Draft day, free agency, training camp, pre season...

[Xiao Yao You]

Rudy/vet/Udoka/Gill
vet/Niang/Morgan/Brantley
Bojan/Ingles/Oni
O'Neale/Tucker/Hughes
Mitchell/Conley/Forrest/William-Goss

That helps a lot.

[Xiao Yao You]

Rudy/vet/Udoka/Gill
vet/Niang/Morgan/Brantley
Bojan/Ingles/Oni
O'Neale/Tucker/Hughes
Mitchell/Conley/Forrest/William-Goss

That helps a lot.

Should have over 26 million now to spend with this as well now I assume? Another trade exception too. Bigger than the Bradley one.

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.ksl.com/article/50052224...rst-round-pick

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik had a pretty simple explanation for why the Jazz went with lane-protecting and rim-rolling big man Udoka Azubuike with the No. 27 pick.

He shouldn't have to explain. Seemed like the obvious pick. The 2nd one not so much

The result was Utah having one of the league's top offenses for much of the season. But it came at a cost: After having a top 3 defensive rating from 2016-17 to 2018-19, the Jazz were suddenly a middle of the road defensive club last season. The reason: Rudy Gobert can't play the whole game.

Reason. Most of the team didn't defend besides Rudy. Blame it all on Bradley if you want but he had little help. Neither did Rudy

People are arguing. Wing players like Desmond Bane and Jaden McDaniels were still on the board when the Jazz picked and the prevailing thought is the team would have got, quote-unquote, more value by taking one of them. Wings are more valued in this day and age of the NBA than defensive bigs, that's true. But maybe not in Utah.

but they already have young wings vying for the rotation. Needed a center and a pg. Got the first anyway. Got the 2nd on a 2 way I guess

That Bradley trade opened up a role for Azubuike and it gives the Jazz more flexibility in free agency. It got them off the $3.5 million Bradley was set to make and that should allow them to use the full $9.2 million mid-level exception, as well as resign Jordan Clarkson, as well as fill out the rest of the roster without hitting the luxury tax apron of $138.9 million (and thus triggering the hard cap).

sounds great except for Clarkson

After those trades, Utah has about $106 million in committed salary for seven players. That gives them about $26 million to fill out the rest of their roster. If Utah guarantees the deals of Georges Niang ($1.7 million), Juwan Morgan ($1.5 million), Miye Oni ($1.5 million), Rayjon Tucker ($1.5 million) and Nigel Williams-Goss ($1.5 million), they'll have about $18 million in cap space.

I think only Niang has to be guaranteed. The others get guaranteed if they are on the roster past a certain point. Niang should probably be today?

For fans, the results of the draft may look a little different following the next part. Free agency begins Friday.

Fans and media. Like no one pays attention. Center was the obvious pick to me

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.ksl.com/article/50051710...-nba-draft-day

SALT LAKE CITY — One of the first people Udoka Azubuike heard from after being selected by the Utah Jazz with the 27th pick in the 2020 NBA draft was Tony Bradley.

ouch!

In a corresponding move, the Jazz traded the No. 38 pick along with Bradley, their backup center that proved to be unplayable in the playoff, to the Detroit Pistons for cash and future draft considerations, according to an ESPN report. Azubuike now projects as Rudy Gobert's backup, and he's eager to learn from the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

He projects as the Stars starting center

The Jazz traded back into the draft for the No. 39 pick for Hughes. The Syracuse product is a 6-foot-6 wing with long arms that has the prototypical size for an NBA wing. He shot 34.2% from three in his final year in college, but he's believed to be a better shooter than those numbers indicate. He was often tasked with creating his own shots which led to some difficult looks.

another Clarkson? 6'7.5 wing span is not long armed

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/...ew-york-knicks

It is not clear what the Knicks will send Utah in return.

a trade exception. Don't have to send anything. They are now under the cap. The fact that the people covering the Jazz don't know this says a lot

Things did not go as planned however, and Davis fell out of the rotation, with previously seldom-used Tony Bradley taking his place.

and worse was they didn't have a starting 4 and still don't!

Bradley was dealt to the Detroit Pistons in a draft-day deal by the Jazz, leaving Udoka Azubuike, the 27th pick in Wednesday’s draft, as the lone backup center on the Jazz roster.

Morgan

With Bradley and Davis’ contracts off the books heading into the 2020-21 season the Jazz have more salary cap room to work with as they move to re-sign Jordan Clarkson and use the $9.2 million mid-level exception and $3.6 million bi-annual exception to fill out the rest of the roster. Additionally, the Jazz are now in a better position to avoid going into the luxury tax even if they use both exceptions to bring in free agents.

2 trade exceptions now too

[Xiao Yao You]

I wonder when the Jazz announce who the sign and who they waive?



