Free Agency Breakdown: Four Writers React to the Latest Jazz News

Rudy Gay is a big wing who shoots and defends. (Ronald Cortes via espn.com)

The Jazz have used the first three days of free agency to secure commitments from three veterans, starting with their own Mike Conley Jr.

A quartet of Salt City Hoops analysts came together to opine on Conley’s new deal, the other veteran acquisition in the frontcourt, and to look at what the Jazz can still do from here.

How important was keeping Conley and/or what’s your opinion on the reported 3-year, $72.5M deal?

Jake Lee: If Utah didn’t resign Conley, you’d hit your head on their ceiling. That’s no knock on fellow All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell; they’re legit stars. The fact is that in order to compete for a title in the NBA, you need multiple players who can dictate game-pace and create in an efficient manner, whatever the situation. Conley does that. It was clear that thr next best option was never going to be as good as Conley, even considering his injury problems. Don’t let the end of the season distract you from the fact that, for the bulk of last season, Mike was a wizard on offense (career-best 41.2% from 3P) and a bulldog on defense (#1 in NBA in per game +/- at +10.7).

Zarin Ficklin: Re-signing Conley was critical for contention this season. Losing Conley would have meant finding another point guard with their exception money, which probably means no Rudy Gay. With the potential net talent loss Conley probably could’ve squeezed the Jazz for a higher salary if he wanted. I’m very happy with the number, especially compared to what other guards are getting this free agency.

Mark Russell Pereira: Setting aside how good Conley is (very!), it was maximum-level important to retain Conley because of the NBA’s salary cap rules. Still operating over the salary cap (and the tax, most likely) if Conley left, the Jazz would have had zero way to replace his spot on the team at Conley’s salary level. Utah’s only options would be to find a replacement using an exception (read: no Gay signing) or at the minimum. No players willing to take that much lower level of cash could replicate Conley’s production in a meaningful way. So, Utah would have been absolutely screwed if Conley left, which is why some of us were having heartburn when it wasn’t looking so rosy.

Dan Clayton: People may still not realize just how important Conley is to the Jazz hitting their ceiling. He’s a plus defender, an elite creator, a defense-solver and a really important piece culturally. For reasons Jake, Zarin and Mark already explained, it would have been devastating for the Jazz to have lost him and had to scramble to fill that void with salary cap exceptions. The Jazz also got a deal with that number; it might not feel that way, but a look around at what other All-Star caliber guards got from their teams makes it clear that Mike wanted to be part of Utah’s near-term and medium future. 

Rudy Gay at the $5.9 million taxpayer midlevel exception ostensibly gives the Jazz a big wing upgrade. Do you like the deal?

Jake: I love Gay for three reasons. First, he defends. Last season, he ranked 11th in D-RAPTOR (+3.3), 19th in D-EPM (+2.3), and was in the 97th percentile in D-Rating On/Off Swing (-9.2). While he isn’t perfectly comfortable guarding NBA big men full time, he can do it when asked, giving the Jazz that unique stretch-5 option. They tried to unlock that with Jeff Green a couple of season ago, but this time I assume it’ll look better. Second, he can shoot the three: 38.1% from deep last year. Third, he’s a veteran: he’s played in 1009 NBA games and 19 playoff games. I like him. Obviously he’s not as good, but I think of him as a Scottie Pippen type. He can defend, pass, shoot, and lift your team.

Zarin: Love this deal. Tony Jones reported that Gay was Utah’s first choice. He was also mine in terms of realistic options for the TMLE. Gay covers everything Utah needs at this position. Length? Gay has a 7’3″ wingspan, five inches longer than Georges Niang. Shooting? Gay was arguably the best 3-point shooter on the Spurs, shooting 39% on volume despite a lack of spacing around him. I’m intrigued how his game evolves with increased 3-point frequency and more talent around him on the Jazz.

Mark: Rudy Gay is objectively some level of “pretty good”, so I think it’s hard to be anything but happy he is a Jazzman. But my favorite part of the deal is that Jones reported Gay was leaning towards signing with the Lakers (for the same contract value). I think that is a massive development for a player to choose Utah in that scenario. A pretty good player at an in-demand position chose the championship-contending small-market Utah Jazz over LeBron James and the sunshine of Los Angeles. Many, many good players are happily taking minimum or small contracts to sign with big markets, and yet Utah didn’t have to overpay to convince one otherwise. Jazz fans should be thrilled that the past few years have shown that good free agents will look Utah’s way for their next contract, when that hasn’t traditionally been the case.

