Moves next summer

[slc24]

I love the way Quin has the team playing. Moving the ball, being tougher, actually adjusting, etc. Seems like we are going to be good enough to win some games, but not good enough to make playoff noise. We are lacking a lockdown perimeter defender, which is probably the most noticeable missing piece to this roster.

Dennis Lindsey has said that with our core of Hayward, Favors, and Burks extended, he plans to be more aggressive during the next free agency, due to being able to sell free agents on the core and young talent we have. Let's assume Lindsey is right and we have a bit more appeal. Hopefully this season we will be viewed as a team that is about to break through.

Now my question is: who do we target??

We have a lot of cap space. We only have 49 million committed out of an estimated cap of 66.5 million. Around 17 million cap room. That number could go up to around 26 million if we don't resign Kanter and don't pick up Murray's option (I assume we will pick up Booker's option).

We definitely seem like we'll have enough to offer someone the max, if we choose to do so. Who better to throw the max at than a guy who fills the elite defensive lockdown player mold, and who fits in a free flowing offense with lots of corner 3s?

Kawhi Leonard

The Spurs didn't extend him, and it seems like they will use the season to let him prove his value. Obviously, this is a pipe dream. The Spurs will 99.9% retain him. But there are a couple of reasons that this could potentially happen:

1) San Antonio is a franchise that almost NEVER overpays players. If they don't feel Leonard is worth a max, there is a chance they stick to their guns and don't pay him.
2) I think we can assume Lindsey really likes Leonard. He was an assistant GM at the time the Spurs drafted/traded for him. There is at the very least familiarity there, and you might see Dennis try to bring in one of "his" guys to go with the core that O'Connor drafted. With Lindsey's connection to the Spurs, a sign-and-trade may be able to be worked out, involving draft picks and/or Kanter's bird rights (Duncan probably retires).
3) He is the perfect age and has the perfect game to fit with our young core. Defensively, he's exactly what we need. Offensively he fits perfectly into Quin's system. Although he will probably have multiple max offers, this is the factor in our advantage.

A 3-man wing rotation of Leonard/Hayward/Burks with Hood getting 4th wing minutes is GREAT. In 2 years, an Exum/Hayward/Leonard backcourt with Burks as a super 6th man coming in for all 3 and playing 30 minutes a night might be the best in the NBA.

I know paying another guy max isn't ideal for the future cap situation. But it seems like too great of a fit to not at least explore the option. If Lindsey is serious about being really aggressive, this type of move would fit the bill.

Who are some other options? I've always liked Draymond Green. Great defender and IQ, with a decent 3 point shot. Could be a good fit on this team, although he's a little redundant with Booker and I'm sure he will cost more than Trevor. Who else fits? Dragic? Millsap? Marc Gasol? Rondo? Aldridge? Afflalo? What other guys would justify being "very aggressive"?

[StocktonShorts]

We have a lot of cap space.

We won't actually have much cap space at all next summer, depending on where the cap is and what the Jazz do with Kanter, Clark, Evans and Booker:

Hayward: 15.4
Favors: 12.0
Kanter: 11.4 (cap hold)
Booker: 4.8 (could be waived to save most of this)
Exum: 3.8
Novak: 3.8
Burks: ~10.0 (estimating)
Burke: 2.7
Hood: 1.3
Gobert: 1.2
Clark: 1.1 (QO cap hold)
Evans: 3.4 (cap hold)

Total: $70.9M

[sipclip]

I would kill to get Leonard but there is no way that the spurs let him go. Unless we can make a move for a bonafide young star or a draft pick for a player that we believe can become a superstar then I wouldn't do much of anything this summer. Between Hayward, Burks and Hood I think we have the sg/sf position filled. Same goes for the Pg position with Burke and Exum. In the frontcourt we nice depth with Favors, Kanter, Gobert and Booker. I also still like Evans.

I love the idea of Draymond Green. The one thing we are missing is that big that can play the 3 and 4 spot and Green fits the bill. He will be a restricted free agent so it will be interesting to see if the warriors would match anything over 6mil for him with Klay's extension kicking in.

[SoCalJazzFan]

Leonard would be awesome, but not gonna happen. I've read or heard that the non-extension of Leonard is a salary cap tactic in that if the Spurs don't sign Leonard until next summer, they can go out and replace one or more of their superstars with free agent signings if the superstars decide to retire before signing Leonard which allows them to do both; whereas if they signed Leonard in Oct they wouldn't have that financial flexibility.

As said above, the Jazz don't have a lot of flexibility, unless they don't extend Kanter. Even then, 2-3 years down the road things get really tricky as Gobert and Burke and then Exum and Hood are up for extensions. There will be some financial decisions as much as personnel decisions that the Jazz will be making.

[slc24]

We have a lot of cap space.

