Biggest Winners and Losers From the Utah Jazz's Free Agency

The Utah Jazz's offseason seems to have wrapped up as it relates to big roster moves at this point in the summer. They've signed on 15 players to their active roster, made some moves in free agency––both big and small––and could jump right into the 2026-27 regular season right now if they had to.

So now tends to make for a good time to take a step back and see how the roster stands after the dust has settled from their changes made around the rotation.

And with that in mind, there are a select few guys around the Jazz roster who have seen their stock both on the rise and falling just a bit after the moves this front office has made throughout the last three weeks.

Let's sort through a couple of big winners and losers following how the Jazz's free agency has panned out:

Winner: Jusuf Nurkic

Jan 7, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkić (30) reacts after a call against him during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nurkic was already going to be considered a winner of the Jazz's free agency because of the new deal he signed to re-up on a two-year, $22 million contract. That's a nice payday for the veteran big man that keeps him at home in Utah like he was vocal about being interested in at the end of last season.

But now with Walker Kessler out of the mix, Nurkic becomes the clear starting center in Utah's rotation, as opposed to simply being the backup five like he was projected to be a little less than a month ago.

Nurkic will have to key in on his offensive efficiency and his defensive consistency in order to retain that starting spot for the long term, and we'll see how realistic that actually ends up being. But for now, Nurkic will be plugged into the Jazz's starting frontcourt with Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., which is pretty good company to pair next to.

Loser: Svi Mykhailiuk

Mar 28, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Utah Jazz guard Svi Mykhailiuk (10) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Svi Mykhailiuk was a frequent piece of the Jazz's rotation this past season, having played a career-high 23.1 minutes per game through the 50 appearances he had before he was phased out of the rotation towards the tail end of the year––really for being deemed a bit too much of a winning player for Utah's tanking endeavors.

There's a good chance Mykhailiuk finds a similar rotational role this next season. The Jazz guaranteeing his contract before free agency proves that, which might even make him a winner of Utah's free agency, all things considered.

However, adding Josh Okogie into the mix inevitably brings direct competition to his spot on the wing, and might threaten some of his minutes due to Okogie's impact as a high-level defender while still being a connector on the offensive end like Mykhailiuk is.

Winner: Kyle Filipowski

Mar 28, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Filipowski was someone who didn't exactly have a clear spot in the rotation for as long as Kessler was expected to return to the roster. Kessler and Nurkic had the upper hand to slide in at center, and Jaren Jackson Jr. plus Cody Williams and his defensive upside, left Filipowski at a bit of an awkward fit.

But now, being without Kessler opens up a ton of opportunity for Filipowski to play at center, where he's not exactly a perfect positional fit for, but could certainly make it work with his combination of size and offensive versatility.

It also helps Filipowski's case to get playing time when factoring in that the competition the Jazz added for their frontcourt depth was centered around Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba. Unless Utah really likes Hayes' interior scoring or Bamba's rim protection, Filipowski has a much better chance to get minutes than both.

Loser: Jazz's Playoff Chances

Mar 28, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy reacts against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Jazz's chances to make the postseason are far from zero even after the departure of Kessler. Especially if their young players like Ace Bailey or Darryn Peterson come alive quicker than expected, then a top-eight seed is well within play by the time we get to April.

But there's no question that while trading Kessler does help their future outlook and flexibility, losing him does take a big hit to their ceiling for next year. While they were once viewed as a scary and real dark horse to make a run to a top-six seed, the Jazz would have to overachieve pretty significantly to make it that far up the standings without him.

Again, with two All-Stars in the frontcourt, an emerging star in the backcourt, and a pair of top five picks from the last two drafts, the Jazz have a better case to make the playoffs than they've had in years. But they'll just need a few more factors to fall their way in order to truly reach the top half of the West standings than where they were at before.

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