More Summer Q&A: Front Office Shuffle, Targeting Defense, and… a Hayward Sequel?

If the Jazz could take Hayward’s contract back from Boston, would they? (Melissa Majchrzak via celtics.com)

The offseason rolls on, which means the questions keep coming.

Jazz fans (and SCH readers) are curious how the summer will play out for Utah, especially after a season that has many people wanting to accelerate the process of elevating the club to contender status.

Once again, we’re here to help. Here are answers to the latest batch of questions submitted from the Tweeps.

The Jazz need a wing who can shoot, drive, defend, pass. Would they take back Gordon Hayward (with Terry Rozier or a pick) for Kyle Korver and cap space (relinquish all FA rights, maybe Derrick Favors re-signs for the mid-level exception)?

@JJDFB

Do you believe the Jazz would take Hayward back for the right offer? And is it worth? I mean could he be at least 70-80% of the player he was here?

@JazzNationBr

It’s an interesting thought exercise, because if you set out to design the perfect third guy to complement the Rudy Gobert-Donovan Mitchell core, Hayward would check a lot of those boxes. Can create off the dribble, but also doesn’t need the ball in his hands all the time. Big enough to play either forward spot. Can guard multiple positions. At least assuming he gets a tad nearer to his pre-injury self, he’s pretty close to the guy you’d design in a laboratory to complete the equation, right?

That said, this one is tricky from an emotional standpoint. Remember, on the day Hayward made his departure official, the Jazz’s best player sent out a video of himself singing, “These hoes ain’t loyal,” and flashing what appeared to be a middle finger. Gobert would later admit that he was hurt by how Hayward handled the free agent process, shutting out teammates and friends who viewed him “as a brother.”

So before the Jazz even sniffed around such a trade proposal, they’d want to check in with #27 to find out if he’d be amenable to a reunion. If the Stifle Tower said he was on board, then there’s no reason not to consider it, although they might prefer to first see if any of their free agent targets are interested. (It’s all an intellectual exercise anyway, I don’t think this option will be on the table.)

One quick mechanical clarification on the last part of @JJDFB’s question: the Jazz can’t use cap space AND still have their mid-level exception. They would have to relinquish their MLE to get enough cap space to make that deal, so all they’d have in the way of exceptions would be veteran minimum slots and the “Room MLE” of just under $5 million — neither of which would be enough to re-up Favors.

Do you think the Jazz prioritize barely past-prime vets that help Jazz win in the next 2–3 years (e.g. Bojan Bogdanovic, Rudy Gay, Danny Green) or upside players that match Mitchell’s growth (e.g. D’Angelo Russell, Tomas Satoransky, Jeremy Lamb)?

@zarinf

More than anything, they need another shot creator, and it has to be someone who fits in defensively — meaning he can at least hang within a team construct. That’s a hard enough combo to find that I don’t know that they’ll worry too much about timelines. It sounds like their viewpoint is that if they can add another dynamic scorer, the timeline talk grows more or less moot, because it would elevate them to contention right away. That said, most of the guys on your list probably aren’t that type of scorer anyway. Russell is, but he has some of the same efficiency leakage as Mitchell, so pairing them as your backcourt could be problematic to fielding a top-10 offense. Bojan carried the offense for a 48-win team after Victor Oladipo got hurt (21ppg on 61% true shooting after the All-Star break), so he might be capable of being the complementary dynamic scorer.

I could see the Jazz being interested in those other guys you mentioned, but only as role player upgrades. You’re not going to hire Lamb, Sato or Green to carry your offense for stretches. Gay is the only guy you mentioned who I think is legitimately on the “steep decline” portion of his career arc. Outside of him, I think any of those guys make some sense in a certain role — but their main priority is another bucket-getter.

Can the Jazz already opt in on Favors’ contract, so his salary for next season would became guaranteed and use him to match salaries in a draft night trade?

@JazzNationBr

In theory yes, but remember that his contract is not technically an “option” year, but a non-guaranteed year. Which means that in order to count his salary in trades, they’d have to actually amend the salary protection in his contract, and that requires Favors’ agreement¹. So in a strange way, Favors kind of has veto power — he can play along if he likes the proposed destination, or he can decline to amend his contract and then the Jazz can’t use his salary in trades.

That said, there’s an easy way around that — Utah could simply agree to a trade before July 7 and wait to officially consummate it until his contract is guaranteed. The only downside of that is that if any 2019 draftees are involved in the deal, it keeps them in limbo and costs them a chance to play in summer league.

Big money FAs like Kemba Walker and Tobias Harris likely mean losing Favors. Is their offensive output enough to compensate for losing the defense of both Rubio and Favors?

@shumekot

It’s a great question, and it’s why I still insist that the Jazz are not going to go after somebody who just doesn’t commit to playing team defense. They are not going to kick the tires on Jabari Parker, for example. And, to the chagrin of certain tweeps who like him, Danilo Gallinari. I have said it a number of times and people either believe me or they don’t: I don’t believe the Jazz have interest there.