We won't actually have much cap space at all next summer, depending on where the cap is and what the Jazz do with Kanter, Clark, Evans and Booker:

Hayward: 15.4
Favors: 12.0
Kanter: 11.4 (cap hold)
Booker: 4.8 (could be waived to save most of this)
Exum: 3.8
Novak: 3.8
Burks: ~10.0 (estimating)
Burke: 2.7
Hood: 1.3
Gobert: 1.2
Clark: 1.1 (QO cap hold)
Evans: 3.4 (cap hold)

Total: $70.9M

If you renounce those cap holds, you end up having enough room. I was going off of HoopsHype for the salaries and it appears they don't factor in QO and partial guarantees into the committed salaries. Nevertheless, it would still theoretically be possible. I would have thought we'd stand pat this year as well, but Lindsey himself said they were going to be aggressive.

[StocktonShorts]

If you renounce those cap holds, you end up having enough room. I was going off of HoopsHype for the salaries and it appears they don't factor in QO and partial guarantees into the committed salaries. Nevertheless, it would still theoretically be possible. I would have thought we'd stand pat this year as well, but Lindsey himself said they were going to be aggressive.

Yeah, the Evans and Clark cap holds are easily disposed of. And Booker, as much as we all love him today, has a contract that is like 90% non-guaranteed. It's also possible the Jazz could move Novak if necessary.

The big issue is Kanter and what to do with him.

[d-will8]

I would love to get Kawhi as well, but that's not going to happen. Jimmy Butler would be a great get as well, but that's not much more realistic. I definitely think Draymond Green would be a good pickup. I think our personnel has the potential to be a lot better defensively than what we've shown so far, but I still like the idea of focusing on picking up guys who can really defend. In that vein, I also like the idea of getting somebody like Shumpert. Finally, if Millsap's willing to come back, I'd take him back without much hesitation.

Beyond those guys, I haven't looked into the free agent pool much. The offseason's a ways off and, despite Lindsey's talk of getting our version of Reggie White, I'm not terribly optimistic we'll make a huge splash in free agency. And, given the way we've built through the draft, that we'll probably have another solid (if not great) draft pick, and that we just signed Hayward, Favors, and Burks to big deals, I think I'm all right with that.

[goober]

Why not try to bring Milsap back

[babyjax13]

I'm not in the bring back Millsap bandwagon. Nice player, but he's going to command a 4 year contract and I'm not convinced there aren't better options. Golden State will match Green, although that would be a nice addition. Danny Green will be a free agent, he would be high on my list because he provides everything we need from a 3rd swing man. I think a power forward has to be #1 in our books, though. Ed Davis could be the perfect match with our core. Totally underrated player.

[Winglish]

Bring Millsap back!

Or extend Booker.

Put out feelers on Belinelli and Danny Green.

Offer Dramond Green?

[JazzMatt13]

We need great players on bad teams, or in bad roles. Lance Stephenson was a sweet pick up. Leonard would also be one. I bet when Jazz get good, we will attract more players.


I think Hayward is a superstar but for our small market. We need pieces around him. We need all our bench guys to be good. Its gonna be another 3-4 years until our older guys get into middle of prime with savy experience, and for our noobs in 1st and 2nd year to get out and going.

Hayward is basically going to be winning us games for next 2 seasons. Hopefully our pieces pan out, cause were at tail end of adding any future rookies. With what we got, we don't really need much more. Booker and Novak are types of pieces we could upgrade. The rest the pieces are there, were just gonna want some of those accomplished stars joining us in their twilight years to help anchor us, or get some in their prime if possible.

Hayward is smart and good, but if he had a savy veteren with him all season, he could learn trades and the ropes. I think our group of guys will just learn along way, and that we don't need anyone else. I would just want to swap out Novak for someone like Vince Carter, and Booker for Paul Pierce. Not them particually but just vets to help us over learning bumps.

[jpengland]

If you look at your roster for next year:

Exum/Burke
Burks/Hood
Hayward/Novak
Favors/Booker
Gobert/??

Do you bring back Kanter? I would suggest not.

That leaves you with two 'holes' to fill in your rotation IMO. A swingman and a stretch 4 (Favors/Gobert/Stretch 4 is a nice rotation with Booker plugging the spare mins). I am guessing you also have your draft pick next year?

Who is available at th 4 or swingman positions?

UFA:

Milsap
Rudy Gay
Wesley Matthews?

Probable UFAs:

David West
Thad Young
Jeff Green
Afflalo
Greg Monroe

RFAs

Leonard - He will get matched.
Antic
Butler - Will get matched.
Tristan Thompson


If I were Jazz GM, I would throw a heck of a lot of money at Greg Monroe, a three headed monster of Gobert, Favors and Monroe would be out of this world, and then look to find a swingman in the draft and find a stretch 4 elsewhere, possibly moving Booker somewhere.

[falcon107]

Favors and Gobert cannot play together, Kanter may learn and already learning to play stretch 4, but you cannot make any of them play stretch 4.

I think for now, nothing is certain, a big uncertainty is actually named Kanter, so it is better to wait at least to the All-star break, or better to the end of the season, to decide for the next year. If Kanter shows he is able to play as stretch 4 (both defensively and offensively (he already showed offensively he is OK)), then only small changes will be needed and the necessity would be just to keep the team, if not then your scenarios may be used.

[pickIBL]

Jeff Green interests me. He'd be a good fit at the wing with alec coming off the bench.