2023 Trade Rumors and Gossip Involving the Jazz

[Handlogten's Heros]

The minimum amount of salaries committed (without cap holds) is roughly $58 million (everyone opts out except Gay because he won’t, KO gets bought out).

If everyone already on the roster is maintained, then the salary committed is roughly $97 million.

The projected cap is $134 million, which means the salary floor would be $120.6 million (which we don’t have to get to by the start of the season). So after cap holds and whatever, the minimum amount of salary below the salary floor is about $20 million as HH alluded to. The maximum looks to be ~$50 million. Add 13.4 million to either of those as to the total amount that the team would have in cap space.

One thing to watch… Tony Jones said on his radio hit we may roll our cap space forward to next year… I don’t love it but I don’t hate it… just hope we do it while getting or improving draft assets… so taking on Victor Oladipo to swap 28 for 18 type of stuff. Or signing guys that might be good to one year deals with team options on year two. Derrick Jones Jr. Is a guy I’d look at with a 8M per year deal… depending on who we draft.

 

[Thee Idiotic Minivan K]

Honestly, if this happens I’d be disappointed but not upset with this.

If the jazz get him 9 it could be a telling sign they view the 24 season as a developmental season. And they may be looking to take back their first round pick this coming season.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

There is just so many other guys I’d rather take. I don’t even want him at 16 to be honest.

An educated guess at 16 is more palatable than at 9. If Miller was there I’d lose my **** though. It’s funny we are traveling the world to find sneaky upside guys and this guy sitting in front of our damn faces.

 

[Coach Ellis]

If the Mavs give up the 10th pick for Bogie, then our trade looks even worse than I thought it did. I still cannot believe the Jazz couldn't have gotten a first for him.

I think they could have if they’d kept him until the trade deadline, but there were some rumors at the time that after DA traded Royce, Rudy and Donovan that Bogey quietly asked for a trade to a team that would extend him instead of letting his contract expire. I sure didn’t like the trade in the moment, (I was advocating using Bogey and Conley in a Lakers deal for Westbrook at the time) - but if that’s what they Jazz did, then I’m better with it now. Bojan was a quiet warrior during his time with the Jazz, and there might not have been a better offer at the time. Still think we should’ve held out for Detroit’s 2nd round pick to make it less lopsided. . . but oh well. At least KO was entertaining.

 

[Elizah Huge]

I get where you’re coming from, but I don’t think you judge someone based on how others played before him. I’m pretty sure that Wemby kid from the same league is going to be awesome. I’m not going to discount guys who play in the French league, or Turkish league, or EuroLeague or NBL because of what other guys did before. Just like I’m not going to judge the OTE guys or Ignite guys based on what the players the past 2 years have done from those leagues.

If you scout overseas, you need to look at certain skills and athleticism. It’s pretty easy to miss on international guys (mainly because I think you usually have less info to work with), so outside of the surefire superstars (like Doncic) I think it’s best to stay out of the top 5 unless they played in college in the USA also.

I’m fine with taking Bilal as our 2nd pick in the 1st round. I don’t worry too much about numbers or opponents, etc. because my eye test tells me that he is a fluid athlete that’s still growing AND his shot looks good to me. At the wing position, you sometimes have to take a risk on your evaluation and your coach’s developmental program. If he had already shown out at the level I think he’s going to, he’d be going a lot higher IMO.

I do agree that every player needs to be evaluated on a case to case basis but what exactly does Bilal do or show that others haven’t in the past? What separates him from Ntilikina or Sekou? Sekou had the same measurables. Ntilikina was playing at a higher level at the same stage on a worse team with no Wemby taking away defenders from him.

 

[Coach Ellis]

One thing to watch… Tony Jones said on his radio hit we may roll our cap space forward to next year… I don’t love it but I don’t hate it… just hope we do it while getting or improving draft assets… so taking on Victor Oladipo to swap 28 for 18 type of stuff. Or signing guys that might be good to one year deals with team options on year two. Derrick Jones Jr. Is a guy I’d look at with a 8M per year deal… depending on who we draft.

