What's the point of keeping Lauri anymore?

[Step-Back Lauri]

Danny just tears it down again and Jazz will tank for Coop-stakes in 2025, I assume. When all these kids will be good enough to contend, it's almost 2030s. It would be better for Lauri and Jazz to capitalize in next twelve months.

 

[sip]

Danny just tears it down again and Jazz will tank for Coop-stakes in 2025, I assume. When all these kids will be good enough to contend, it's almost 2030s. It would be better for Lauri and Jazz to capitalize in next twelve months.

So trading a couple pending free agents means we are tearing it down? Olynyk and Simone were not going to help us turn into a contender. What could get closer is hitting on Hendricks and Sensabaugh plus adding another quality guy with our top 10 pick. Then at the same time take the 25 million that it would have cost to bring back Olynyk and Simone and put it to use.

 

[Hearsky]

Because those golden curls are absolutely adorable.

 

[HermanG]

Not a tear down.

Point of these trades is to make sure Lauri gets paid and also to have flexibility to operate around that extension in the offseason. Also to make big splashes, you need draft capital. Its also damage control for the Collins contract, which he may some day live up to but taking which probably was a mistake by the FO.

Also we want to play the rookies, who have the potential to raise this teams ceiling.

Its not like we decided to not trade for some super duper guy who someone else snatched here. This was just about one of the worst deadlines ever for big transactions. We gave away players for picks because we couldnt take salary back due to reasons pointed above. You dont just buy random player to buy players. We tried to get a few guys we liked in the offseason, but that was not yet the time to pay premium prices.

 

[fishonjazz]

Because teams like keeping all star level players around.

 

[Step-Back Lauri]

So trading a couple pending free agents means we are tearing it down? Olynyk and Simone were not going to help us turn into a contender. What could get closer is hitting on Hendricks and Sensabaugh plus adding another quality guy with our top 10 pick. Then at the same time take the 25 million that it would have cost to bring back Olynyk and Simone and put it to use.

We just won OKC. We also won Bucks twice. We were on the way for historic upset. But lizard-people are controlling Danny. It's kinda sad.

 

[HermanG]

We just won OKC. We also won Bucks twice. We were on the way for historic upset. But lizard-people are controlling Danny. It's kinda sad.

We beat the Nuggets twice last regular season. Doesnt mean we were contenders for the championship.

 

[sip]

We just won OKC. We also won Bucks twice. We were on the way for historic upset. But lizard-people are controlling Danny. It's kinda sad.

You have to be kidding me. There was no evidence suggesting we were on our way to a historic upset. Yes we beat some good teams but also lost to bad teams. We beat the bucks twice but the first time was without Lillard and the second time they ran out of gas in the 4th quarter on the second night of a back to back on a long road trip. Anyone that makes decisions based on a few wins or losses is asking for trouble. The big picture is what matters and keeping Olynyk and Simone doesn't get us any closer to being a contender. Adding a top 10 pick and Hendricks and Sensabaugh breaking out could get us closer. It really is that simple.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Because teams like keeping all star level players around.

Not if they're so valuable that they could be used to acquire a bunch of expensive assets that fit the contending timeline of the team much better. The coming 3-4 years will be pretty rough and it really makes no sense to waste the entirety of Lauri's prime over a stretch like that.

Lauri will renegotiate and extend but it remains to be seen if he's gonna be around much longer after that.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

We are kicking the can down the road until our young players get good or we trade for another star or we hit big on a pick.

We have the ability to retain Lauri this summer or if it goes horribly OKC can trade for him this summer and do the re-negotiate and extend. Even on his extension he will have tremendous trade value... so we kick the can down the road. This year its fine... next year its a problem.... then we get into panic mode.

This is part of the challenge building from the middle.

I think I see the outlines of a general plan forming but if it doesn't go well it may be time to send Lauri out and go full process.

 

[Tanktastic]

Also to make big splashes, you need draft capital.

You really, really think that the Jazz didn't have enough capital to make big splashes?

Also we want to play the rookies, who have the potential to raise this teams ceiling.

Not this team's. Maybe some other team in 2027, but playing rookies definitely lowers this team's ceiling.

You dont just buy random player to buy players.

Random players like Olynyk, Fontecchio, Ocahi, Collins, THT, Beasley and Vando?

I would say, based on two years of evidence, that buying random players is the exact MO of this FO.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

I think I see the outlines of a general plan forming but if it doesn't go well it may be time to send Lauri out and go full process.

As Andy Larsen pointed out, Lauri has been the 13th best player in the NBA this season. It's completely unheard of for a rebuilding team to stumble on a 25/26 year old guy this good/valuable and not try to either turn him into assets even more suitable for its overall timeline OR, much more likely, start building around him ASAP.

We may still see the former option come to pass after Lauri signs his renegotiated extension, but the latter is definitely not happening.

It just feels like the fanbase sees Lauri as part of the scenery and doesn't fully realize that the likelihood of the Jazz drafting/acquiring a player as good as him within the next decade is almost zero.