Dan: Gay checks the box of everything the Jazz needed at that big wing spot. He shoots well. He can guard the ball. He can flex bigger when the Jazz face a specific type of opponent. He can even create some. Gay was one of three guys (along with Otto Porter and Danny Green) who I thought made the most sense if they could be had at the TMLE. He can switch on defense, space the floor on offense, and he unlocks some lineup versatility the Jazz have lacked in recent seasons because even their big bodies played more of a guard’s game. He has carried an offense during earlier stretches of his career, but has transitioned into being an elite role player in four seasons with the Spurs. Great get.

The signing of Hassan Whiteside at the minimum surprised everybody. What do you think about the big fella backing up Rudy Gobert?

Jake: Many are going to think this is a gamble. But I don’t. I’m glad he was still available. He’ll help the team significantly more than Tony Bradley did. On the other hand, I’m not sure he’ll help more than Favors did last year. He’s going to be hungry to prove some people wrong after a season that saw him relegated to deep bench status, but I am moderately worried for two reasons. First, I’ve heard he doesn’t have the best attitude or approach (not necessarily a team player, not very humble). Second, he’s not been extremely fleet of foot or mobile; he’s been the 7-foot guy who camps in the paint and waits. He needs to realize why somebody like Marc Gasol has won a DPOY and he hasn’t. His defensive positioning has been really bad at times. If he drops the ego, and learns from Gobert and Quin Snyder, he could really raise Utah’s ceiling. Best case is producing what Dwight Howard did from the Lakers a year ago. I’m tentatively hopeful.

Zarin: I think everyone needs a minute to process this one. Yesterday wasn’t April 1, right? For one, I think NBA beef is often overstated. Utah wouldn’t have signed Whiteside if they thought Gobert would have a problem with it. Two, I’m sure current owner Dwyane Wade, a previous teammate of Whiteside’s, weighed in on this signing — especially if there were reservations. Whiteside has started 72% of his games and can fill up a box score. He’s obviously willing to play a backup and we’ll see if Snyder can work his magic. The talent to salary ratio is good value here. I’m intrigued.

Mark: Not great! Whiteside has been objectively bad at professional basketball for some time and serves to be a personality disruption on what has been a great—but very sensitive—positive culture in the Jazz locker room. Because fans are fans, you just know that one bad day from Gobert in a loss is going to propagate not-very-smart folks calling into radio shows pining for Whiteside to start. I was also hoping that Justin Zanik would look at backup center as a chance to do something interesting and different when Gobert is not on the floor, rather than just sign another guy to act as Gobert Diète. That said, Wade’s presence in Miami helped Whiteside turn in the most amazing, productive years of his career. Wade isn’t in the locker room anymore, but maybe his presence will bring out the mercurial, hard-working aspects of Whiteside while leaving the laziness and mental lapses at home.

Dan: Because of the fervor behind the Gobert-Whiteside debates of a couple of years ago, I think some Jazz fans have overcorrected into thinking Whiteside is a bum. He’s not! We’re talking about a career 13-and-11 guy, and 14-and-12 since he returned from a couple of years overseas. He has some elite NBA skills, most notably an insane knack for rebounding the ball and a decent touch for finishing on the pick-and-roll. He is not Gobert, clearly, and his motor has historically run a little inconsistent But when he is plugged in there’s nothing he can’t do that the 2020-21 version of Favors did for the Jazz. Based just on advanced and per-possession numbers, you’d actually be hard pressed to make an argument that he’s a downgrade from Favors at all. This is really just a question of whether the Jazz can get/keep his head in the right place.

Are there any guys left you think the Jazz should target for the 14th roster spot at the minimum? 

(Note: These answers were submitted before the Jazz added Eric Paschall via trade.)

Jake: My only hope is that we pick up another player with an ability to come in and an help instantly, which means I’m looking for a veteran, not a young project. If we truly are in “win now mode,” we can’t keep picking up players like Matt Thomas.

