improvement. Real improvement, and not baby-steps. With free agency far from a sure thing, the best way for this to happen could be trading the lottery pick. The Jazz know there are a few rookies that could come in and help. But a good veteran can come in and help even more.

For a team that was the second youngest in the NBA this past season, veteran leadership is now at a premium. But the question is whether the Jazz actually go through with surrendering that pick in a trade. Even if Lindsey wants to deal, he acknowledges it has to be the right deal. Or there will be no deal.

"When we went through the same process last year we realized that not only were we going to get a good player, but there were a couple of good players that would be available after we selected as well," Lindsey said. "So we still have to evaluate this years picks for what we are. If it's a 50-50 type of decision, we could err towards the veteran. But we have to be mindful as well. A trade for a veteran could be good for the 2016-2017 Utah Jazz, but bad for the long term. If it's the fundamentally right thing to do, then we'll do it. But at the bare minimum, it looks like we'll have several interesting conversations."

For the third consecutive season, the Jazz improved, winning 40 games despite a bushel of injuries that would have buried many teams. But the season nonetheless ended in disappointment, as the Jazz missed the playoffs, despite being in prime position to garner one a Western Conference postseason spot.

The Jazz ultimately showed they lacked depth and scoring power off the bench. With Dante Exum out for the season with a torn ACL, they lacked adequate point guard play until they traded for Shelvin Mack at the February deadline. By the end of the season, Utah seemed simply to run out of gas.

Lindsey took responsibility for the team's failures, although he was clear there were bright spots. The issue? The Jazz fan base is one of the most rabid and demanding in the NBA. Utah hasn't been to the playoffs since 2012. And in reality, the Jazz haven't had a true winner since the Deron Williams days.

The fans want a winner. All of which means they want Lindsey's rebuilding process to yield results — soon.

"We know that we're better," Lindsey said. "We went from 20-30-40 wins. But there was a desire to take a bigger leap last year, but because of the injuries it wasn't in the cards. It certainly wasn't the jump we wanted to make. Is there a jump in the cards next year? That's interesting because those are the same conversations we have had."

Lindsey's biggest regret is not being able to accumulate nearly as much data this past season as he would have liked. This was supposed to be Exum's first full season as the starting point guard. Now, he's a year behind the rest of the group, even if he projects to be the starter next season.

This was supposed to be a full season with Alec Burks as the sixth man. Instead, Burks was taken out by Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Pierce in December on a drive to the basket. Burks came back for the final few weeks of the season, but wasn't nearly himself. So, essentially, he's missed two seasons to injury.

Maybe most important, the Jazz wanted to see how Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert meshed in the frontcourt. But they each missed a chunk of games. So now, Lindsey will have a bit of guesswork when it comes to his decision making over the next two months.

"If there is anything that's given me the most heartburn, it's that," Lindsey said. "A couple of decisions will certainly be leaps of faith, one way or the other."

The irony? The Jazz like this draft. The organization not only feels like it can get a good player at 12, it feels as if there is good second round talent as well. So if the Jazz keep the pick, they face a dilemma: Do they go for someone like Michigan State's Denzel Valentine? He's a versatile wing who the Jazz feel can step in and play right away.

Or do the Jazz draft a project like Washington's Marquese Chriss? He is a few years away, but has star upside.

"We definitely feel like there are guys at 12 who can come in and help us right away," Jazz VP of Player Personnel Walt Perrin said. "We'll know a lot more by the time the draft gets closer."

It's all shaping up as what could be one of the most interesting and more pivotal off-seasons in recent Jazz history. It's certainly noteworthy that Lindsey — who typically keeps his cards close to the vest — has gone public in potentially dangling the No. 12 pick. For the Jazz, the time has come to win.

And Lindsey isn't shy in his desire to give his team the weapons to do so.

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Reasons to trade the No. 12 pick

• The Jazz have to accumulate depth. They have money to spend under the new salary cap — but so does nearly every other team in the league.

• With Salt Lake City not being the best free agent destination, Utah's lotto pick could be its best asset.

Reasons to keep the No. 12 pick

• Drafting is one of Dennis Lindsey's biggest strengths. Rodney Hood. Rudy Gobert. Trey Lyles. All starters or major rotation pieces drafted by Lindsey. The man clearly has an eye for talent.

• What are Utah's biggest needs? Shooting and bench depth, as the team had too little of either this past season.