Regardless of the chatter out in the media about Rudy and/or Donovan being unhappy with the current situation, the Jazz may decide that neither Rudy nor Donovan give the Jazz a franchise cornerstone player to build around. Rudy is a primarily defensive player who is getting older. He can be a complementary player on a championship-level team, but he is ultimately too limited offensively to anchor a championship contender. Meanwhile, league history has demonstrated time and again that dominant scoring guards alone do not normally lead their teams to championships, even if those guards are playing at an MVP level--e.g., Westbrook, Harden, Iverson, Rose, Lillard, etc. The one exception to this might be Steph Curry, but he's probably the best shooter ever, and he had a nice complement of players around him during the Warriors' dynasty years.
To win at the highest level, a team really needs to have three All Star-level players, as well as a well-rounded supporting cast. Normally, one of those star players also needs to be a top-5 MVP candidate. The Jazz aren't there, obviously, and unless they can make some uncanny moves this offseason, they aren't going to be on track to get there whether they keep their current stars or not. If the Jazz were willing to clean house and trade virtually everyone, from Conley and Bojan to Rudy and Donvan, they might come away with enough of a war chest of assets to go after an MVP-level talent. Yes, this would be a hard reset. It would be equivalent to what the Thunder did when they traded both Westbrook and Paul George in the same offseason. The Jazz would need to be willing to drop in the standings for a season or two. However, if they come away with top-of-the-lottery talent, it could be worth it.
There is one other possibility that might help the Jazz, and that would be to offload enough salary in order to clear cap space to sign a significant free agent. In this scenario, the Jazz would be imitating the Warriors when they dumped contracts on the Jazz to sign Andre Iguodala in free agency. The Warriors attached a FRP to offload Andres Biedrins, Richard Jefferson and Brandon Rush. In return, the Warriors were able to upgrade a team in the middle of the Western Conference playoff rankings into a real contender.
If the Jazz can attract a top free agent to play next to Gobert and Mitchell, say Zach Lavine, then maybe the Jazz can elevate this current roster. A core of Mitchell, Lavine, Gobert might be enough of an upgrade to move towards the WCF or even the Finals. Jazz would effectively be punting on Conley, Bogdanovic, Gay and/or Clarkson, and they'd have a young or thin roster around their three main players.
To win at the highest level, a team really needs to have three All Star-level players, as well as a well-rounded supporting cast. Normally, one of those star players also needs to be a top-5 MVP candidate. The Jazz aren't there, obviously, and unless they can make some uncanny moves this offseason, they aren't going to be on track to get there whether they keep their current stars or not. If the Jazz were willing to clean house and trade virtually everyone, from Conley and Bojan to Rudy and Donvan, they might come away with enough of a war chest of assets to go after an MVP-level talent. Yes, this would be a hard reset. It would be equivalent to what the Thunder did when they traded both Westbrook and Paul George in the same offseason. The Jazz would need to be willing to drop in the standings for a season or two. However, if they come away with top-of-the-lottery talent, it could be worth it.
There is one other possibility that might help the Jazz, and that would be to offload enough salary in order to clear cap space to sign a significant free agent. In this scenario, the Jazz would be imitating the Warriors when they dumped contracts on the Jazz to sign Andre Iguodala in free agency. The Warriors attached a FRP to offload Andres Biedrins, Richard Jefferson and Brandon Rush. In return, the Warriors were able to upgrade a team in the middle of the Western Conference playoff rankings into a real contender.
If the Jazz can attract a top free agent to play next to Gobert and Mitchell, say Zach Lavine, then maybe the Jazz can elevate this current roster. A core of Mitchell, Lavine, Gobert might be enough of an upgrade to move towards the WCF or even the Finals. Jazz would effectively be punting on Conley, Bogdanovic, Gay and/or Clarkson, and they'd have a young or thin roster around their three main players.
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