Yuta Watanabe. That’s it. He’s the only guy I really want in free agency. Draft whoever you want. Trade for whoever you want. But add Yuta on a reasonable 3 year deal and then maintain cap flexibility moving forward. If you have the chance to opportunistically add a value guy besides him. . . go for it. But don’t blow your future cap on a middling team right on the precipice of a higher cap and unknown CBA situation.

 

[NUMBERICA]

One thing to watch… Tony Jones said on his radio hit we may roll our cap space forward to next year… I don’t love it but I don’t hate it… just hope we do it while getting or improving draft assets… so taking on Victor Oladipo to swap 28 for 18 type of stuff. Or signing guys that might be good to one year deals with team options on year two. Derrick Jones Jr. Is a guy I’d look at with a 8M per year deal… depending on who we draft.

I think rolling the space is perfectly fine and to the extent of having enough cap to do the renegotiate and extend with Lauri is basically a necessity.

I’ve been targeting dead expiring deals for a couple of months now. And guess what Monte Morris is?

(I would actually be happy to keep him if it can be done for <$10 million a season, but the optionality is useful.)

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I think rolling the space is perfectly fine and to the extent of having enough cap to do the renegotiate and extend with Lauri is basically a necessity.

I’ve been targeting dead expiring deals for a couple of months now. And guess what Monte Morris is?

(I would actually be happy to keep him if it can be done for <$10 million a season, but the optionality is useful.)

Yeah I am fine with it as plan B. In FA you generally have to try and be a player for a couple years to land someone. I just have flashbacks to the DL keep the powder dry days cc @infection … it seems appropriate in this case and I think DA and JZ will manage the cap better than DL did (though JZ was around for a couple of the dunce moves so who knows).

 

[NUMBERICA]

I think rolling the space is perfectly fine and to the extent of having enough cap to do the renegotiate and extend with Lauri is basically a necessity.

I’ve been targeting dead expiring deals for a couple of months now. And guess what Monte Morris is?

(I would actually be happy to keep him if it can be done for <$10 million a season, but the optionality is useful.)

Guess who else might be an expiring deal on the Wizards? ****ing ‘Zingis, m8.

Would the Wizards and Jazz be nutty enough to do a #28/cap space/TPE for Morris/Zingis to trade one spot in the draft?

 

[Elizah Huge]

Yuta Watanabe. That’s it. He’s the only guy I really want in free agency. Draft whoever you want. Trade for whoever you want. But add Yuta on a reasonable 3 year deal and then maintain cap flexibility moving forward. If you have the chance to opportunistically add a value guy besides him. . . go for it. But don’t blow your future cap on a middling team right on the precipice of a higher cap and unknown CBA situation.

That’s setting the bar low if that’s all you’d want and be happy with.

 

[Coach Ellis]

I do agree that every player needs to be evaluated on a case to case basis but what exactly does Bilal do or show that others haven’t in the past? What separates him from Ntilikina or Sekou? Sekou had the same measurables. Ntilikina was playing at a higher level at the same stage on a worse team with no Wemby taking away defenders from him.

I thought Sekou would be better than he was, but I didn’t really like any of the other guys that you’ve listed as your examples. Don’t like Rayan Rupert either - even though he’s playing in a different league. I see a fluidity and body control with Bilal that I didn’t see with those other guys.

My opinion is based entirely on what I project him to be able to do under Will Hardy. From all accounts, he’s a high IQ, good character kid with a great work ethic. Also a really good athlete already with a frame to add more weight to. I saw what the NBA training has done for guys like Kanter, Gobert and Giannis. With Bilal, I see exactly they type of player that I like to put out on the floor.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I just hope we are putting bids in on Cam Johnson FVV and a few others in the big fish category… it might take a couple tries to land something… the fallback of a renegotiate and extend is better than the fall back of Trevor Booker, Boris Diaw, and Favs on a one year deal (that one was better than others though).

 

[Coach Ellis]

That’s setting the bar low if that’s all you’d want and be happy with.

I hate this year’s class of free agents. I’d hate tying up future money on guys I don’t think are worth it. If there’s an opportunity to get a guy on a deal that will age well as a future asset - go for it. But I’m not overpaying anyone in this year’s free agency. Let other teams bite those bullets. I don’t want to add any guys that we’re going to want to move off their contracts a year or two later. Jazz have the assets to make a couple of big trades down the line. I don’t want to handicap the team then by making bad moves now.

