Pre-Draft Outlook
Utah is in fine shape for a team that didn’t make the playoffs. There’s a haul of Draft capital coming its way both now and over the next several years, thanks to dumping Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert last summer in separate trades. There’s a young All-Star on the roster in Lauri Markkanen and an intriguing center in Walker Kessler, who was an All-Rookie First-Team selection. And plenty of cap space. Basically, there are options aplenty for the Jazz, and if GM Danny Ainge plays his cards right, Utah can make the playoffs next year and still own assets both on the roster and in terms of incoming first-round picks. The biggest and most immediate decision is with Jordan Clarkson, who’s expected to decline his player option and become a free agent. Utah would like to keep Clarkson, a solid scorer and playmaker, if only because the franchise isn’t a top destination for free agents and replacing him would be tricky, at least in the short term.
The Way To Go
Utah has three first-round picks — nine, 16 and 28. Ideally, the Jazz could trade into the top three but there’s almost no chance of that happening. Just the same, it’s hard to imagine Ainge keeping all three picks as he’s much too active of a GM to be that conservative. But if he does, or at least keeps two, Utah could use help at point guard to give Collin Sexton some help or competition at that spot, and also a swingman in case Clarkson leaves. Unless the Jazz can make a trade using some of its ample Draft assets, the prudent thing to do is stay the course, use a few of those picks and also let Sexton and Kessler blossom. Utah and Ainge are in great position to spend the next few years building a potential contender.
— Shaun Powell
Here’s a quick look at who the Utah Jazz have under contract, who is a free agent this summer and who they added in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Under Contract
G: Ochai Agbaji
G: Kris Dunn
G: Collin Sexton
F: Simone Fontecchio
F: Luka Samantic
F/C: Lauri Markkanen
F/C: Kelly Olynyk
C: Vernon Carey Jr.
C: Walker Kessler
C: Micah Potter
Free Agents
G: Jordan Clarkson (player option)
G: Johnny Juzang (two-way)
G: Talen Horton-Tucker (player option)
F/G: Rudy Gay (player option)
F: Juan Toscano-Anderson (unrestricted)
C/F: Udoka Azubuike (unrestricted)
C: Damian Jones (player option)
> 2023 Free Agent Tracker
Last Year’s Draft
2022: Ochai Agbaji (14)*, Walker Kessler (22)*
* = acquired via trade
** = traded in draft-night deal
*** = traded in offseason deal