But Utah's best five was dominant defensively in allowing only 102.9 points per 100 possessions. The Jazz were 23rd in bench scoring last season even after adding Clarkson. The offense probably shoulders more of the blame. The Jazz had perhaps the worst bench in basketball last season. Throw any other player into the mix and things got far worse. Versions of that group with Conley were similarly dominant. The five-man group of Mitchell, Gobert, Ingles, Bogdanovic and O'Neale roasted opponents by 13.7 points per 100 possessions, besting even the vaunted Lakers' starting five featuring LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Jazz had the best five-man lineup in the Western Conference last season by net rating that played at least 300 minutes. With one major salary slot left to use, do they re-sign Clarkson, or chase a mid-level addition? There isn't a clear answer. We'll explore both scenarios, but for the moment, it's probably safer to assume that Utah ducks the tax for now. A raise for Gobert could do further damage, and if they need to commit multiple years to either Clarkson or a mid-level target (or, possibly, both), they start to flirt with the repeater tax down the line. On the other, Donovan Mitchell's rookie extension, which will almost certainly be for the max, kicks in for the 2021-22 campaign, erasing a good chunk of those savings. That's well over $40 million off the books. On the one hand, Conley, Davis and Bradley all expire next offseason. If we assume he lands somewhere in the "willing, but unenthusiastic" camp, the Jazz have to make an honest assessment of their future finances before deciding how heavily to invest in this season. Projecting Utah's thought process on the tax isn't possible without knowing Smith's priorities as an owner. The Jazz face the same question so many other small-market playoff teams are contending with this offseason: Can they pay the tax? At present, they have around $12.6 million below the projected line, but that does not account for Jordan Clarkson, a possible usage of the mid-level exception or the three total roster spots that still need to be filled. Non-taxpayer mid-level exception (Year 1) Under the assumption that the 2019-20 numbers will be used, these are the pertinent numbers for these projections. A frozen cap is the likeliest outcome of negotiations between the league and the NBPA, but these numbers could theoretically change in either direction. That includes previously agreed-upon numbers like the rookie scale and the minimum salary. One note before beginning: We will be using Spotrac for player salaries, and 2019-20 cap numbers for this exercise as a whole. This offseason preview will explore both possibilities and set a blueprint for their best possible offseason. They might take a step back and recalibrate the team around Donovan Mitchell's coming prime. The Jazz might believe enough in the playoff run they almost had to try to improve upon it this offseason.
How much are they willing to spend to build on season that almost ended very differently?Īfter a surprising sale of the team to tech billionaire Ryan Smith, we have no precedent to base our answers off of. Can the Jazz afford to bring him back? Does it make sense in basketball terms? They are already close to the luxury tax line before building any semblance of a bench.
Rudy Gobert is 28 years old, one season removed from free agency and eligible for a supermax extension. Instead, they're facing the same existential questions every small-market team faces after years of playoff disappointment. If Mike Conley makes that fateful game-winning 3-pointer at the end of Game 7, maybe the Jazz are the team building off the momentum of back-to-back battles against the Los Angeles juggernauts right now.
This was the difference between the Utah Jazz leaving the bubble after the first round and the Denver Nuggets going on a feel-good run to the Western Conference finals.