 

[Elizah Huge]

I hate this year’s class of free agents. I’d hate tying up future money on guys I don’t think are worth it. If there’s an opportunity to get a guy on a deal as an future asset - go for it. But I’m not overpaying anyone in this year’s free agency. Let other teams bite those bullets. I don’t want to add any guys that we’re going to want to move off their contracts a year or two later.

This class of free agents actually isn’t bad at all. We should absolutely take a stab at getting someone like Cam Johnson.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I thought Sekou would be better than he was, but I didn’t really like any of the other guys that you’ve listed as your examples. Don’t like Rayan Rupert either - even though he’s playing in a different league. I see a fluidity and body control with Bilal that I didn’t see with those other guys.

My opinion is based entirely on what I project him to be able to do under Will Hardy. From all accounts, he’s a high IQ, good character kid with a great work ethic. Also a really good athlete already with a frame to add more weight to. I saw what the NBA training has done for guys like Kanter, Gobert and Giannis. With Bilal, I see exactly they type of player that I like to put out on the floor.

It’s fair to see toolsy athletic guys with low production from a league and compare them to toolsy low production guys coming out of the same league. Again you do your own research… but if they take Bilal and he bust you bet your *** critics in the media and otherwise will bring up how it was dumb to take a chance here given the track record.

There are plenty of red flags with Bilal. If I was betting which 4 projected lotto picks (most drafts have 4 of these guys in the lotto)bust Bilal would be top of the list. The upside is okay but it’s not Giannis imo… it’s more like Herb Jones with a little more juice?

 

[NUMBERICA]

Reaves or bust. And/or keep that cap and try to get Dejounte for a renegotiate and extend. Otherwise I’m perfectly good rolling the cap by taking dead expiring and assets this year. Even if the Jazz made some moves in free agency I think they could have space leftover to make some of those deals.

 

[Elizah Huge]

It’s fair to see toolsy athletic guys with low production from a league and compare them to toolsy low production guys coming out of the same league. Again you do your own research… but if they take Bilal and he bust you bet your *** critics in the media and otherwise will bring up how it was dumb to take a chance here given the track record.

There are plenty of red flags with Bilal. If I was betting which 4 projected lotto picks (most drafts have 4 of these guys in the lotto)bust Bilal would be top of the list. The upside is okay but it’s not Giannis imo… it’s more like Herb Jones with a little more juice?

Taking Bilal at 9 and him busting would be pretty catastrophic. To take someone like him at 9 you’d have to be pretty ****ing certain in him to do that. I’ll pass and I personally think he’s going to be a bust if he’s taken anywhere near the lottery.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

This class of free agents actually isn’t bad at all. We should absolutely take a stab at getting someone like Cam Johnson.

I don’t love it but FA classes are going to be thin with more guys extending.

If we can’t find salary dump deal with one year contracts another thing I’d consider is signing Harrison Barnes to like 25M for one year and a non guaranteed second year… if you are rolling and want to keep him you can even though it’s a one year overpay. At the deadline that’s a player that could land a first. I’d do those types of deals. I love deep FA finds… but we don’t have the roster spots for many or any of those. Go name brand on a one year deal or find a guy you think is worth MLE type money.

Bruce Brown on a long term deal is something I’m going hard at.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Reaves or bust. And/or keep that cap and try to get Dejounte for a renegotiate and extend. Otherwise I’m perfectly fine good rolling the cap by taking dead expiring and assets this year. Even if the Jazz made some moves in free agency I think they could have space leftover to make some of those deals.

I think we need to hunt for Alex Caruso type guys too. There may be some decent salary dumps this year so again I’m good there. Would also investigate the one year overpay vets that are trade assets later like Barnes.

 

[Coach Ellis]

Taking Bilal at 9 and him busting would be pretty catastrophic. To take someone like him at 9 you’d have to be pretty ****ing certain in him to do that. I’ll pass and I personally think he’s going to be a bust if he’s taken anywhere near the lottery.

I wouldn’t take him at #9, and I don’t really see the need for trading assets to move up from #16 - because of how strong my value board is up to that point. . . so, I guess I’m looking at him as just outside the lottery.