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NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason targets for the Utah Jazz

By Akash Anavarathan

Mar 31, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (left) and center Rudy Gobert (27) wait to enter the game during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 95-88. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (left) and center Rudy Gobert (27) wait to enter the game during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 95-88. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Utah Jazz reached new heights this season and have big expectations for 2017-18. Here are five targets in NBA free agency for the Jazz.

The Utah Jazz are at a crossroads. Salt Lake City has never been a free-agent destination and the Jazz have had difficulty retaining their stars in the recent past from Deron Williams to Carlos Boozer.

The Jazz finally made the playoffs after five years of regular season exits. They battled past the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games and got blasted in four games by the Warriors in the second round. Head coach Quin Snyder should be proud of the progress that the franchise had made, but it could be all for naught pretty soon.

The Jazz will have free agents in key positions, from their superstar Gordon Hayward to starting point guard George Hill. Key contributors, Shelvin Mack and Joe Ingles, are also set to hit the open market. If the Jazz aren’t able to keep or replace them, they could be back to competing for lottery balls in May.

Utah was a defensive-minded team under Snyder this past season, finishing first in the NBA for opponents’ points per game and third for defensive rating. A large part of that was the 7-foot-3 eraser that is Rudy Gobert. But Joe Ingles and Gordon Hayward were key pieces on the wing for Snyder’s defensive game plan.

A lot of Utah’s offense ran through Hayward, who averaged 21.9 points to go along with 3.5 assists per game. George Hill was the second-highest scorer at 16.9 points per game. That’s nearly 38 points every night that could walk out of the building via free agency.

GM Dennis Lindsey has some important offseason moves to make to revamp this roster and put them back in contention. Here are five targets that Lindsey should consider in free agency.

5. Chris Paul, PG, Los Angeles Clippers

Now, now Jazz fans hear me out. I know your team beat Paul and the Clippers in seven games this season and sent him packing. Reports are saying that Houston and San Antonio are serious threats to Los Angeles for the services of CP3.

Here’s why Paul to Utah makes sense from a basketball standpoint. George Hill is set to be a free agent and the Jazz are looking for a pass-first point guard in the free-agent market. Assuming they’re able to keep Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert long-term, Paul would have the best supporting cast in his career.

The Jazz would have a potential Hall-of-Fame point guard in Chris Paul. John Stockton, anyone? Yeah, we could reincarnate that era of Jazz basketball under CP3. This would be two-pronged, as it would strength the Jazz and weaken a Western Conference foe in the Clippers.

This past season, Paul averaged 18.1 points and 9.2 assists per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range. CP3 is still a menace on the defensive end — even at 31 years old. He’d easily be a huge upgrade over Hill and be a strong factor for convincing Hayward to stay.

It will likely take a max contract to pull Paul away from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, but schematically it makes a whole lot of sense for the Jazz front office. Would CP3 actually consider the Jazz? Doubtful, but it’s a call that Lindsey has to make and a player that he has to make a strong pitch to.

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