Posted by AdMan59 on Nov 19, 2020 | 4:48 PM

after Woj announces it in the next week and a half

Still in favor of adding Favors

Posted by SK32 on Nov 19, 2020 | 5:14 PM

no because he will end up starting again

Waive EM, NWG

Posted by AdMan59 on Nov 19, 2020 | 5:38 PM

Mudiay is a free agent

I think this deal means one of three things


-The Jazz are confident in Juwan Morgan
-Dok is capable of playing backup center in year 1
-They have a cheap backup center deal agreed upon
I think getting Dok and moving from the other two centers wouldn’t make sense if we spend our full MLE on Favors sadly ;___;

Posted by TheNextGM on Nov 19, 2020 | 5:56 PM

There re many backup centers out there. Starting 4 is the problem

Dok already looks much more useful than Bradley (still can't believe they drafted Bradley, btw)



Posted by Stocktons on Nov 19, 2020 | 6:37 PM

led the league in offensive rebound %. Great in pick and roll. Can shoot. Long. Young and getting better. Not sure what you expect at the end of the 1st round or for a 22 year old

if Mitchell keeps improving like he is and the Jazz are able to keep Clarkson, find a decent piece on on MLE and stay healthy, they could have a decent shot a deep playoff run.

Posted by ArcticSlicer on Nov 19, 2020 | 5:57 PM

only chance without getting size is hoping they get the right matchups like when GS upset the number 1 seed and they went to the west finals. Got to be able to play big and small

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-...rade-cap-space

Jazz clearing up cap space for Clarkson, Mitchell, Gobert.

Hopefully for a starting 4 , backup center, Brantley and veteran depth

If those players don’t stink, the team should be able to address most of their needs.
None of UTA’s moves so far are flashy, and DM still needs to make a major leap for the team to really contend, but the start of FA has gone pretty well.

Posted by Palmetto Bug on Nov 19, 2020 | 4:35 PM

Rather they can get a starting 4 for that is a big question. The rest of their needs sure

thought itd be lil harder to move davis
but great move

Posted by letter to the Corinthians on Nov 19, 2020 | 4:43 PM

anyone can be moved as we've seen. The cost was the only question and it was steep

The playoffs was a major leap but almost definitely not sustainable during a season (if he did, he’s a strong MVP candidate and UTA a strong finals contender).
A more realistic leap is probably a small jump in efficiency (which adds 2-4 points per game) and small improvements in assists and defense. So maybe a top-line of 27/5/4 on 52-54 eFG.

Posted by Palmetto Bug on Nov 19, 2020 | 5:03 PM

Yeah let's see it for a fulll season. He has yet to put a full season of work in

JaMychal Green Opted out and he would be a perfect fit for the PF position the Jazz need.
Use the MLE and pay about $7M a year. He’s also played with Mike C before.
Can pay Jordan about $10M a year and stay out of the Tax, pay more if the team doesn’t mind going slightly in.
Bring back the Non-Guaranteed guys (please see if they are NBA worthy this year!)
Elijah Hughes takes J.Brantley’s 2-way and sign JB to a contract.
One spot would remain and if the Jazz use the BAE ($3.6M) they Need a PF/Wing guy. 6’8" plus would be great!

Posted by AdMan59 on Nov 19, 2020 | 4:40 PM

Why would they want size when they can play guards and wings instead? Could have had Green cheaply before and they didn't want him. **** Clarkson! Sounds like most of the non guaranteed guys will be back except for Goss. They need a backup center. End of the bench vets after that

I think it needs to be someone who could play with Rudy AND ALSO backup Rudy. Not play C all the time (that’s why we drafted Dok); but sometimes. Green is obviously mostly a 4. But both BBR and CtG have him playing 4-9% of his time at C the last few years. (And in theory, I could envision some matchups where he could play C.)

Posted by l3uddyh011y on Nov 19, 2020 | 5:40 PM

not necessarily especially after the Davis trade

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat...eaction-grades

Like we’ve seen in years past, the Utah Jazz surprised the crap out of everyone last night. When their time came to be on the clock with the 27th pick, there were several players available that many thought were in the Jazz’s sights, including Desmond Bane, Jaden McDaniels and Robert Woodard most prominently.

people expected them to draft positions that weren't of the greatest need and guys without length. Does anyone actually pay attention?

While Dok may not have been linked to the Jazz, it’s possible he fills our most pressing need: backup C. Assuming Clarkson resigns, at have a solid 7-man rotation. And while there are pieces we could use — another wing defender, a bigger 4, etc — we had run out of options backing up Rudy. Lest we forget, both TB and Davis got DNPs in game 7. Quinn decided he’d rather play ultra small than put either of those guys on the court in a win-or-go-home game. That’s… Not sustainable.
We’ll see if Dok ends up being the answer at backup C or not. (I thought Davis was a great signing last off season, so…) Point being: the FO filled a need before FA while also shedding salary. That’s a win!

Posted by l3uddyh011y on Nov 19, 2020 | 3:51 PM

He filled their most pressing need for a guy to develop. Maybe Quinn needs to go?

Amazing off-season IMO just unloading our two useless bigs

Posted by J-Note on Nov 19, 2020 | 3:53 PM

Amazing that anyone could call Bradley useless. He should have a long career ahead of him

The Jazz could have and should have swept Denver, without Bogey, without a good rim protector backing up Rudy. Internal development and health come playoff time, this roster can absolutely compete for a title.

