National Basketball Association

Utah Jazz outlook toward free agency, trade period, contending in the West

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:03 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Simon Smith/FanSided via Hoops Habit

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz's 2016-17 season came to a sudden halt at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. Their next moves will determine if they can rise to the next level.

Despite winning 51 games and reaching the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2010, the Utah Jazz find themselves somewhat at a crossroads.

First-time All-Star Gordon Hayward is a free agent and is bound to receive a slew of offers from across the league. And following the release of the All-NBA teams, Hayward's non-selection now limit's the Jazz's chance to offer him the absolute maximum allowed to re-sign a player.

As Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweeted:

So instead of the five-year, $207 million "super-max" deal, the most the Jazz can offer is a five-year deal in the $177 million range.

Another key free-agent the Jazz need to negotiate with is point guard George Hill. When Hill was healthy this season, he was highly productive, averaging 16.9 points and 4.2 assists per game. He shot 47.7 percent from the field, 40.3 percent from behind three and was a +256 over the course of the season while on the floor. The problem was, he played in just 49 games.

And although Hill has just turned 31 and was plagued throughout the playoffs with the same toe injury that hampered his regular season, he is also bound to receive several generous offers from rival teams. Granted, the Jazz had to forego the 12th overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft to acquire Hill's services, and will certainly have this in the back of their minds when deciding on Hill's future.

But from the outside looking in, a large contract, coinciding with Hill's age and recent injury woes, represents a dicey prospect for Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey.

While falling to the all-conquering Warriors in the playoffs is nothing to be ashamed of, it does also gave an indication as to the Jazz's current status in the West. Jumping from 40 to 51 wins this season was terrific, but the Jazz, like many other teams, are still a sizable way off from reaching the absolute elite tier of the league.

They are going to need to think outside the box and get creative, as their current ceiling is severely limited.

Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Assume Hayward will walk

Although the consensus will be for Hayward to be re-signed to a maximum deal this summer, the Jazz should look at broadening their horizons.

Taking his game to a new level has made Hayward one of the more sought-after free agents this offseason. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Boston Celtics are strongly favored to retain their No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft and target Hayward in free agency, as opposed to giving the pick up in order to chase players such as Paul George and Jimmy Butler who are still under contract.

Hayward has long been connected to the Celtics due to his close relationship with their head coach, Brad Stevens, whom he played under at Butler. And it's not only his relationship with Stevens that would have the Jazz concerned with Hayward's movements this summer. Firstly, the Celtics are going improve naturally by holding the No.1 overall pick. But from an overall perspective, the Cleveland Cavaliers represent the only legitimate elite team in the Eastern Conference.

Furthermore, as touched on earlier, the money difference is not as significant as it may have been had Hayward qualified for the Designated Player Exception, whereby a player is eligible  to sign for a designated percentage of the salary cap if they have 7-9 years of experience with the team they were drafted by. Having missed a selection on one of the three All-NBA teams, the Jazz have lost significant bargaining power as a result.

NBA salary cap expert Albert Nahmad tweeted the following with these details in mind:

Recently, Hayward was relatively non-committal regarding his future plans:

Under his new arrangement, Hayward will be eligible to sign for a five-year, $177.5 million contract with Utah. So assuming the buzz surrounding Hayward is true and he decides to land in Boston or elsewhere, the following moves will be taken with this in mind.

Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Target Chris Paul

With the future of the Los Angeles Clippers in the balance, this represents the perfect time to pursue a player such as Paul. A nine-time All-Star and still among the elite point guards in the game, Paul's presence on both ends of the floor would be music to the ears of head coach Quin Snyder.

The Jazz's recent first round series victory over the Clippers would have provided a great selling point of the franchise to Paul. Despite averaging 25.3 points and 9.9 assists during the Clippers' series loss, it was the Jazz's superior overall depth which ultimately proved the difference in the series.

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Having the opportunity to pair Paul with center Rudy Gobert presents the Jazz with an even more formidable team on the defensive end of the floor. Last season, the Jazz ranked third in the league defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) at 102.7 per game. Gobert led the league in blocked shots at 2.6 per game, was fourth in rebounds at 12.8 per game and compiled an excellent defensive rating of 100.6.

Despite the Clippers finishing 13th in defensive rating at 105.8, Paul finished the season with a superb 101.3. This effort included finishing third in the league with 2.0 steals per game, and seventh in the league with 3.5 deflections per game.

Granted, Paul recently turned 32 and has had his share of injury layoffs in recent years. He played in 61 games this regular season, missing time due to midseason thumb surgery. His regular season numbers were outstanding, averaging 18.1 points, 9.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds while overall being a +577 over the course of the season while on the court.

Defense is the calling card of the Jazz, having ranked first in allowing just 96.8 points per game. This was certainly assisted by having the slowest PACE (possessions per 48 minutes) with 93.6 per game. This resulted in the Jazz scoring 100.7 points per game, 28th in the league.

Paul's Clippers were 18th in PACE this season at 98.2, with Paul himself averaging 98.2. Elite in a half court setting, Paul suits the Jazz's playing style to a tee. His efficiency is close to his strongest feature, having produced such outstanding numbers this season while only possessing a usage rate of 24.3.

Following his recent battle with the Jazz, coach Snyder was highly complimentary of Paul:

Attracting big name free agents to Salt Lake City has never been an easy task, regardless of the success of the franchise. In terms of luring Paul, the Jazz's playing style — which he obviously saw firsthand recently — and their ascension in recent seasons would be the strongest selling points.

