NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Utah Jazz
After making the second round of the playoffs in what figured to be a rebuilding year, how should the Utah Jazz approach the 2018 offseason?
When the dust settled on Gordon Hayward’s free agency last summer and he chose to join the Celtics, we figured the Jazz would hit a rough patch for a season or two. Although Rudy Gobert’s contract extension was kicking in and the pieces were there to sustain the stifling Jazz defense, Hayward was the offensive engine of this team. Perhaps Utah could battle on the fringes of the playoff race in the West, but with little offensive creation they couldn’t possibly make any noise. And yet, a year later, the Jazz are in better position than anyone could’ve possibly imagined.
Selecting Donovan Mitchell with the 12th pick in the 2017 Draft changed the course of this franchise moving forward. The Jazz snagged the fifth seed in the West, dispatched the embattled Oklahoma City Thunder and took a game from the juggernaut Houston Rockets. With a legit cornerstone to build around and one of the most favorable cap situations in the entire league, the horizon feels so much brighter for the Jazz than it did a year ago.
Utah can move in a number of different directions this summer. They can operate as an over the cap team if they desire, running back the current roster and adding a piece or two with their mid-level exception. Or they can renounce some players and free up cap room. The Jazz could get into the ballpark of $15 million in space fairly easily. Utah could also clear more than $20 million, but they would essentially have to renounce every free agent and non-guaranteed contract on their books.
In any event, Utah can have a relative advantage in the free agent market if it so desires. With the cap crunch impacting much of the league, the Jazz could theoretically strike this summer. But even if they free up enough cap space to bring in a game changer, most of the guys who fit their needs are restricted free agents, so they will be difficult to pry from their incumbent teams.
Despite all that flexibility, the decisions the Jazz have in front of them aren’t easy. The summer of 2019 has to factor into their current plans as well. After next season, only Gobert, Mitchell, Jae Crowder and Joe Ingles are set to be on the books. That means the Jazz could have about $50 million in free cap space to work with in 2019. Bringing in guys on long term deals this summer will eat into that space. But at the same time, the Jazz doesn’t exactly have a tradition of luring big time free agents to Salt Lake City; they could easily get stuck waiting for Godot.
Perhaps the most reasonable option is to reassemble the 2018 crew and give it another go while maintaining max space for the summer of 2019. A similar plan would be to free up cap room and hunt for short-term, value contracts. Although the path they are setting out on is full of uncertainty, the Jazz have good reason to remain hopeful. They have a bevy of options and can pivot quickly if their initial plans go awry. In any case, here are the top guys they should consider acquiring as they head into the offseason.