Posted by Alex Dye on Nov 19, 2020 | 4:03 PM

Can't blame it on your backup center sorry

I maybe only Jazz fan who wouldn’t be that excited to see Favors back. Just been there, done that, and sadly my memory of him is too much trying to hit corner 3s. Just not sure he would be effective only as a backup C for 16 minutes a game

Posted by SKMike on Nov 19, 2020 | 4:13 PM

I'm with you. Let's not forget they let their best player go and become a star so Favors could be unleashed to begin with!

He probably needs at least a year to really get a feel for his role and be serviceable. Though he might be better than Bradley right out of the gate. We will have to see.
I mostly just don’t see spending a 1st on a guy you are only hoping to play 10-15 mins a night. There are only two reasons, I could make sense think to justify this pick:
The Jazz see Udoka as a potential starter and don’t see Gobert in their long-term plans so they draft the guy who they think replicates him the most.
The Jazz are engaging in some market inefficiency type stuff and think a guy like Udoka can be such a strength that it will force teams to adjust to their playstyle because they simply can’t do anything about it.
Either way, I think he would have been available at 39.
Hughes seems nice though. I am skeptical of his ability to defend in the NBA but his scoring ability is solid and I think he can crack the rotation within his first 2 years.

Posted by sgv90 on Nov 19, 2020 | 4:30 PM

Give him as much time as he needs. The draft isn't for immediate help! You draft based on need. They had 6 rookies last year. None were a center. All there centers were free agents after this year. Obvious pick. The other guy has to get past many others to be in the rotation. Can he defend or shoot?

[Xiao Yao You]

League sources say Evan Fournier is trying to find his way to a team like the Clippers, Suns or Nuggets. – via Zach Harper @ The Athletic

Rudy's buddy. Too bad he doesn't play the 4 though he might in Utah

[Xiao Yao You]

Also in Windhorst’s latest Hoop Collective podcast, he and colleague Zach Lowe identified the Kings and Magic as two teams that may be looking to get a little younger this offseason rather than being content with competing again for the No. 8 seed. Nemanja Bjelica was identified by Lowe as a possible trade candidate to watch in Sacramento, while Windhorst added that Orlando would likely be open to moving Evan Fournier.
– via Hoops Rumors

Might be a fit?

[Xiao Yao You]

Tony Jones: League sources tell The Athletic that the Utah Jazz have extended a qualifying offer to Jarrell Brantley, making him a restricted free agent. The homie @KeithSmithNBA first
– via Twitter Tjonesonthenba

I guess Wright Forman s officially gone?

[Xiao Yao You]

Marc Stein: Various teams project these players to land max contracts after free agency begins tonight in 3+ hours: *Pelicans restricted free agent Brandon Ingram *Max extensions for Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Utah’s Donovan Mitchell from the draft class of 2017 *The Lakers’ Anthony Davis
– via Twitter TheSteinLine

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.ksl.com/article/50052425...oid-luxury-tax

could be as much for the roster spot as anything. It would appear the only way they go into the tax is if they pay Clarkson an insane amount though any amount for him is insane if you ask me. They have a roster crunch though for sure. Going to likely lose some good young talent not that they should have ever had that much good young talent on a team that is supposed to be contending

[Xiao Yao You]

https://insidetheloudhouse.com/2020/...the-utah-jazz/

The Jazz was led in scoring by fellow wing players Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic. In the bubble during the NBA Playoffs, the Jazz was without Bogdanovic. Without a key cog in their offense, they still took Western Conference finalist the Denver Nuggets to seven games. Bogdanovic’s minutes should not take away too many opportunities from Hughes as he primarily played both forward spots with Hughes expecting to play more in a scoring guard role with occasional chances at small forward.

Hughes will be with the Stars playing big minutes

For this to happen the main key for Hughes like it is with any Syracuse guy, is how they transition to man-to-man defense in the NBA even though zone usage is on the rise. Hughes will not only need to prove he can guard in a one-on-one scenario but that he can become accustomed to team defense principles and be a valuable defender off the ball as well.

Has to show he can hit an open 3 as well. He's behind many guys now. Should be one of the top guys for the Stars though!

When the Jazz selected Hughes it was already apparent the Jazz were selecting for what they considered to be a team need. Utah traded down in the first round to take one of their top targets in center Udoka Azubuike with the 27th pick.

I'd say it was more BPA because they already have several young wings that should be pushing for rotation minutes

[Xiao Yao You]

https://hoopshabit.com/2020/11/19/ut...doka-azubuike/

However, there was one glaring weakness in Azubuike’s game all through college which he simply did not improve on. He shot the ball at an appalling 41.6 percent from the line. This number will cause Azubuike and the Jazz issues, especially if he is needed in late-game situations.

won't have to worry about late game situations with the Jazz

The problem is that it is often folly to select a center late in the first round. They take time to develop and this means that the Jazz may not have upgraded this position at all. They could have tried to sign a veteran once free agency opened, particularly if they declined Mike Conley’s $34.5 million team option.

perfect pick. A. Don't get the 2nd one. F