A four-year, $130 million contract is approximately the most allowable that the Jazz can offer. With Paul still desperate for a championship, and the Jazz as a franchise equally so, the pairing comes at an ideal time for both parties.

Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Target Andrew Wiggins

While Hayward has been spectacular for the Jazz in improving each season, it's unlikely there is much more scope for significant improvement. The same can't be said for Andrew Wiggins.

Wiggins just completed his third season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and has improved noticeably each year. This season he averaged 23.6 points (16th in the league)and 4.0 rebounds in 37.2 minutes per game. Wiggins' durability has been exceptional thus far, missing just one game over his three seasons in the league. An incredible athlete, Wiggins' ability to become an elite talent on both ends off the floor is an attraction for any team.

The No.1 pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, obtaining Wiggins via trade will be both extremely difficult and costly. Point guard Dante Exum has proven to be an excellent defender in his short time in the league. Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau is renowned for preaching defense, and Exum will be music to Thibodeau's ears upon entering his second season in charge of the Timberwolves.

Alec Burks is still just 25 and a former lottery pick of the Jazz. However, he has had a wretched run with injury, having played just 100 total games over the last three seasons since signing a four-year, $42 million deal. With Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine still recovering from an ACL injury, Burks presents an attractive proposition for Thibodeau.

Recently, Burks noted that he was confident is what the future holds:

The Timberwolves currently have the seventh selection of the upcoming draft. The Jazz would further add an additional two future first round selections to entice the Timberwolves. Furthermore, the Jazz would include power forward Derrick Favors, a former No. 3 overall pick, providing Thibodeau an alternate option over the incumbent at that spot, Gorgui Dieng.

Here is how the parameters of the deal would appear:

From the Timberwolves' perspective, they could use their current starting point guard, Ricky Rubio, in a trade (accompanied by a friendly contract) and build around a future core of Karl-Anthony Towns, LaVine, Exum, a slew of first round picks and any future trades or signings the franchise may make this summer.

Wiggins is still under contract through 2017-18, at which point he will be eligible for, and seeking, a maximum long-term extension.

Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

 Nikola Mirotic, Chicago Bulls

The 4-spot is an area that needs addressing this offseason, and Mirotic makes sense on a number of levels. First, he has clearly demonstrated the ability to shoot the ball. This season, Mirotic hit three or more three-pointers on 21 occasions. This included three games of six three-pointers, all of which came in a starting role. Overall, Mirotic started in just 15 of his 70 games played.

During his starting opportunities, Mirotic averaged 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game, which leads us to the other reason why Mirotic on the Jazz would be beneficial. Alongside point guard Rajon Rondo, Mirotic's role with the Bulls fluctuated throughout the season. But when coupled with Rondo in the starting lineup, Mirotic benefited mightily.

Over the season, four of Mirotic's six highest scoring games came when starting alongside Rondo. Hence, this demonstrates the influence an elite playmaker can have upon Mirotic's production. And if the Jazz's aforementioned offseason moves go to plan, having the opportunity to play alongside Paul would most certainly see Mitotic's eyes light up.

Having Mirotic at the 4 will help spread the floor mightily for Paul, and the manner in which he runs the offense. Still just 26, Mirotic has scope for improvement despite the up-and-down nature of his career thus far.

A two-year, $30 million deal with a player option for the second year represents a good deal moving forward for both the player and the Jazz.

Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Decision time

While losing a player of Hayward's caliber would be a significant body blow, the Jazz's front office has proven itself to be among the elite in the league. If Lindsey and his team were able to pull off the moves mentioned, the Jazz would enter the opening day of next season with the following lineup:

G – Chris Paul

G – Rodney Hood

F – Andrew Wiggins

F – Nikola Mirotic

C – Rudy Gobert

This represents a great mix of play making, perimeter shooting, athleticism and elite defense. Having witnessed first hand the dominance of the Warriors this postseason, the Jazz will be under no illusions that they will need to make significant strides if they are to reach their level of play.

Despite increasing their wins total from 40 to 51 this season, reaching the next, elite level is certainly the most challenging. And that is why the Jazz will need to combine a level of creativity and risk-taking to provide themselves with the chance to challenge the likes of the Warriors.

More from Hoops Habit

Since they made back-to-back NBA Finals appearance in 1997 and 1998, the Jazz have not eclipsed 55 wins in a season. As a result they have reached the Western Conference Finals just once, losing 4-1 to the San Antonio Spurs in 2007.

Hence, the franchise and their fans alike have experienced plenty of first or second round exits in the postseason. So there comes a time when rolling the dice and pushing towards the elite of the league makes sense.

Paul would follow a legacy of elite point guards who have plied their trade with the Jazz. Hall-of-Famer John Stockton and three-time All-Star Deron Williams are just two examples. Furthermore, Wiggins represents a talent rarely seen in Salt Lake City.

One of Wiggins' current teammates, Cole Aldrich, placed Wiggins' ability with a former teammate of his, Kevin Durant:

Another teammate, Jordan Hill, added:

While no one can foresee the future, Wiggins' potential is clearly tantalizing. Five games of at least 40 points this season is just one example. And with his supreme athleticism and wingspan, transforming Wiggins into one of the elite two-way players is a real possibility.

Combining Wiggins with Paul, Gobert and coach Snyder's defensive philosophy would provide an incredible nucleus for the Jazz.

As can be seen, the moves covered here cater primarily for the starting unit. The deal for Wiggins obviously cuts into the depth of the team, while also pushing the limits on the team's salary cap for the years to come.

But with the current state of the league, team's like the Jazz are going to need to think laterally and push the boundaries in order to realistically challenge the cream of the crop. The moves mentioned here would be a step in the right direction.

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