The Utah Jazz Quietly Solved a Problem That Haunted Them Last Season

Outside of the Utah Jazz's bold sign-and-trade to send Walker Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers, the team only made a handful of minor moves throughout free agency with their $15 million to spend with their full non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

And really, that was the most expected outcome that the Jazz were going to take.

Their cap space situation only allowed for a set amount of money to spend; they couldn't splurge on any big-time names and decided to make some small tweaks around the edges with multiple signings, rather than one big addition with their $15 million MLE.

But even while being one of the quieter teams in terms of spending in free agency, the Jazz still made one noteworthy signing that could turn out to pay major dividends once they get into next season, as it actually solves a big problem that's faced them not just in 2025-26, but for multiple years now.

That was their decision to bring in Josh Okogie on a two-year, $12 million deal––who will be able to make life on the defensive end a whole lot easier for this Jazz roster that's struggled in that area since their rebuild first started four years ago.

Josh Okogie Solves Major Defensive Problems for the Jazz

There's no question about it, the Jazz have had some major holes to patch up on the defensive end.

When just looking at numbers from last season, the Jazz ranked within the bottom-five of the NBA for defensive rating (122.3), field goal percentage allowed (49.4%), opposing three pointers made and three-point percentage (15.3/37.2%), and assists allowed (30.7).

Now, granted, the Jazz were without their defensive anchor of Walker Kessler in the middle, and only saw Jaren Jackson Jr. play three games that did some damage to their defensive versatility. But both of those guys are wired to be better for rim protection, rather than perimeter defnese.

And when it came to guys who were impactful in terms of their perimeter defense, the Jazz were desperately in need of adding more talent on that end.

Ace Bailey has the potential to be a solid two-way player, Keyonte George saw some defensive improvements in year three, and drafting Darryn Peterson also helps. But just those three hypothetical defenders weren't enough. The Jazz needed to add an experienced, tested, defensive-focused wing to their roster.

Oct 24, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie (20) reacts after a play during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That's where Okogie comes in, who fits that mold pretty perfectly. He's made his name in the league as a lengthy, consistent defender who can generate turnovers, guard one through three, and enters this Jazz roster as an older veteran presence that counters their developing young talent really well.

Okogie's numbers last season with the Houston Rockets were a bit lower in terms of his offensive numbers. He posted his lowest scoring average since 2022, but also shot some efficient splits at 42.5% from the field and 38.5% from three. Again, another perfect fit for this Jazz rotation that has enough volume scorers as it is.

So the Jazz now have a two-way wing to throw into their second unit who can immediately compete for big minutes because of his defensive upside, but also can stay on the floor with the spacing he provides as well. And for just an AAV of $6 million with a team option in year two, it's a low-risk, cheap way for Utah to find some much-needed balance in their rotation.

Simply put, Okogie can quickly prove to be the Jazz's best free agent signing of the offseason if he can hold his own on the defensive side of the ball while becoming someone who's well worth 15-20 minutes a game in the nightly rotation.

Be sure to follow Utah Jazz On SI on X to stay up to date with daily Utah Jazz news, rumors and analysis!

Add us as a preferred source on Google