Do you want our pick to convey this year?

[hgb]

Also its worthwhile to note the change of tone in the FO communications:

• In last years post trade DL interviews DA, Zanik and Smith all emphasized on how we have assets, cap space and tradable conrtracts to make a big splash trade
• This years Zanik press conference he emphasized on "looking into and prioritizing the future" and "building a championship caliber team that is gonna be good for a long time"

Not that those were the only things said, but I definitely feel like they were the key points they wanted to emphasize and the tone has shifted.

I get the KO trade in this scenario, he's not getting younger, and his defensive weaknesses (while I agree he probably still is on the whole a plus defender, at least on this team) will not get less exploited. I don't get the Simone trade, though.

 

[HermanG]

I get the KO trade in this scenario, he's not getting younger, and his defensive weaknesses (while I agree he probably still is on the whole a plus defender, at least on this team) will not get less exploited. I don't get the Simone trade, though.

What if the future is 4+ years from instead of 2? Would the Simone trade make more sense then (get Procida + another rookie in 2024)?

 

[hgb]

What if the future is 4+ years from instead of 2? Would the Simone trade make more sense then (get Procida + another rookie in 2024)?

Well, maybe more, but if that's what they're selling, I'm not buying. 4+ years is an eternity.

 

[HermanG]

Well, maybe more, but if that's what they're selling, I'm not buying. 4+ years is an eternity.

If they punt on building with/around Lauri then the remaining core will be Keyonte and Kessler + some faint hopes on Hendricks and Brice. So its definitely 4+ years.

+ 2-3 rookies from 2024 class
+ 3 rookies from 2025 class (including almost guaranteed top 5 pick if they sell Lauri, Sexton and other winning pieces)

Then you would have 9 1st to 3rd year players on rookie deals when Kessler hits the end of his, and you would also have plenty of future incoming picks (especially since you probably add a bunch more by trading out Lauri and Sexton).

 

[hgb]

If they punt on building with/around Lauri then the remaining core will be Keyonte and Kessler + some faint hopes on Hendricks and Brice. So its definitely 4+ years.

+ 2-3 rookies from 2024 class
+ 3 rookies from 2025 class (including almost guaranteed top 5 pick if they sell Lauri, Sexton and other winning pieces)

Then you would have 9 1st to 3rd year players on rookie deals when Kessler hits the end of his, and you would also have plenty of future incoming picks (especially since you probably add a bunch more by trading out Lauri and Sexton).

Yeah, if they trade Lauri we're talking any number of years. I'd hate that with a passion.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

The more I think about the trades the more I feel like the FO revealed their hand.

Few points as to why:

• We sold to the bottom-feeders instead of the contenders in a trade market that was starving for quality upgrades. There was much more to squeeze from the contending teams, like we saw the Hornets do.
• Instead of wanting young players back who could be closer to being useful for the "Lauri timeline", we took picks.
• Instead of going after liquid future assets that we can save until next years in-season market, we took two picks that are already known to land in the 25-35 range in this next draft and that have to be used now one way or another
• We traded away a 27yo and 23yo who were good fits with us and in Lauri's timeline
• We wanted to trade out KO (who wanted to stay) to give minutes to Hendricks, and its definitely not because "he was ready"

Also if you think about what we will do with those draft picks that are known to land in the 25-35 range in this draft. To say "we want to trade them" means we need to be pretty damn sure that some team is gonna enter a full rebuild who values current picks enough to give something tangible back for picks that we cannot hold for later and have no speculative value, but instead are known to be at 25-35 range. Or then we push one pick marginally up to "get our guy" in this draft, but that doesnt make much sense as this draft is very risky on the top.

So either we are going to get that big upgrade next offseason, or we are punting on this attempt for a quick rebuild and are going to enter a much deeper tank with 3 rookies, 3 sophomores and 3 more picks in the 2025 coming up. Latter also makes sense, as West right now is at all time competitive level and if we sit back for 2-3 more years, some of those teams will die due to cap/tax/lack of assets/being too old.

Its a good time to be a seller. And DA is nothing if not a value guy.... so will he line up with the other buyers or will he continue selling?

Yeah... Lauri better start thinking about putting his house on the market because he's not finishing next season in Utah.

He simply doesn't fit this timeline.

 

[Tanktastic]

Prolly way too stong of language in my take but its more like lashing out and saying your leftover co-workers suck after a big round of layoffs. I get that they are mad about the layoff but you are taking it out on the wrong dudes.

I'm fine with them being disappointed about managements decision. I don't care for the pissing about who is left or who you have to play with. Its a bad look.

