3 Paths Exec Danny Ainge Could Lead Jazz Down in 2022-23
Utah Jazz Nation might still be recuperating from the shock of fan-favorite Rudy Gobert playing in a different uniform next year, but this doesn't mean executive Danny Ainge is done dealing this offseason.
Even after Friday's big move, deciphering where exactly the Jazz are headed isn’t clear. Let's take a look at three different paths Ainge could take the Jazz going into the 2022-23 season.
Path 1: Full Tank Mode
We're talking about a full-blown fire sale in this option. Trading Donovon Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic before the season would all but guarantee a bottom-five team heading into the 2023 draft lottery.
This would put the Jazz in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, giving them a 10%-14% chance of landing what may be the most talked about NBA prospect since Lebron James. Now the odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick would still be stacked against the Jazz, but it would be a 100% game changer if the ping pong balls were to bounce their way.
Also, it's hard to predict exactly what Mitchell and friends could bring back in draft capital via trade, but it would be momentous.
Path 2: One in the Hand Worth Two in the Bush
In this option, the Jazz wouldn't be making any more trades this offseason. They'd be holding onto all three of their 2023 first-round picks and rebuilding brick by brick.
Ainge would keep Mitchell, knowing that he's got a superstar under team control for at least three more years, because tanking doesn't guarantee anything.
Going into the 2023 draft with two more years of Mitchell under team control, three first-round draft picks, and plenty of cap space to build around their superstar would be the end game for Utah in this scenario.
Path 3: Put All Chips Down on 2022-23
The Jazz can still take the assets that they received in the Gobert exchange and parlay that into another All-Star to play with Mitchell. The former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton will most likely be playing for a new team next year.
Could that be what Ainge has been looking to do since day one? In the wake of an Ayton acquisition, the Jazz's starting lineup in 2022-23 could look something like this:
- Donovon Mitchell
- Malik Beasley
- Bojan Bogdanovic
- Jared Vanderbilt
- Deandre Ayton
It looks like a team that could make some noise, but in my opinion, this would be the least likely path that Ainge would take. At the least, the Jazz are either headed towards a mini-rebuild or full-blown tank mode, but I'm not taking playing for this year off the table just yet.
Jazz Nation’s opinions are spread across all three paths, so we'll have to wait and see where Ainge leads Utah heading into the new season.
Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.
