The off-season has been eventful for the Utah JazzThe roster has seen its share of changes as Jazz CEO Danny tries to renovate Utah into a contender entering year three of a rebuild.
Some of the offseason rumors made sense, while most were just smoke and mirrors. Regardless, Jazz fans have a clearer idea of what’s in store. So what were the biggest offseason stories that helped shape Utah’s roster for the 2024-25 season? Let’s take a closer look.
Ainge started the offseason with a bang, thanks to his comments about “big game hunting” at his year-end press conference. Those comments certainly got the rumor mill going, and speculation that Utah would make a big move has been circulating on social media.
Trae Young, Brandon Ingram and Paul George were among the players rumored to be signed by the Jazz. But it was all smoke and mirrors, and Utah didn’t make a single move for an All-Star caliber player.
So what does this mean for the future? Jazz fans are in for a year where player development and draft positioning should take precedence over winning basketball. It was fun to speculate that Utah was ready to make a big move, but to be fair, the Jazz are at least two years away from becoming relevant.
Most experts thought Utah was in a position to make deals before the 2024 draft. Utah had the assets to move up in the rankings, but the Jazz decided to stay put when the situation presented itself.
There’s a lot of basketball to play for, but the gut reaction was that Utah did well with its three picks. No. 10 pick Cody Williams was supposed to be at the top of Utah’s draft board, while Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski were both supposed to be long gone by the time Ainge got around to selecting.
The Jazz will now have six players from the 2023 and 2024 drafts heading into the 2024-25 campaign. We can expect plenty of player development this season going forward, which bodes well for fans rooting for Utah to fail for a top-5 pick.
It’s been a while since Clarkson and Collins were unlikely to be part of Utah’s long-term plans. It made sense for Utah to part ways with the pair this summer, but it looks like both players will be sticking around for a while longer.
Neither player has a contract that I would consider team-friendly, and both contracts don’t expire until the 2025-26 season. It’s hard to believe that either player will attract much attention on the trade market heading into next season, when their contracts are set to expire.
That could change if Clarkson or Collins can increase their market value through more consistent play on the field. However, in the meantime, we can expect both players to be rostered for the 2024-25 season unless Ainge is willing to take back a negative asset in exchange.
The biggest story of the summer was Utah’s decision not to trade Markkanen and instead re-sign its best player to a five-year, $238 million contract. Additionally, Markkanen can’t be traded during the season because the deal was signed six months before the 2025 trade deadline.
The signing was welcome news for Jazz fans and gave Utah a player to focus their rebuild on. However, the Markkanen signing raises a question heading into the new year: Can Utah reach the bottom of the standings with Markkanen on the roster?
The 2025 draft class is expected to be loaded, led by Duke University’s Cooper Flagg. Does Utah have a realistic shot at landing Flagg, or is there too much veteran talent on the roster to derail the season? Loading up with a Markkanen on the roster will be the biggest unanswered question going forward.
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