karl malone
Well-Known Member
Due to the emergence of Gobert, along with Hayward & Favors establishing themselves as legitimate 1st rate starters, it appears that the core of this team is ready to win now (with the right supporting cast surrounding it) & even potentially compete for a playoff spot as soon as next year. It seems as though the rebuild has progressed quicker than DL or KOC anticipated &, given Utah's obvious desire to return to it's winning ways, I believe that this FO will look to position the team to compete next year (without compromising it's future). I also believe that how they do that will be dictated by who they are able to acquire in the upcoming draft.
Recent statements (& transactions) by DL provide some insight on the current mindset of the FO.
First, let's look at the recent trade:
Now, while we were unable to recoup full value when we dealt our disgruntled big man to OKC, we were able to maintain ( & create even more) flexibility moving forward, which DL stated was a crucial element of this trade.
Of the other recent statements that were made, there were 2 that seemed to reveal the direction that this franchise is currently headed:
1. That they intend to use the cap space that was acquired in the recent trade- which translates to: we will be looking to add players that can help us win now & in the future.
2. Dante Exum is a placeholder- which translates to: we will be looking to win next year & (while he is still in our long-term plans) he is not yet ready to contribute now or this upcoming season.
All of this leads me to believe that we will be looking to draft someone who can start next year as well as fit alongside Exum, Hayward, Favors, & Gobert in the future. Due to this, I see us going in 1 of 2 directions this off-season:
1. Draft (1 of) Russell/Mudiay (& start them at PG) & sign a starting SG who can eventually become the backup SF off the bench once Exum is ready to start. This scenario would likely involve trading multiple assets in order to move up in the draft.
2. Draft (1 of) Johnson/Hezonja (& start them at the other wing position alongside Hayward) & sign a starting PG who can mentor Exum until he is ready to takeover. I think part of the Kanter trade was to position ourselves to have an opportunity to get 1 of these guys without having to give up multiple assets in order to do so.
Option 1 would obviously be preferable due to the star-potential of those 1st 2 guys & the better FA options at SG/SF than PG, but may not be possible depending on how the draft order eventually shakes out.
As of now, my (somewhat realistic) preference would be something along the lines of:
PG Russell/Exum
SG D.Green (or another reasonably priced SG who has the size to play some SF, can hit open 3's, & play solid defense)/Burks
SF Hayward/Hood
PF Favors/Booker
C Gobert/Tomic or Pleiss
Trade our 1st, GSW 1st, OKC 1st, & Burke (plus Booker/Hood/future 1sts-if necessary) to move up for Russell.
I don't know how realistic this is & believe that DL prioritized flexibility so that they do not have to force their hand one way or the other & can allow how the draft (as well as the trade/FA market) plays out to dictate what they do. There is also the possibility that a big (such as Towns, although unlikely) slips or that we value someone such as WCS/M.Turner/Porzingis at our draft spot enough that giving up future assets in order to obtain 1 of the aforementioned players is not worth it. In that case, we could sign a placeholder PG (until our current placeholder PG is no longer a placeholder) & start Burks instead of using him as our 6th man.
Either way, we have plenty of flexibility & options moving forward, & with the right moves, could become a fixture in the playoffs for the foreseeable future as soon as next year, although that's always easier said than done for small-market teams such as this one. Here's hoping that flexibility eventually pays off.
Recent statements (& transactions) by DL provide some insight on the current mindset of the FO.
First, let's look at the recent trade:
Now, while we were unable to recoup full value when we dealt our disgruntled big man to OKC, we were able to maintain ( & create even more) flexibility moving forward, which DL stated was a crucial element of this trade.
Of the other recent statements that were made, there were 2 that seemed to reveal the direction that this franchise is currently headed:
1. That they intend to use the cap space that was acquired in the recent trade- which translates to: we will be looking to add players that can help us win now & in the future.
2. Dante Exum is a placeholder- which translates to: we will be looking to win next year & (while he is still in our long-term plans) he is not yet ready to contribute now or this upcoming season.
All of this leads me to believe that we will be looking to draft someone who can start next year as well as fit alongside Exum, Hayward, Favors, & Gobert in the future. Due to this, I see us going in 1 of 2 directions this off-season:
1. Draft (1 of) Russell/Mudiay (& start them at PG) & sign a starting SG who can eventually become the backup SF off the bench once Exum is ready to start. This scenario would likely involve trading multiple assets in order to move up in the draft.
2. Draft (1 of) Johnson/Hezonja (& start them at the other wing position alongside Hayward) & sign a starting PG who can mentor Exum until he is ready to takeover. I think part of the Kanter trade was to position ourselves to have an opportunity to get 1 of these guys without having to give up multiple assets in order to do so.
Option 1 would obviously be preferable due to the star-potential of those 1st 2 guys & the better FA options at SG/SF than PG, but may not be possible depending on how the draft order eventually shakes out.
As of now, my (somewhat realistic) preference would be something along the lines of:
PG Russell/Exum
SG D.Green (or another reasonably priced SG who has the size to play some SF, can hit open 3's, & play solid defense)/Burks
SF Hayward/Hood
PF Favors/Booker
C Gobert/Tomic or Pleiss
Trade our 1st, GSW 1st, OKC 1st, & Burke (plus Booker/Hood/future 1sts-if necessary) to move up for Russell.
I don't know how realistic this is & believe that DL prioritized flexibility so that they do not have to force their hand one way or the other & can allow how the draft (as well as the trade/FA market) plays out to dictate what they do. There is also the possibility that a big (such as Towns, although unlikely) slips or that we value someone such as WCS/M.Turner/Porzingis at our draft spot enough that giving up future assets in order to obtain 1 of the aforementioned players is not worth it. In that case, we could sign a placeholder PG (until our current placeholder PG is no longer a placeholder) & start Burks instead of using him as our 6th man.
Either way, we have plenty of flexibility & options moving forward, & with the right moves, could become a fixture in the playoffs for the foreseeable future as soon as next year, although that's always easier said than done for small-market teams such as this one. Here's hoping that flexibility eventually pays off.
