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Jazz Offseason Plan

Avery

Well-Known Member
Regardless of what happens from here, it’s clear that we struggle with different looks. We can’t play effective smallball and the Clips have shown different looks with personnel that we just don’t have.

Knowing that improvement can be made, what’s your offseason look like for predictions and/or what would you do?

For me, I will say the following roster changes:

Not retained:

Conley - I won’t pay him what he can get elsewhere. Simply too much time on the trainers table. If he’s willing to play for cheap, happy to bring him back

Niang - Awful in the playoffs and we need more bench scoring options

Morgan - Just a guy

Ilyasova - Can’t get any minutes. Quin is an idiot for not giving him some PT

Brantley - How long can we wait?

I’ll stop there and look forward to your thoughts.
 
- I would fire the entire FO. Not kidding
- I would re-sign Conley if it can be done affordably and is part of new leaderships’ vision. If not, peace dog.
- I would field trade offers for anyone not named Donovan Mitchell.
- My goal would be to try to re-tool around Donovan’s timeline. If not this year, we are never winning a title with this aging core. DL will sunk cost fallacy this, which is why he needs to be fired. I would prioritize trying to get assets from contenders for our aging guys like Ingles and Bogey that could help a contender.
- We are reaching “failed build” stage and are too old and asset poor right now for a team that isn’t talented enough to win a championship. We won’t be able to change that in a single offseason, but we need to start moving in that direction or the re-tooling becomes a complete rebuild when everyone but Donovan ages out and Donovan joins the Knicks or something.

As a small market team, you have to do things perfectly from management down because the NBA is a league where every franchise not in a coastal city is playing with one hand tied behind its back.
 
I do my damn best to trade Rudy for Jaylen Brown. I don't care if we include picks, take Kemba's big deal back, etc. Don and Jaylen are a championship foundation.

Realistically, I trade Rudy to Indiana for Sabonis. Let Indiana sort out trading Turner elsewhere for value since Turner and Rudy don't work together. Sabonis is a great modern day center for our system and playoff basketball. Rudy fits their needs considering their personnel.

I don't want to trade Rudy, but it's just time. I don't think Don and Rudy are on the same page. Time to build around Don.


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I do my damn best to trade Rudy for Jaylen Brown. I don't care if we include picks, take Kemba's big deal back, etc. Don and Jaylen are a championship foundation.

Realistically, I trade Rudy to Indiana for Sabonis. Let Indiana sort out trading Turner elsewhere for value since Turner and Rudy don't work together. Sabonis is a great modern day center for our system and playoff basketball. Rudy fits their needs considering their personnel.

I don't want to trade Rudy, but it's just time. I don't think Don and Rudy are on the same page. Time to build around Don.


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Rudy for Sabonis? Straight up? Not even in 2k I see lopsided trades like that

Unfortunately I don't see many trade assets on the team. The bests would be JC and Bogie. Moves are probably around the edges.

To answer Avery, I don't think we bring back Brantley, Morgan, Ersan. Niang? only if we comes cheap. It really sucks Favors has 2 more years left on his contract (and a player option on the last year)
 
Rudy for Sabonis? Straight up? Not even in 2k I see lopsided trades like that

Unfortunately I don't see many trade assets on the team. The bests would be JC and Bogie. Moves are probably around the edges.

To answer Avery, I don't think we bring back Brantley, Morgan, Ersan. Niang? only if we comes cheap. It really sucks Favors has 2 more years left on his contract (and a player option on the last year)
I don't think Sabonis would be straight up. It can't due to finances. They would have to add Brogdon or Lamb. If it's Brogdon and Lamb for Rudy and #30....

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Rudy for Sabonis? Straight up? Not even in 2k I see lopsided trades like that

Unfortunately I don't see many trade assets on the team. The bests would be JC and Bogie. Moves are probably around the edges.

To answer Avery, I don't think we bring back Brantley, Morgan, Ersan. Niang? only if we comes cheap. It really sucks Favors has 2 more years left on his contract (and a player option on the last year)
That favors contract is horrendous my goodness.
 
As a small market team, you have to do things perfectly from management down because the NBA is a league where every franchise not in a coastal city is playing with one hand tied behind its back.
Bingo. Not saying you have to go full moneyball but you have to be smarter than the rest of the teams. Problem is is that this FO is too loyal to certain players instead of doing what's necessary and getting rid of dead weight. This roster is built to be a excellent team over a full season but once playoffs come around and rotations need to be tightened up it starts to show its cracks.

This team needs to become longer and more athletic to supplement the shooting. Clippers have abused the lack of athleticism on both ends of the court. You take away the three ball and the Jazz just don't have enough outside of Donovan to create offense. On defense players are getting blown by and just expecting Gobert to clean up their mistakes.

I don't see the Jazz trading either of Gobert or Don unless either of them requested a trade. That's just not their M.O. They won't move on from Ingles as he's seen as a cult favorite. And I highly doubt they'd move either Bogey or Clarkson unless the return was substantial. With Don and Gobert's extensions kicking in next season I just don't think they have the flexibility to make and sort of major moves.