Kemba is below average defensively, too, but I trust my press row friends who say that the Jazz have decided he could fit in.

Harris isn’t awful defensively. He seems to understand team schemes and is generally in the right places, though his technique can certainly improve. He isn’t as active as his coaches would probably like, both in terms of moving his feet and in terms of being in more of a D-ready stance. But I think there’s more of a coachable framework there than there is with the likes of Parker and Gallo. Basically, the Jazz want guys who are willing to improve and who have a desire to defend. If guys have that, they’ll work with them. But they’re not interested in offensive talent attached to a player who simply isn’t interested in playing at the other end. It’s why they no longer employ certain former Jazz men.

Draft isn’t that deep this year. Do you think it’s possible for the jazz to trade into the top 10?

@caaanelson

Probably not that high, just because there is a pretty established market price for trading into the top 10, and it involves assets the Jazz aren’t going to trade. I’ve tracked nearly two full decades of draft-season trades to establish a bit of a guide on what it takes to move into certain pick ranges, and a top-10 pick almost always costs you a combination of high-level starters, other lottery picks, and dumping grounds for large unwanted salaries. The Jazz’s pick is No. 23, and picks in that range just historically don’t get you into the top 10 unless it’s attached to a star player, and the Jazz aren’t trading either of their star players.

They will certainly kick the tires on trading up, but getting into the top 10 might be too high an aspiration given their asset cupboard.

Are the Miller’s willing to go over the (luxury tax threshold) to get the players they need?

@SpeechlyBrent

It’s probably moot for this upcoming season. All signs point to the Jazz operating as a cap space team this year because it’s their best chance at a major talent addition, and it’s next to impossible to go under the cap and then wind up over the tax threshold in the same season. So they won’t pay the tax this season, but that’s because it’s tactically the right way to operate, and in fact the only way to add a significant player.

Now, will they pay it going forward? We’ll find out. Indications are that this generation is more willing to go into that territory for the right type of roster, and the way the ownership is structured now in the legacy trust might make the decision-makers less beholden to generating a yearly profit than other teams with more traditional ownership set-ups. So we’ll find out, but probably not until next year at the earliest.

What would it take to get Malcolm Brogdon and are the Jazz willing to do it?

@awesomdestroyer

Brogdon is a really good player. He can defend, play both guard spots, and he is a deadly spot-up shooter who can also make a play in pick-and-roll situations. He’s not quite on the tier of “bona fide bucket-getter,” which is how I keep describing what the Jazz are really after this offseason. So I don’t know that he’s at the top of their wish list. I’m sure they’re interested, but they have a finite amount of cap room, so they might not be able to assemble an offer that would make the Bucks pass on matching, especially if they’re still trying to add another stud along the way.

Thoughts on Terrence Ross? Is he someone the Jazz could chase and does hit fit their needs and culture?

@JaredWalch

Same is true of Ross, another player I really like. He just had his best season by far, and he did it by doing a lot of things the Jazz really value: hitting open shots, being an above-average perimeter defender and more. But again — if the only addition you make is adding Ross, then you’re still putting Mitchell in positions where he doesn’t just have to carry the offense, but rather BE the offense. The Jazz want to give him some creation help, so that Ross/Brogdon tier probably won’t be their top priority.

With the Jazz being fairly conservative and predictable sometimes, which free agent pickups make the most sense? Also does (newly promoted GM) Justin Zanik change the course from what may have transpired or does Lindsey’s say go?

@LilBax

Zanik has already been a very empowered and vocal member of the Jazz brain trust, and someone who puts his extensive contact list to good use for the Jazz with agents and other execs. So from that standpoint, I think the decision-making dynamic will change too drastically as a result of his promotion. I think this was mostly about giving him the title and paycheck to match his contribution level, so that he stays with the team and doesn’t instead go hunting for the GM role elsewhere. Zanik was mentioned as a candidate in nearly every GM search so far this season and offseason, so this was about them giving him every reason to stay in Salt Lake City, but he and Lindsey are already very aligned on the broad decision-making process and on how specific personnel moves need to fit into a cultural framework. 

(Also, this might be nit-picking, but I wouldn’t necessarily describe the Jazz’s front office as being “conversative.” They’ve been aggressive, but you need at least two parties to say yes for anything to happen in the NBA.) 

Are there any solid rumors you know about? Who do the Jazz have on their target list? Such as borderline guys like Jimmy Butler, etc.

@LilBax

Mostly what you’re hearing. Most of what I hear through private scuttlebutt eventually works its way out via the people who are in a position to report that news, so I’ve mostly heard the same news and names you’ve heard. More often, the most valuable stuff I get from my well-placed buds and contacts pertains to players in whom they’re not interested — in other words, where reports of Jazz interest are overblown or completely off base.

I haven’t heard anything specifically around Butler. I’d be surprised if the Jazz got any real traction there.

That wraps another batch of offseason questions. We’ll do more of these as this pivotal summer for the Jazz continues along.