Andy said the locker room is as frustrated as any he has ever seen. I get you had a couple dudes get traded and wanted to make the play in... but the missing players weren't the biggest issue last night. The ****** attitude and selfishness was.

Weird comment seeing that not a single player on the team has said anything negative about any teammate. You make it sound as if the whole team has been going out saying that these guys are ****. There hasn't been any lashing out, no taking anything out on rookies, pissing about them. Just a complete strawman.

And for two years we've heard about "building the culture". And Hardy, his staff and leaders on the team have worked really, really hard on it. "The culture" supposedly is team basketball, passing the ball, getting everyone involved, unselfishness etc. I would say, considering the results, they've done a pretty good job at that.

Now top management has, again, made a complete turnaround. They've shown and demanded that the culture now is "Individual development". What top management wants to see and the team to do is develop individuals. At the same time they've also made it clear that their vision of the future Jazz team includes for sure only one player from the current team and a max. of four.

If the new culture is individual development and most of the crew isn't seen as part of the future, then why would anyone expect the players to be anything else but selfish?

For their own sake, and their own future contracts, it's key for players to behave professionally, after all.

And they have absolutely behaved professionally. Or are you saying they should've been all happy beaming smiles in the locker room?

For their own future contracts it's key to get mine, look out for #1 and be sure to put up the best possible individual stats. So, why on earth might they play that way...

 

[Step-Back Lauri]

Jazz Front Office Throwing in the Towel is Bad for Business

The Utah Jazz front office should be embarrassed for throwing in the towel for the 2023-24 season.

www.si.com

Otherwise a correct take, but the writer is a tad too sure, that these moves won't make team better at some point. Nevertheless, firmly in the play-in camp myself, and without being buyers next summer, praying for OKC to buy Lauri. Deep rebuild won't make sense for the Jazz and him to be a long term alliance.

 

[hgb]

Yeah... Lauri better start thinking about putting his house on the market because he's not finishing next season in Utah.

He simply doesn't fit this timeline.

There's definitely a not insignificant chance of that happening, but it's IMO waaay too early to say that as a foregone conclusion. I don't think KO was a massive plan of The Future anyway, and they obviously didn't believe Ochai would pan out. I really hate the Simone trade, but while I like him a lot as a player, I don't see him as that important a piece, after all.

 

[HermanG]

There's definitely a not insignificant chance of that happening, but it's IMO waaay too early to say that as a foregone conclusion. I don't think KO was a massive plan of The Future anyway, and they obviously didn't believe Ochai would pan out. I really hate the Simone trade, but while I like him a lot as a player, I don't see him as that important a piece, after all.

Do those two picks move the needle for future championship run though? Is there an argument to be made that making the playoffs would have moved it more? I would argue that for the Simone trade, seeing and being able to match his offer sheet is valuable in itself and if no one goes crazy and you get him on a team friendly deal.... that moves the needle way more than the trade return.

Or was it about retaining this years pick? Did they somehow calculate that we would turn into a .333 team due to those trades? Possibly, but its damn risky keeping Dunn, Sexton and JC in that case, and immediately telling to the media that they wont intervene for the rest of the year (Tony Jones at least said so with conviction).

Plus they didnt make one such trade where they gave away a younger guy who was playing NBA rotation minutes for some late draft prayer pick. They made two such trades.

 

[HermanG]

There's definitely a not insignificant chance of that happening, but it's IMO waaay too early to say that as a foregone conclusion. I don't think KO was a massive plan of The Future anyway, and they obviously didn't believe Ochai would pan out. I really hate the Simone trade, but while I like him a lot as a player, I don't see him as that important a piece, after all.

Also Zanik said after the trades that they "dont care if the pick converts or not" which is the same song the beat writers have been singing to us all year long.

Well how can you not care about a top 10 pick but then care about two picks in the 25-35 range in the same draft enough to give up on making a playoff push, punt on Ochai and give up Simones RFA rights?

 

[Tremendous Upside]

There's definitely a not insignificant chance of that happening, but it's IMO waaay too early to say that as a foregone conclusion. I don't think KO was a massive plan of The Future anyway

Even if they don't, the FO must be aware of the fact that Lauri is now at the stage in his career where you really have to start extracting substantial value from him in some way as he gets closer to 30 – either via trade or trying to win with him.

Just keeping him on the roster with a bunch of kids while paying him the max would be the definition of insanity. I don't think the FO is gonna do that.

IMO Lauri is getting flipped. It's the only logical path with the way things are going.