WINNERS: Utah Jazz
It is time for Utah to rise up into the power vacuum. The Jazz wanted to flip their first-round pick in 2015 for a George Hill type with multiple seasons left on his deal, but getting Hill now, in the final season of his contract, is a fine compromise -- especially since Utah still has cap room to offer him a contract extension. He is perfect fit. He can defend opposing point guards, spot up around Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood, run the show when called upon and bridge Utah to the Dante Exum era.
You want a team young, big and confident enough to see Golden State as a proving grounds instead of some invincible boss? This is it. Utah took Golden State to the wire in their first matchup last season, and they have been itching ever since to show their shot-swatting, rebound-munching size can trouble the Warriors. "We almost beat them," Rudy Gobert told me in March. "Just like they made a threat of small ball, we have to make a threat of playing two big men. They have to box me out. They have guard Derrick [Favors] in the post."
Joe Johnson provides a seasoned crunch-time option for a team that quaked in the clutch, and he can swing to power forward in smaller, switchier groups. Boris Diaw can work the post as Trey Lyles insurance. The Jazz can go huge without sacrificing much shooting, and amp up their shooting without sacrificing much size.
This is a versatile, mammoth team that should win 50 games next season. Seriously, predicting 50 wins for the Jazz is not bold. They are that good.
They do have some money drama coming. Hayward is set to be a free agent next summer, and given the thin wing crop, he might be the most sought-after target after Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and other super-duper stars who might become available. The Jazz cannot legally extend him before next July.
They could extend Favors as of October, but he has little incentive to redo his deal now unless he is petrified of a new collective bargaining deal. After this season, he will become eligible for a larger max contract reserved for players with at least seven years in the league. He could play the year out, renegotiate next July up to that higher max, and lock in more years.
Gobert is up for an extension now, and his reps could hold out for something around $20 million per year. Add in Alec Burks, and the Jazz are looking at a $125 million payroll (at least) before second contracts even kick in for Hood, Exum and Lyles. That might prove untenable. (The Blazers are facing a similar dilemma, but we'll have more on them in the near future.)
For now, this team is stacked -- and hungry.
