Biggest need Jazz must still address in 2024 NBA free agency
07/05/2024 09:30 PM
A lot of teams have been busy this offseason, but when it comes to the Utah Jazz, they haven’t done much during 2024 NBA free agency. They had a solid draft but haven’t made any moves yet outside of that. They reportedly tried to make a deal for Mikal Bridges, but lost that sweepstakes. Lauri Markannen’s name has been out there as a potential trade candidate, but that hasn’t happened yet.
It’s indicative of the biggest need this offseason for the Jazz to address during 2024 NBA free agency: a direction for their roster.
What do the Jazz want to be?
Utah has proven they can be competitive if they want to be. Markannen was an All-Star in 2022-23 and has averaged at least 23 points and eight rebounds in each of the last two years. The Jazz have also gotten off to hot starts as a team in that span. They were 26-26 before the trade deadline this season and 27-26 after February 1st last year.
And yet, the Jazz don’t have anything of substance to show from those two campaigns. They folded the tent each time, ending those seasons with a combined 15-44 record. The process for that decision isn’t even necessarily flawed. Utah wasn’t good enough in either round to make legitimate noise in the playoffs, and lottery suits better suit them in this stage of their rebuild.
But if Utah wants to rebuild, why do it this way? Their fans and followers know that they are good enough to make a run at the postseason if they wanted to. Utah’s slew of young players would benefit greatly from the experience of playing in high-stakes games, even if the odds are against them of winning those games. With a player as good as Markkanen, it can’t hurt to at least try.
Utah, at least, was able to land two highly touted prospects in the lottery with their first round picks the last two years. Taylor Hendricks received comparisons to Jaren Jackson Jr. and Chet Holmgren in his lone season at UCF. Cody Williams has the look of a potential three-level scorer on the wing. Add them with the likes of Keyonte George, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton and there’s a lot to get excited about in Utah.
Lag for Cooper Flagg?
The Jazz are kind of stuck in the mud right now. They have a tantalizing core of young players they can build around, but a player like Markkanen makes them too good to tank. Perhaps that’s a reason why Markkanen, along with his skill and contract, has been so coveted by teams around the league. The Jazz have to choose at some point what they want to be.
The decision may come this offseason and tilt towards falling to the very bottom of the league. For as good a player as Markkanen is, he isn’t a top 10-15 player, and probably will never be. Utah isn’t good enough around him to make a deep playoff run. On top of that, he is entering the final year of his contract. Does Utah want to pay him a max contract, and does Markkanen even want to stay there?
It’s these sort of questions that could prompt the Jazz to trading him from their roster this offseason. There’s also another reason for Utah to consider dealing him. His name is Cooper Flagg.
Cooper Flagg over VJ Edgecomb in City of Palms Final
Flagg gets 21-14-3, 5 stocks with usual mix of shotmaking, athleticism/motor, passing IQ. Most interchangeable/versatile prospect since ?
20 for VJ, first step a huge advantage creator. Shotmaker. Encouraging passing flashes pic.twitter.com/GGgeUoXxC0
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) December 27, 2023
The 2025 NBA Draft is considered to be a very good one, with Flagg as the headliner of the group. If ever there was a time for a rebuilding team like the Jazz to plummet to the bottom of the league, now would be it. They won’t get a shot at a potential franchise cornerstone like him very often. And he isn’t the only one in this class.
The bright side for the Jazz is that they have plenty of young talent on their roster. They know those players are good and can be very good. But continuously bowing out of competition in the middle of the year isn’t the best thing for them or their franchise as a whole. They need to choose what they want to be. A clear direction is the biggest need the Jazz have to accomplish during the offseason and 2024 NBA free agency.
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