The Utah Jazz have pulled off an incredible offseason. Although they didn’t snag any big free-agents, they managed to sign veterans and other key additions while surrounding the team with enough space.
The 2019-2020 Jazz team will look different than the team that finished playing back in mid-April. Still, the newly-built Jazz will be a promising team that can go deep in the Western Conference.
Free Agency Recap For The Utah Jazz
Key Acquisitions
About a week before NBA free agency officially began, the Jazz made a big move in acquiring Mike Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies, in exchange for guard Grayson Allen, forward Jae Crowder, guard/forward Kyle Korver and future draft picks.
Conley finished the 2018-2019 season averaging a career-high 21.1 points, along with 6.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds.
On opening night of free agency, the Jazz and Bojan Bogdanovic had agreed on a four-year, $73 million deal. The sharpshooter ranked 12th overall in three-point percentage last season, shooting 41.9 percent from three.
The Jazz also signed key players such as Jeff Green from the Washington Wizards (one-year, $2.5 million), Ed Davis from the Brooklyn Nets (two-year, $10 million) and Emmanuel Mudiay from the New York Knicks.
Mudiay averaged a career-high 14.8 points on 44.6 percent shooting for the Knicks last season and has time to develop well into the Jazz’s playbook. Signing Davis and Green bring security to the Utah Jazz, as both players have a lot of NBA experience and are willing defenders.
Notable Departures
In order to sign some free agents, the Jazz had to get rid of a few contracts. One of those contracts included the contract of Derrick Favors.
The Jazz had the option to either decline their team-option to bring back Favors for another season to stay under the salary cap, or they could either waive or trade Favors.
The Jazz decided to trade Favors to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for two future second-round picks. Favors played nine seasons in Utah, averaging 12.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. The big man is currently ranked fourth all-time for the Jazz in rebounds (4,250), seventh in blocks (772) and 10th in games played (576).
Similarly, in order to acquire Mike Conley, the Jazz had to give up Jae Crowder and Kyle Korver.
Crowder was acquired via trade in 2017-18 and spent two seasons with Utah, averaging 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.
Korver also spent two seasons with the Jazz, averaging 9.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. He currently signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Outlook
The Utah Jazz lineup will most likely be Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert in the frontcourt. The Jazz is now a legitimate threat with a lethal lineup that can cause problems for many teams down the stretch.
Three-point shooting was a major issue for the Jazz following their first-round loss against the Houston Rockets. Having Ingles and Bogdanovic as the main shooters will stretch out the floor for the other players to play in their respective positions. Conley can feed off pick-and-rolls from Mitchell, and Gobert can do his thing in the post. Having a lineup where everyone is in the right position will help them go far in the West, especially against teams like the Rockets or the Los Angeles Clippers. The Jazz has benefited a lot from this offseason, as they now have a complete roster that can be championship contenders.
Main Photo
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