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Retool around Donovan

idiot

Well-Known Member
Though I and most others don't believe it's a real possibility, I'm wondering what a serious re-tooling around Donovan could even look like.

If I'm reading between the lines correctly in Tony Jones's reporting about Jazz's choices, one of the options may be to use the three first-rounders the Jazz have in 2023, and perhaps additional assets, to find a serious second option to go along with Donovan. In my imagination I'm thinking of something like a Pascal Siakam-quality player. Problem is, I have a hard time thinking of someone who we'd really want being available for what we have to offer, at least in the near term.

Another option is to just seek competence and better team balance, let Donovan be the clear star and see where that takes you. In trying to think of trades that might be available I'm imagining something like:

  • Dok + Conley (and probably modest draft capital -- let's says the worst of-Houston/Philly/Brooklyn 2023 FRP pick) for Poetl (Spurs have lots of cap space so a financially unbalanced trade works, and only one true PG on the roster; they should also not care if they win this year)
  • Clarkson (and probably very modest draft capital -- let's say a 2025 31-40 protected second rounder) for Kuzma (Wiz have logjam at PF and may be worried about whether Johnny Davis can be a rotation player this year after his poor summer league); (or alternatively Beasley for Jonathan Isaac, as the Magic have a logjam at PF and lack of scoring pop at SG -- though I doubt the Magic are selling on Isaac now and I doubt the Jazz want to buy on him now either)
  • NAW (and probably draft capital, since we're dealing with OKC, but hopefully modest -- let's say slightly worsening the protections for the 2024 draft pick we owe [if this is possible; I'm not sure it is]) for Kenrich Williams -- maybe this helps keep SGA happy by sending his cousin there?
  • Beverley for Talent Horton-Tucker (maybe we could pry a 2025 second-rounder back?) -- I think THT still has upside if he can get out from needing to fit alongside LBJ/Russ

That would leave us with (sending out only modest draft capital overall):
PG: DM, Butler, (I'd try to re-sign) Forrest
SG: Beasley, THT, Bolmaro, (Juzang--TW)
SF: Bogey, Fontecchio, Kenrich Williams (Sneed--TW)
PF: Kuzma, Vanderbilt (though he'll probably play at least some center, too), Gay
C: Poetl, Kessler, TBD (probably easy to find a 3rd-string center as a minimum signing)

It wouldn't be great team (probably pretty poor shooting, especially in the depth pieces), but it would bring a bit more youth and length to the Jazz and at least have competence at most line-up spots. Maybe there's a way to coax defensive competence out of it? Could it win 45 games in the West?

Assuming the Jazz somehow really decided to re-tool around Donovan, what do you envision the result looking like?
 
The real play if we wanted to re-tool around Donovan would have been going after Ayton. Then moving some of the pieces from the Gobert trade for another solid starter that compliments those guys.
 
I envision the results looking like the 7-10 seed and likely out of the playoffs then late lottery into early 20's picks, so we basically waste all the assets gained in the Knick's trade. No thanks.
Yeah, I know we all really want to do a full tank. So we're basically admitting the Knicks have us over a barrel in these trade negotiations -- because there's no way we want to be bringing Donovan back. They won't need to pay us more than a penny more than the Heat's offer. And maybe the Knicks can hang on long enough that the Heat's offer will become moot, because eventually the Heat will move on (extend Herro, use assets to get a PF, etc.). Then the Knicks might be able to demand an even lower price for DM.

You're probably right.

(Still pretty curious about the player details of what a retooling around Donovan could realistically look like.)
 
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The real play if we wanted to re-tool around Donovan would have been going after Ayton. Then moving some of the pieces from the Gobert trade for another solid starter that compliments those guys.
Congrats on the new avatar!

Yeah, Ayton makes sense. I wonder now if he was really ever as available as it seemed, especially now that it seems Durant isn't as available as it seemed.

Any prospective thoughts to go with this retrospective one?
 
I don’t see that roster construction being competitive at all. Our Front Office will keep feeding the line of retooling right up until a DM trade is announced. I’ve come around and agree with Windy, judge the Jazz by their actions not their words.
 
If you are the new coach, do you even want DM on the roster?
I think it's the very rare coach who would prefer a full tank to having a star and some (at least decent) pieces around him.

I know most of this board is out on him, but I highly doubt his image around the league/team is low enough for Hardy not to welcome him if he's there.
 
I think it's the very rare coach who would prefer a full tank to having a star and some (at least decent) pieces around him.

I know most of this board is out on him, but I highly doubt his image around the league/team is low enough for Hardy not to welcome him if he's there.
I'm just thinking about the soap opera that comes with him. Maybe Hardy is the Donovan whisperer but I think if you gave the new coach truth serum the vote would be that Donovan be traded.
 
You don't trade Beverly if you are going to retool. Bev is a ****ing man. He willed the Wolves to the playoffs last year.
He's also 34, (generously) 6-1, and on an expiring contract. A retool is not a single-year project.

If you can get possibly undervalued wing talent for him, I'll listen.
 
I'm just thinking about the soap opera that comes with him. Maybe Hardy is the Donovan whisperer but I think if you gave the new coach truth serum the vote would be that Donovan be traded.
I just don't buy that DM is a one-man team wrecker. Sorry.
 
I just don't buy that DM is a one-man team wrecker. Sorry.
He is no more a team wrecker than Kap or Tim Tebow were. Kap and Tebow were successful at what they did. Most coaches did not want to touch either one because of the circus they brought with them. DM has that circus in tow but to a lesser degree.
 
I just don't buy that DM is a one-man team wrecker. Sorry.
He's not a one-man team wrecker, that's a bit of an exaggeration. He's a mild primadonna that might be satiated by the concept of a team "building around" him. The problem for the Jazz is that DM is not Batman, he's Robin. No team built around Robin ever goes far in the playoffs. At this point, you go let him try to become Batman somewhere else (which will never happen), and rebuild. Just my two cents.
 
  • Beverley for Talent Horton-Tucker (maybe we could pry a 2025 second-rounder back?) -- I think THT still has upside if he can get out from needing to fit alongside LBJ/Russ
I would definitely _not_ do this unless we get something useful (pick) if we're retooling.
 
He's not a one-man team wrecker, that's a bit of an exaggeration. He's a mild primadonna that might be satiated by the concept of a team "building around" him. The problem for the Jazz is that DM is not Batman, he's Robin. No team built around Robin ever goes far in the playoffs. At this point, you go let him try to become Batman somewhere else (which will never happen), and rebuild. Just my two cents.
Sure, I agree generally with this.

But what I was trying to get at with this thread (and see I haven't succeeded) is to move the discussion away from what the Jazz should do with Donovan, since this already occupies 70%+ of the threads active on this board now (we've all given our views dozens of times), but to have more of an imaginative thought experiment.

Of course most of us don't want Donovan to be the center of a retooling at this point and it's very unlikely to transpire. I was just trying to give us an intellectual exercise to take some of the edge off waiting for Donovan to get traded, but I guess most of us are in no mood to give this any more than a few seconds of thought.
 
He is no more a team wrecker than Kap or Tim Tebow were. Kap and Tebow were successful at what they did. Most coaches did not want to touch either one because of the circus they brought with them. DM has that circus in tow but to a lesser degree.
These comparisons are ... um ... extreme. Maybe you can get Oneye and Cy (in his trolling moments) to agree with you?
 
I would definitely _not_ do this unless we get something useful (pick) if we're retooling.
Fair enough. I think there's enough there with THT in a situation where he's not needed to be the spot-up shooter that it's long-term bet I'd make
 
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