NBA Pundit Urges Jazz to Find ‘Building Block’ This Offseason
The Utah Jazz have put themselves in a comfortable position to improve the current state of the roster in a variety of ways. Whether it be through the draft, through trade, or a free agency signing, Utah has every opportunity to make a splash in any of the above this summer.
Regardless though, the Jazz need to add at least one 'cornerstone' piece to this exciting rebuild this offseason, and that’s exactly what Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley alluded to when describing a fear for each NBA team in the coming months:
The Jazz have no excuses. No matter if they're playing for next season or farther out into the future, they need more building blocks. They have all the resources needed to make that happen, so exiting this offseason with little more than they already have would be a bummer.
- Zach Buckley on the Jazz’s need to add a ‘building block’, via Bleacher Report.
With the collection of three first round picks this year, the multitude of picks in the near future, a collection of young and veteran pieces to add to a trade, and currently over $40 million in practical cap space, Buckley is absolutely right: there are no excuses. If the NBA has shown anything, while depth is of extreme importance, superstars are what matter. Adding players that could hit an All-Star level, or even greater, is ultimately what will guide this team-building process.
While it’s never easy to bring such talent to a small market like Salt Lake City, you could argue the Jazz have the best opportunity to do this this offseason more than ever. The Oklahoma City Thunder have done similar with their acquisition of their extensive draft capital over the past few seasons. As a result, it’s put them in the best position to trade for any disgruntled superstar at a moments notice. The Jazz can follow suit.
While Lauri Markkanen made some extremely impressive strides last season, we’ve already seen concerns around the league on if he can really be a “number one” guy instead of a “number two.” Building the team around Lauri may not be the best way to construct the best team possible.:
“Lauri Markkanen is an elite No. 2 but they still need a No. 1. They need a franchise guy—a guy that is going to take the last shot—a guy that’s going to lead them where they want to go to contend for a championship.”
- Jeremiah Johnson on Lauri Markkanen’s future role in Utah, via The Bill Riley Show on ESPN 700.
While it’s much easier said than done, adding a player that can take a majority of the offensive workload, as Markkanen takes a secondary role could set the Jazz up for immense success for the future.
Danny Ainge, Justin Zanik, and the rest of the front office will have to play their cards right in order to bring back winning basketball to Salt Lake City.
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