Jazz Cautioned After Danny Ainge's Bold Statement

It's still unclear whether the Utah Jazz will be buyers this offseason.

In his post-season press conference, Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge didn’t mince words. Making the claim that Utah will be “Big Game Hunting” this offseason was a bold statement. Although adding just one player won’t make them a title contender, it was a shot in the arm to a fan base that has had the rug pulled out from under them at the trade deadline for consecutive years. 

However, is it realistic to think that Utah can land an All-Star caliber player via trade or free agency this summer? If you ask NBA Senior Writer Howard Beck of The Ringer, it might not be as simple as it seems on the surface. Beck shared his thoughts on what the market may look like if a game-changer does become available when he joined The Drive with Spence Checketts on ESPN 700.

"There's going to be a stampede, and that could be led by the [Brooklyn] Nets, who have a stockpile of picks, mostly from the [Phoenix] Suns," Beck said. "The [New York] Knicks who have all of their own picks and I think still an extra one or two laying around. The [Oklahoma City] Thunder have the biggest stockpile picks in the history of sports, and even if they’re the top seed in the West, they could combine picks and players to go get somebody. There’s going to be a lot of competition for whoever becomes available.”

Utah has the means to get in on the bidding, but being multiple players away from contending for a title, they should tread lightly before making a major commitment. Last season, it was Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard who were linked as possible additions to Utah, and this year, fans can expect similar rumblings about players with name recognition moving forward.

Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, Damian Lillard, and Dejounte Murray are some names already rumored to be potential trade candidates this summer. We know Mitchell isn’t returning to Salt Lake City, and I’m not sure the other three names make much sense, either.

Utah ranked dead last in defensive rating last season, which has much more to do with its backcourt than its frontcourt. Keyonte George and Collin Sexton were the worst defensive starting backcourt in the league using defensive rating as the metric. Although they’re both good players, something needs to change if they’re going to co-exist as Utah's future starting backcourt.. 

Utah lacks guard play that can do it on both ends of the court. Bringing a player with that skill set is much easier said than done. The good ones get long-term contracts before they get to unrestricted free-agency status. 

The NBA has put parameters in place to make it easier to keep franchise-type players from jumping ship early in their careers. That’s good for the small-market Jazz, but upgrading the roster via free agency makes it tough. Free agency is full of players past their prime, and teams still have to overpay for their services. Anything can happen, but upgrading via trade or the draft is more likely.

As much as Ainge may want to make a substantial improvement to the roster this summer, there’s still only so much he can control. According to Beck, this may not be the summer that Utah brings in an All-Star to pair with Lauri Markkanen.

“I don’t think this is the right time for the Jazz to pivot to winning," Beck said. "Because the top of the West is brutal, and it's not loosening up anytime soon." 

This may not be what Jazz fans want to hear after two tough years. The Jazz are too good to bottom out, but not good enough to be in contention for a title. Slow playing the roster for at least one more year may be the hand that Ainge is dealt this summer.

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