Utah Jazz Offseason Outlook
When people think of the Utah Jazz, three things come to mind; underrated jersey designs, small market struggles, and coming up short time and time again. After a 31-51 campaign this season, the Jazz enter the offseason with more questions than answers. Lauri Markkannen was, at one point, an All-Star in the NBA, and Jordan Clarkson took home the NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors back in 2021. Moving forward, the Jazz have two main options this offseason as they prepare the team for the upcoming year and beyond; sell high on their best players to stockpile future assets or attempt to add pieces and bank on a jump in development from Markkanen and the young prospects they already have.
Image from NBA.com
Pinching Pennies
The Utah Jazz are more than $10 million over the cap line in the NBA, joining a majority of teams that are above the initial line but below the first apron. That being said, this team is considered by many to be a tad bit too expensive for the lack of success that they have enjoyed, especially since they traded away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Moving forward, the most intriguing players that could be traded are power forwards John Collins and Lauri Markkanen. Collins has a 1+1 year deal with a player option in his second year and Markkanen is on an expiring deal worth $18 million. Both have been in trade discussions for multiple years, but at this point, many expect general manager Danny Ainge to pull the trigger. Jordan Clarkson is a bit more difficult to move in a trade given that he is on a two-year deal, but at $14 million annually, a team in need of bench production could see his services as worthy of the price that Ainge will ask for him.
Image via SLC Dunk
The Necessity of the Draft
The Jazz own the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft and find themselves in a very interesting spot, considering the injury to Nikola Topić, the Serbian prospect who was projected to be picked within the top-10. Now, he is projected to go in the late lottery, adding him to the potential picks that the Jazz could make, joining names like Devin Carter, Cody Williams and Ron Holland. Many projections have the Jazz selecting one of these forwards, but if the Jazz fall into a rebuild, this pick becomes exponentially more crucial. One of the dark horses for the Jazz’s draft? Duke shooting guard Jared McCain, who slots in well next to young guard Keyonte George. Despite being in the back half of the lottery, the Jazz remain one of the more intriguing teams in the draft.
Image via The New York Times
Letting the Young Bucks Eat
One of the problems with balancing a team’s desire to win in the here and now as well as build for the future is the unfortunate reality that doing so robs younger players the chance to develop and make mistakes in games. The three biggest young pieces on the Jazz roster are Taylor Hendricks, Walker Kessler and Keyonte George, all of whom could develop into a formidable trio if they are given the chance. George’s playmaking improved over the course of the year. Kessler is already one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. Hendrick’s athleticism has fans salivating over his potential. However, it doesn’t matter how good they could be if they aren’t given the chance. It’s up to head coach Will Hardy to adjust the rotations so that these players can grow both as individuals as well as a group.
