When the Utah Jazz traded away foundational franchise cornerstones Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, a self-inflicted and deliberate organizational deconstruction gave way to one of the most fascinating rebuilds in the entire NBA. Tired of scraping against the bottom of the league's tier of championship contenders, the Jazz abandoned ship and resolved to build a long-term winner from the supplies on their lifeboat.

Miraculously, it would appear they've done just that. 

A quick dive to the bottom meant Utah had nowhere to go but up. And up they've gone, developing Lauri Markkanen (an afterthought in the original Mitchell trade with Cleveland) into an All-Star forward, propping up Walker Kessler (a throw-in no-name rookie in the Rudy Gobert trade) into one of basketball's most heavily coveted rim protectors -- especially the Los Angeles Lakers, whose lust for the center is front-page news every trade cycle -- and nurturing Keyonte George (the 16th pick in the team's first rebuilding year) into a borderline All-Star at the point guard position following a breakout third season.

Add to the mix the scrumptious and rapidly-improving scoring ability of rookie Ace Bailey, complemented by his defensive upside. All that alone made the Jazz a sleeper pick for the best NBA League Pass watch among self-appointed basketball maniacs.

Then the front office went all in, pulling Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best power forwards in basketball, Jaren Jackson Jr., from Memphis' inferno, losing just Taylor Hendricks and Walter Clayton Jr. -- neither of whom had shown much promise in Utah's early returns -- in the process.

Yep, everything is going Utah's way. It's just the cherry on top that one of AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson will fall into the Jazz's outstretched arms at the upcoming draft's number-two slot. Utah would have been ready to slam the win-now throttle, even if they slid to the eighth pick in the draft order. Instead, a potential future superstar will join the ranks in his professional infancy.

But what is this team's upside next season? The year after that? And after that? How high can this Jazz team climb, or are they doomed to hit the ceiling once again before another inevitable self-destruct sequence?

Let's start with the best-case scenario -- the best kind of scenario. In a perfect world, the team meshes in an instant. Keyonte George continues his ascent alongside his new rookie backcourt partner, JJJ and Kessler form the most fearsome shot-blocking duo in the league, and Markkanen returns to All-Star form.

A team like that, with some bench help from Ace Bailey, Brice Sensabaugh, and Cody Williams, each taking a major step forward in their developmental trajectory.

This team's ceiling is a top-four finish in the Western Conference, climbing as high as a Conference Finals appearance.

The worst-case scenario might be a bit hard to stomach, so please keep in mind that what actually happens will likely sit between these two realities.

In this nightmare, Utah misses out on the playoffs entirely, forfeiting their own pick to the Memphis Grizzlies and hanging their heads in shame with the understanding that building a winner doesn't just happen overnight for small market teams like Utah.

Injury issues continue to plague the backcourt. Keyonte can't play nice with AJ or DP, and both suffer. Lauri Markkanen's statistical dip in the last two years isn't due to a losing strategy but rather a reflection of a declining star reverting back to the mean.

The Utah Jazz are one of next season's most enticing what-if teams, but the variance is almost whiplash-inducing.