Bring back Conley as long as the price is right if not I'd do everything in my power to get Dame. That would be option 1 for me, pay whatever it takes outside of Don & Rudy. Option 2 would be slide Don to the 1 and go out and get the best possible wing.
Regardless of who you bring back/get you need to go out and get a true back up PG that can be relied upon.

Outside of that try and improve on the bench players.
JC is JC. 6 MOTY for a reason. Ideal to have someone like this off the bench would prefer to have someone else on floor being primary ball handler though. Hurts having Ingles in starting rotation. That's where having a reliable back up PG helps.

Niang isn't a player you should be playing in the playoffs. Spot up shooter at best. Liability on defense. Could maybe be used as a stretch 5 for a few minutes but with what you're paying Gobert/Favors I don't see that one ever happening.

Matt Thomas was a waste of a 2rp unless the plan is for him to magically become as good as JC and use JC as a trade asset.

Ilyasova is basically a taller Niang.

Brantley, Forrest, Morgan & Oni aren't ready to be full time contributors. Who knows if they ever will be. Oni the most likely to stick but even then.

Too early to rule out Azubuike & Hughes for the future.
 
I just want DL’s head to roll, and then I want the new GM to pursue his or her vision. I have no confidence in DL ever getting things right enough for us to win a championship.

I hope we start the process towards getting younger and acquiring more assets that are more on Don’s timeline. I think we need to trade Joe or Bojan. I really do.

I also am starting to worry we’re about to start “unsalvageable” part 2 between Don and Rudy when the offseason begins, and who knows where that is going to go.

We didn’t perform well enough in the playoffs for the salary cap hell headed our way. It’s terrible.
 
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Everyone that plays less than Niang can go or stay, it doesn’t matter. I’d keep Morgan but only if Quin plays him. Replacing some of the myriad young projects with solid vets would help. Niang has to go, if only to prevent Quin from playing him.

This team has needed some size, muscle, rebounding, and defense, (especially up front) for the longest time. This is a *small* team. Fragile, too. Coincidentally, a Marcus Morris type would be great. This team isn’t going anywhere with 6’4” Royce as the starting PF (who is also the only good perimeter defender.)

Im not on the trade Rudy train. If he didn’t have to do 80% of the lifting on defense and rebounding, he’d be just fine.

Really, they need a clear cut #3 guy. It’s why they traded for Conley, and why they signed Bogie, but neither will cut it. Bogie is too one dimensional, Conley is unreliable and aging. It’s why they were hoping to get Tobias Harris-he’d have been perfect.

Anyone that isn’t Don, Rudy, JC, or Ingles (only for leadership and low trade value) can go. Conley should only come back for a substantial discount-sign someone less talented but not consistently hurt if need be. I’d try to combine Bogie, Royce, Niang, and/or some other stuff for the #3 player I mentioned. Ingles too if for some reason the other team would want him. Sign the PF if that’s not the upgrade, and either way, find another 3/D wing that can do more than just lead their assignment to Rudy. Really, a second Royce. Even a guy that just comes off the bench, a body you can throw at their best wing or scorer. It would’ve been nice to have someone to slow down Reggie Jackson with.

I haven’t thought of trades in a while so I’d have to think a minute for some names, I don’t even know who’s available.
 
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I still think the one wild card above any single player is Ryan Smith. What type of owner is he going to be? Is he going to be the type that goes out and make the necessary changes within the organization that probably need to happen or is he just going to sit back and tell the current FO not to go too overboard so he can rake in as much cash as possible.
 
Will someone verify I have this correct? All the Jazz have available this offseason for free agent contracts will be the partial MLE of $6mm up to 3 years (for being in the luxury tax) and then veteran minimum deals, correct? I just want to verify they do get the MLE each year.

Side note. Giving the full MLE to Favors last year was just brutal. Backup Centers in the NBA are a dime a dozen. Ol' DL used the valuable resources the Jazz had last offseason (the full MLE & the draft pick) on backup Centers. Yowza.
 
Will someone verify I have this correct? All the Jazz have available this offseason for free agent contracts will be the partial MLE of $6mm up to 3 years (for being in the luxury tax) and then veteran minimum deals, correct? I just want to verify they do get the MLE each year.

Side note. Giving the full MLE to Favors last year was just brutal. Backup Centers in the NBA are a dime a dozen. Ol' DL used the valuable resources the Jazz had last offseason (the full MLE & the draft pick) on backup Centers. Yowza.
Every transaction the team has made from the last offseason until now has been GM malpractice.

My hope for a bright Jazz future will be basically gone if DL and co aren’t shown the door. We need a new vision.
 
Will someone verify I have this correct? All the Jazz have available this offseason for free agent contracts will be the partial MLE of $6mm up to 3 years (for being in the luxury tax) and then veteran minimum deals, correct? I just want to verify they do get the MLE each year.

Side note. Giving the full MLE to Favors last year was just brutal. Backup Centers in the NBA are a dime a dozen. Ol' DL used the valuable resources the Jazz had last offseason (the full MLE & the draft pick) on backup Centers. Yowza.
You forgot the seconds he used to clear salary of some ****** backups centers he drafted and signed in previous years.

Yes taxpayer MLE is all we have but... if we bring back Mike we are deep in the tax... deep deep deep in the tax. So I doubt we use it unless someone crazy good decides to take that money... it would only happen to a glamour market.
 
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