Like many teams throughout the league, the Utah’s off-season moves were subtle and quiet, but that doesn’t mean Utah isn’t moving in the right direction. Still in the re-tooling mode, have the Jazz done enough to give fans hope? Will this season be another slow burn to something better down the road?
Utah Jazz Off-Season: A Review To Date
Utah’s Off-Season Keeps Fans In Wait Mode
The Utah Jazz opened their off-season with mired speculation week after week surrounding their all-star power forward, Lauri Markkanen. Would they trade him? Or re-sign him? After trade rumors involving the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers, among a few other teams, Markkanen and the Jazz put the rumors to bed with an agreed-upon extension, for the time being, anyway.
Apart from that development, Utah’s off-season hasn’t garnered much attention in a positive light. Many believe that Jazz GM Danny Ainge hasn’t been aggressive enough in improving the team around Markkanen since shipping away former stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. Others insist that the Jazz are still in re-tooling mode and on the right track, but this is the outlook currently being held by Ainge and the Jazz front office. What this means for Markkanen’s future remains to be seen, as the team could still trade him in the future. Regardless, the Jazz see their draft picks as having good potential and exciting new pieces around Markkanen.
Key Player Departures
Most notable was the departure of Kris Dunn, who signed with the LA Clippers this off-season as a free agent. The backup point guard spent one season in Utah and now moves on to his fifth team in eight seasons.
Key Player Acquisitions
Utah’s off-season included only one free agent addition in Drew Eubanks on a two-year deal. The team’s more focused acquisitions came in the draft. The Jazz selected Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Filipowski this summer. Filipowski has signed his rookie contract following an impressive summer league resume and will be on the squad this season. These young draft picks added to Utah’s already young roster consisting of Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, and Taylor Hendricks show that the Jazz are taking the build and development route. Adding free agent Patty Mills last week gave some life to Utah’s three-point shooting. If Utah has Markkanen in their long-term plans, the team may gradually go after some more prominent names next off-season via trade.
Lauri Markkanen’s Future
Markkanen is a great player and has shown he can be a superstar. His only roadblock is that he’s never been on a team with any chance of competing or winning meaningful games. The potential fit alongside Steph Curry in Golden State was an attractive trade rumor. Markkanen would have thrived in that situation, as would a move to the Lakers alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Alas, neither scenario played out. Due to his five-year, $238 million contract negotiation extension, Markkanen is ineligible to be traded this season. That does not rule out any future moves out of Utah for the dynamic power forward and former most-improved NBA player.
Slow Rebuild, Right Track
Since the departures of Gobert and Mitchell, the Jazz have clearly begun a complete overhaul, and Danny Ainge has a respectable track record in building teams and maneuvering pieces. Although the playoffs may not be in Utah’s range this season, perhaps Utah knows what they’re doing, even if it’s the long route.
