It appears to me that the Jazz have six healthy players that are decent. OK we add Rudy and Dante and that leaves us 8. I think he have to face the fact that the other 7 players are basically garbage. I think that Little Sap, Chris Johnson, JIngles, Neto, Withey, Pleis and Lyles are or should be on thin ice. I know that Neto, Pleis JIngles and Lyles all have a form of guarantees but they are not getting it done folks.
I agree to a point. I like to think of the players in tiers. And let me add I don't consider ANYONE untouchable - not even Gobert. Favors and a great stretch-4 could be even better than Favors/Gobert. I'd rank Derrick as our #1 player, then Gobert and Hayward as tied for 2 and 3.
Tier 1 -
Favors, Gobert, Hayward: Would take an unusual trade offer to pry these guys away from Utah. To me - and I know this is controversial - I'd take a good hard look at other options if Hayward wants $28-$30M. He just isn't a #1 option. He rarely takes over games. Yes, he's pretty good on both ends of the court, but not great at anything. Re-signing Favors, IMO, is a bigger priority. As for Rudy, I'm disappointed he didn't improve over who he was last season. That has me worried he's near his ceiling.
Tier 2 -
Burks, Hood. Rodney is struggling right now, but his stroke looks so good. Alec has come back strong from his injury. Should only consider trading in a package if Utah gets an all-star player in return.
Tier 3 -
Burke, Jingles.. Have played well this season. No idea why Jingles hasn't played more; he actually has the best shooting percentage among the wings. Burke needs to be dealt in a package to get a starting PG.
Tier 4 -
Millsap, Johnson, Withey, Pleiss, Neto, Booker. No better than third options at their respective positions. Booker has been a huge disappointment. He shouldn't be re-signed. Neto can't shoot. At best, he should be the 3rd-string PG, not the starter. But Lindsey traded up for him. Dennis is trying to make his choice look good.
Too Early to Tell -
Exum, Lyles. I hated the Lyles pick. Still do. But unfair to judge 1/4 of the way through his rookie season. As for Exum, he hasn't shown he's a legit starter. And he's coming back from a major injury. I hope he becomes a tier #2 player.