Utah Jazz Off-Season Preview
The Utah Jazz have been eliminated from playoff contention, and it’s time to look ahead to their off-season. It’s going to be a fairly straightforward summer for the Jazz, as everyone can come back for next season. The only big decisions that need to be made are who they draft and what they do with Lauri Markkanen.
I will lay out the contracts, options, draft picks, team priorities, and trade assets to give a full picture of Utah’s off-season.
Under Contract:
Lauri Markkanen: 4 Years – $195.87M
Collin Sexton: 1 Year Left – $19.18M (4 Years - $70.95M), Extension Eligible
Jordan Clarkson: 1 Year Left – $14.29M (2 Years - $28.38M)
K.J. Martin: 1 Year Left – $8.03M (2 Years - $16M), Non-Guaranteed
Taylor Hendricks: 2 Years Left – $13.93M (4 Years - $25.35M, Rookie Contract), Last Year is Team Option
Cody Williams: 3 Years Left – $19.43M (4 Years - $24.9M, Rookie Contract), Last 2 Years are Team Options
Keyonte George: 2 Years Left – $10.84M (4 Years - $18.82M, Rookie Contract), Last Year is Team Option
Svi Mykhailiuk: 3 Years Left – $11.55M (4 Years - $15.05M), Non-Guaranteed, Last Year is Team Option
Johnny Juzang: 3 Years Left – $8.34M (4 Years - $11.43M), Non-Guaranteed
Kyle Filipowski: 3 Years Left – $9.0M (4 Years - $12.0M, Rookie Contract), Last Year is Team Option
Walker Kessler: 1 Year Left – $4.88M (4 Years - $13.37M, Rookie Contract), Non-Guaranteed, Extension Eligible
Brice Sensabaugh: 2 Years Left – $7.56M (4 Years - $12.58M, Rookie Contract), Last Year is Team Option
Isaiah Collier: 3 Years Left – $10.39M (4 Years - $12.9M, Rookie Contract), Last 2 Years are Team Options
Jaden Springer: 2 Years Left – $5.02M (3 Years - $5.65M), Non-Guaranteed, Last Year is Team Option
Options:
John Collins: Player Option – $26.58M
Free Agents:
None (If John Collins exercises his Player Option)
Cap Space:
Projected Practical Cap Space: $13.9M
Projected Maximum Cap Space: $39.21M
*According to Spotrac.com
Draft Picks:
1st Round
Projected 2nd Pick
21st Pick (From MIN)
2nd Round
45th Pick (From DAL)
47th Pick (From LAC)
Top Priorities/Team Needs:
Keep or trade Lauri Markkanen?
Trade Argument:
The Utah Jazz have 9 players on the roster who are 23 years old or younger. From an outside perspective, it's pretty clear that they are in a rebuild trying to develop their young talent and have yet to find their franchise player. Lauri Markkanen will turn 28 in May and is in the middle of his prime. Even though he doesn’t have the mileage of a typical player of his caliber at his age, he still doesn’t fit the Jazz’s timeline. Before his value drops too much, Utah can still receive a lot in return if they decide to trade him.
Keep Argument:
Danny Ainge has compiled an immense amount of draft capital and a lot of young talent. He has the assets to trade for a star player or two to make the Jazz a playoff-caliber team. Even though Lauri Markkanen isn’t a number one option on a contender, the Jazz could add some players for him to be the second or third option. However, this route is more difficult as you have to wait for a star player to be unhappy in their situation or you have to overpay for someone. Plus, the Western Conference will be a gauntlet for a few more years, and it will be difficult to rise to the top of the conference,
Draft high-end talent:
The Utah Jazz have a ton of young talent on their roster, but no one is standing out as a franchise player. They have a plethora of draft picks, which means many bites at the apple. They are projected to have the 2nd overall pick in a good top-end draft class.
Trade Assets:
Lauri Markkanen
Jordan Clarkson
Collin Sexton
John Collins (If Team Option is exercised)
Draft Fits:
1st Round
Projected 2nd Pick
Cooper Flagg (If Utah wins the draft lottery)
Dylan Harper
Ace Bailey
21st Pick
Miles Byrd
Nique Clifford
Adou Thiero
Free Agent Fits:
With the active contracts already on the books for next season, plus the draft picks this off-season, the Jazz will likely not have any roster spots left.
Final Thoughts
Assuming John Collins picks up his player option, the Jazz can retain all 15 players for next season. However, they will need to create space for drafted players. They have four players with non-guaranteed contracts and the option to trade some of their veteran players that possess value.
The decision on keeping or trading Lauri Markkanen doesn’t need to be made this off-season, but this needs to be at the forefront of their plan moving forward. They can still get a good return for the veteran forward.
Danny Ainge has acquired an immense amount of assets, and the possibilities of how he could use them are intriguing. I believe he should stay the course and continue to build through the draft.