The Utah Jazz ended up standing pat at the trade deadline, moving forward this season with the roster they’ve rolled with for most of the season.
Here are a few scattered thoughts:
- There were players available at this trade deadline that would have made the Jazz a better team. Namely, Mike Conley, Nikola Mirotic, and Otto Porter. Of the three, only Conley didn’t get traded at the deadline, and I didn’t think either Mirotic (Stanley Johnson, Jason Smith, 4 second round picks) or Porter (Bobby Portis, Jabari Parker) fetched an enormous payout.
- I believe the Jazz were all in on Conley, and saw him as a unique fit on the floor, and contractually to help the team, and likely devoted the majority of their attention in his direction.
- The Jazz are currently the 7th seed, and are on pace to finish with a record of 46 – 36 with their current win percentage. The Jazz finished with 48 wins last season. The Jazz still have one of the easiest schedules remaining this season, so surpassing last year’s record is very possible.
- I think it will be harder to get out of the first round this season than it was in each of the last two years in the West.
- The questions the Jazz needed answered on July 1, 2018 (a big man that can spread the floor, and a wing scorer next to Donovan Mitchell) will likely be identical to the needs the team will have to address on July 1, 2019, barring a trade during the draft.
- The reported final offer for Mike Conley was Ricky Rubio, Derrick Favors, a 2019 first round pick, and second round pick.
- The Jazz were apparently unwilling to include Dante Exum in a trade for Conley.
- The Jazz still own a first round pick in the 2019 NBA draft.
- The 2019 NBA draft isn’t very deep.
- The last time we talked about a draft this bad, Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted 15th, and Rudy Gobert was drafted 27th.
- The Jazz can have $30 million this offseason if they choose to waive Favors option this summer, and renounce the rights to Rubio.
- The Jazz lost a trade asset in Rubio’s $15 million expiring contract.
- Favors $16.9 million becomes fully guaranteed on July 6th, meaning the Jazz have almost a full week after free agency opens to trade Favors for a similar contract.
- Exum hasn’t fully proven that he’s a difference making NBA player, I am not sure I share the Jazz infatuation with him.
- I wouldn’t rule out the Jazz getting involved in a Conley deal again this summer, but this time they’ll be without Rubio’s expiring contract.
- A Favors and Exum trade works straight up for Conley, and would save the Grizzlies around $25 million next year if they waived Favors.
- Rubio ($15M), Thabo Sefolosha ($5.2M), Ekpe Udoh ($3.3M) all will see their contracts expire this summer with no compensation for the Jazz.
- The Jazz have team options on Favors ($16.9M), Kyle Korver ($7.5M) Raul Neto ($2.1M), Georges Niang ($1.6M), Royce O’Neale ($1.6M) are team options next year.
- No team in the West got significantly better for the final 30 games of the season.
