Report: Jazz Considering Moving Out of SLC
Former Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller must be rolling in his grave. The Jazz chatter on the social media front continues to be about the possibility of the franchise being moved 20 miles south to Draper, Utah.
Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen dropped the news in a piece on Friday, stating that Jazz ownership met with Point of the Mountain leadership “about a year ago.”
Understandably, Jazz fans were taken aback by the news, with opinions all over the map. The topic came up when former Salt Lake Tribune writer Christopher Kamrani joined ESPN’s 700 The Drive with Spence Checketts to discuss the matter.
“My personal opinion is it would be a drastic mistake for a plethora of reasons,” Kamrani told Checketts. “If you’re just looking at the West Coast in the last 10 years— most baseball, NFL, [and] NBA stadiums are built within the epicenter cultural hub capital city, [the] biggest city in whatever region these teams are playing in. Just thinking of the Jazz moving to Draper—nothing against my friends that live in Draper, but Draper doesn’t scream cultural epicenter.”
This news is coming off the heels of the Salt Lake Bees relocating from downtown Salt Lake City to Daybreak after the 2024 season. At this point, it’s pure speculation, but the thought of Salt Lake City now losing the Jazz along with the Bees is a lot to take in for Utah sports enthusiasts.
Whether the Jazz take the plunge could hinge on an NHL hockey team finding its way to Utah. Kamrani drove that point home during his conversation with Checketts.
“It seems like it’s all contingent if there’s going to be a hockey team that would accompany Smith Entertainment Group, and we still have to wait and see if that’s going to happen — if any NHL team is going to reach Salt Lake City,” Kamrani said.
It’s no secret that Jazz owner Ryan Smith has aspirations of an NHL hockey team coming to Utah. Smith was asked about the possibility last month on the Pat McAfee Show.
“I’ve talked to Gary (Bettman, NHL commissioner) a bunch,” Smith said. “There’s no secret about how hockey would do there [Utah].”
It remains to be seen whether all this comes to fruition, but it appears the wheels have been put into motion. Stay tuned.
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