Zarin: With the main needs met, the 14th roster spot could be used on more of a flyer. That could be Jarrell Brantley, who has tools, but needs to prove impact in meaningful minutes. That could be another defensive wing, like James Ennis, who had an outlier 3 point shooting season last year. Or could be a bigger swing for a player like Justice Winslow. I’m interested in Frank Ntilikina, who could be recast as a wing on the Jazz.

Mark: The Spurs signed the guy I was hoping for in Australian forward Jock Landale. To this end, I would much rather Utah try adding a player who has been succeeding in the international circuit, than any of the current NBA journeymen that are still available. Utah has had success with this (and, to be clear, some failures), and it would be cool to see them try again. I am no scout, but Simone Fontecchio (25 year old scoring forward) had a very nice Olympics for Italy. He’s a bit inconsistent in shooting, but can do a lot of things decently well. He also said Joe Ingles was one of his idols, to which Ingles responded “shit…I think he needs a better idol”. I would be encouraged if they gave Brantley or Forrest a real contract, as it would imply their development is going well.

Dan: We don’t know yet what Elijah Hughes, Jared Butler and Udoka Azubuike may be ready to contribute, so in case those become essentially developmental roster spots, I think the Jazz could still use one somewhat proven contributor. A lot of people are clamoring for an emergency PG option, but I’m kind of intrigued by some of the young wings on the market. Alfonzo McKinnie (recently waived by L.A. to accommodate their flurry of veteran minimum signings) and Paul Watson (waived by Toronto) are both good shooters with good wing size, but who haven’t really established themselves on defense. There’s also a possibility they could let Brantley and Morgan duke it out as a reward for their ongoing development, but then there’s a chance they have four of 14 roster spots going to players who haven’t really seen much NBA action. I think that’s a pretty big risk for a contending outfit. 

Rumors keep swirling about Joe Ingles being dealt, possibly to Golden State. What would a return have to look like for you to be OK with an Ingles-centered trade?

Jake: Nothing, or like Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, which is obviously a joke. It just would be a stupid move and an overreaction. You simply can’t trade your most efficient, lethal, and potentially most versatile offensive player on cheapish contract just because he had an okay postseason. He’s just not worth losing. Ingles gives the Jazz the extra nail in the coffin when they are hot. The space he and Bojan Bogdanovic create is second to none, and if Conley ever goes down, he can run the second unit.

Zarin: You have to think about a deal centered around Moses Moody and Eric Paschall. The Jazz could use some youth with two first round picks owed and a bevy over older wings. That said, Utah will be better this season and probably the next few with Ingles on the team instead. I don’t know enough about Moody to be instantly persuaded, and Ingles should have another great year — especially if he doesn’t have to carry as big a load this season. If a deal is expanded to grab a more defensive oriented player like Marcus Smart or Larry Nance Jr. I’d be very interested — otherwise I’d prefer to keep Joe on the team.

Mark: I don’t think it’s possible to be “OK” with a Joe Ingles trade, but something with a real, tangible benefit to the Jazz future will at least not require me to down 57 antacids. I don’t think this is in the cards, but if the Jazz trade Ingles for marginal roster production with the main goal of saving on luxury tax payments, I’ll be super upset.

Dan: Tweets by Jazz owner Ryan Smith and the uber-connected Jones in the last 24 hours may have settled those rumors down. The Jazz’s roster is going to cost them somewhere between $190 and 200 million in salary and taxes, depending on how Conley’s deal is structured year-to-year. That’s a lot. So if they did make a move involving Ingles (or Bogey, or Jordan Clarkson, or Royce O’Neale), I would certainly understand why from a financial perspective. I would hope such a transaction would yield at least a rotation-quality contributor and/or some promising young guys on future-friendly deals. But it’s still an odd time in their contention window to make deals that are motivated purey by cost. Even the Favors deal was a bit different because you can replicate most of what Favors did in that 15-mpg role at the minimum. An elite shooting 6’8″ wing with facilitation skills and above-average outcomes when guarding that ball… that’s a LOT harder to replace cheaply. Which is why I’d far prefer to keep Ingles if I were Justin Zanik and ownership was OK with the overall roster cost.