Off-Season Grade: Utah Jazz

The Jazz are rebuilding, setting themselves up for the summer of 2014.

Following a season in which Utah almost dethroned (is that the right word?) the Lakers for the 8th seed in the West, the Jazz are now looking to rebuild following the exodus of veteran big men Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap. Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter will now be given the reigns to take over the Utah front court, which most agree should work out, particularly in regards to Favors. Beyond those two, Utah also made moves that have put them in a good position for next summer.

Trades

The Jazz made some draft night trades, and I’ll get to those, but the one to focus on here is the three team trade involving Utah, Golden State, and Denver, headlined by Andre Iguodala to Golden State. For the Jazz, they sent Kevin Murphy to the Warriors and Randy Foye to the Nuggets in exchange for cash (because we all love cash) and a 2018 2nd round pick from Denver, along with Richard Jefferson, Andris Biedrins, Brandon Rush, a 2014 1st round pick, 2016 second round pick, and 2017 first and second round picks. Yes, I’m still processing it all as well.

Here’s the thing though, Utah made out pretty well. Richardson, Biedrins, and Rush are all expiring deals, so no matter how useless Beidrins and Jefferson are at this point in their careers they are off the books going into an enticing 2014 offseason. Rush is the one player worth noting; before he tore his ACL last November he was creating a decent niche for himself as an outside shooter, hitting 45% percent from the three point line two seasons ago, while averaging 9.8 points in 26.4 minutes a game. If he’s healthy this year, and still connecting around that 45%, he may be worth bringing back.

The acquired draft picks are both intriguing and slightly amusing. The 2014 first will likely be late, but there’s no harm in acquiring draft picks if you’re rebuilding. The later picks, particularly the 2017 and ’18 picks are another thing. Trading picks that won’t matter for another three of four years always make me laugh, because they often become afterthoughts. Does anyone remember San Antonio owns a 2016 second round pick from Charlotte after they traded Theo Ratliff for it in 2010? The 2018 pick will work much the same way, though the 2017 first could have an unforeseen impact depending on the current state of the Warriors in three years. In a way, these picks are Utah’s way of saying, “Look at all this stuff we got!” Still, as I stated earlier, Utah made out pretty well here, and for that I give them a thumbs up.

Grade: B+

Free Agency

The Jazz signed John Lucas to a 2 year, roughly $3.2 million deal to back up Trey Burke, since Mo Williams left for Memphis. Lucas is okay, but what happens if Burke gets hurt or doesn’t play well? Are the Jazz prepared for John Lucas as their starting point guard? Apparently so, but things could get dicey here, even for a team that’s preparing to lose a lot of games.

The team made no other free agent signings, but considering they preparing for next offseason, it didn’t make sense to spend a lot this summer. Still, they are leaving themselves a little thin in other areas, particularly the front court.

Grade: C-

Draft

They drafted Shabazz Muhammad 14th, and Gorgui Dieng 21st, and then sent them both to the Timberwolves for Trey Burke. A trade that makes sense for both teams, for Utah it means acquiring the best point guard in the draft. Burke could be really good, and is going to get plenty of playing time to adjust the NBA.

They drafted Erick Green in the 2nd round at 46, and traded him plus cash to the Nuggets for Rudy Gorbert (I assume Denver was simply borrowing the money since they would send cash back to Utah in the three team deal). Gorbert is from France, is really tall, and incredibly raw. I liked what I saw in Summer League, he showed more offensive skill than I anticipated he would, and moved up and down the court well. Still, he’s years away from making an NBA impact, but giving up a second round pick is worth taking the chance on him.

They also traded a 2015 second round pick to the Hawks for rookie point guard Raul Neto. Neto is Brazilian, and gained a lot of attention after becoming the youngest player to play for the Brazilian National Team in 2010. Because he has one year remaining on his deal with Spanish team Lagun Aro GBC, he will play out his contract for them before making his debut in the NBA. This seems to be the best case scenario for everyone, considering Utah will have enough growing pains as it is.

Grade: A

Summary:

Considering the Jazz lost their two best players to free agency, the team faired well this summer. They acquired a lot of picks, expiring contracts, and the best point guard in the draft. They are a little thin at certain positions, which could cause some headaches, but ultimately this year is all about player development. How Burke, Favors, Kanter, and Gordon Hayward develop this year in starting roles will give a more accurate outlook for the team long term, but right now suffering in the wins column for one season could be worth it depending on what the Jazz do next summer.

Overall Grade: A-

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Statistics referenced from Basketball-Reference and Hoops Hype