Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz agreed to a deal with veteran center Hassan Whiteside on Tuesday, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Whiteside didn't make a huge impact for the Sacramento Kings last season, appearing in 36 games and averaging 8.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 15.2 minutes per contest. He largely served as Richaun Holmes' backup, a role he'll reprise in the 2021-22 campaign but with Rudy Gobert.

Despite having a star in De'Aaron Fox, an exciting young prospect in Tyrese Haliburton, the talented but often underwhelming Marvin Bagley III and solid veterans in Harrison Barnes and Holmes, the Kings underachieved yet again last season, limping to a 31-41 record that wasn't even good enough to qualify them for the play-in tournament.

That left them in the lottery once again, extending a playoff drought that has lasted for 15 years.

Whiteside wasn't the main culprit in that disappointment, but the Kings may have felt they could get his minutes and production elsewhere at the backup center position and didn't bring him back.

The days of him being a double-double machine are likely over, but Utah is banking on him being a solid piece off the bench with Gobert already entrenched as the primary big man.

Veteran forward Rudy Gay has agreed to a two-year, $12.1 million contract with the Utah Jazz in free agency, agents Raymond Brothers and Sam Permut told Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. 

The deal includes a second-year player option.

Gay spent the past four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. He was a crucial piece for head coach Gregg Popovich who provided scoring and rebounding help when his starters needed a rest. 

As the Spurs continue to build around their young core, keeping a 34-year-old didn't seem to make much sense. Gay will be of more value to a contender like the Jazz.

While he's no longer the dynamic offensive player he was at his peak, the UConn alum has carved out a niche as a valuable role player in the latter stage of his career. He averaged at least 10.8 points per game every season with the Spurs primarily coming off the bench. 

Gay averaged 11.4 points per game while shooting 38.1 percent from deep in 63 games in 2020-21. 

The Jazz will be counting on Gay to continue playing at that level as they look to build on their success from this past season, during which they went a Western Conference-best 52-20 before being ousted in the second round. It's a low-risk, high-reward addition for Utah. 

Veteran point guard Mike Conley reportedly is set to stay with the Utah Jazz. 

According to Tony Jones of The Athletic, the team and Conley are "expected to finalize a three-year deal" to keep him in Utah. 

Conley, 33, played well when healthy in the 2020-21 season with the Jazz, averaging 16.2 points and six assists per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and a career-high 41.2 percent from three.

Injuries cost him 21 games of the regular season, however, and five games in the postseason. The Jazz were 4-2 in playoff games he appeared in, but lost in six games to the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference Semifinals, going 2-3 in the games he missed in that series. 

Retaining Conley to a core group that includes Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert—with key role players in Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson—would keep the Jazz in the running atop the Western Conference. 

There are questions about the ceiling of that group, however. Can the Jazz compete with the healthy versions of the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns? Can they add some perimeter defenders for the postseason, when teams force Gobert to defend out of the perimeter and away from the paint, limiting his impact as a rim-protector? 

Mitchell will continue to improve and evolve as the team's top scoring option. But it's fair to question if a defensive-minded center like Gobert can be the second-best player on a championship team.

Perhaps a healthy Conley would have cured Utah's ills against the Clippers this postseason. They certainly wouldn't be better without him going forward. His return is logical. But the moves the Jazz make around their core this offseason will be important as well. 

The Utah Jazz have reportedly made re-signing point guard Mike Conley, an impending unrestricted free agent, the "top priority" of their offseason.

NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote Friday that the Jazz are "preparing" a three-year contract offer worth around $75 million for the 2020-21 All-Star selection.

Conley was one of the driving forces behind Utah finishing with the NBA's best record during the regular season at 52-20. He averaged 16.2 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 threes and 1.4 steals across 51 appearances. He ranked fourth among qualified point guards in ESPN's Real Plus-Minus.

The Jazz went on to reach the second round of the playoffs before getting knocked out by the Los Angeles Clippers in six games.

In February, the 33-year-old Ohio State product told Tony Jones of The Athletic he hoped to remain with the organization despite a potential foray into free agency:

Utah's got me. I was talking about this to my wife recently. We love it here. I don't think I can go anywhere else that plays the way we play. We'll see this offseason, because when that time comes there will definitely be a lot of chatter. But, from where I sit right now, this team is so unique, in the way we play. And everyone has bought into what we want to do on both ends of the floor.

Conley has spent the past two seasons with the Jazz after playing the first 12 years in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Utah already has two of its core pieces, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, locked up for the long haul and has a trio of role players (Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles) under contract for at least one more year. Re-signing Conley would allow the team to run it back with hope of better postseason results.

Clarkson is capable of stepping into the starting lineup if Conley were to leave. But the team would have to find a backup point guard, and its bench, which ranked eighth in the NBA by averaging 38.9 points in 2020-21, would likely take a hit.

In turn, it's no surprise the Jazz have made Conley's new deal a priority, and it is unlikely he will ultimately land elsewhere once the market opens Monday.

The Utah Jazz reportedly traded veteran center Derrick Favors and a future first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday in exchange for a future second-round pick, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Utah creates financial flexibility with the deal by removing Favors' three-year, $29.2 million contract from its books. He's set to carry a $9.7 million cap hit for the 2021-22 season.

The 30-year-old had a solid season for the Jazz in 2020-21, averaging 5.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and a block per game in 68 total appearances. He was relegated to a role off the bench and appeared in just 15.3 minutes per contest, serving as a solid backup for defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert.

The Jazz had a solid +2.6 net rating with Favors on the court, per NBA.com, which is a pretty solid mark for a backup center, especially one backing up the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. 

Financial considerations may have come into play, however, given he was due $9.7 million this upcoming season and has a $10.1 million player option for the 2022-23 season he'll almost assuredly exercise. 

For the cap-strapped Jazz, using that chunk of money in other areas of the roster apparently became the priority. 

They'll now likely roll with youngster Udoka Azubuike as the backup center or further address the position in free agency. Favors is something of a Jazz legend, playing 10 seasons for the team. But his time ran out in Utah. 

Meanwhile, Favors will likely be penciled in as OKC's starting center at this stage of the offseason.

Baylor star Jared Butler is headed to the Utah Jazz after they picked the guard with the No. 40 pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

             

Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report

Player: Jared Butler

Position: PG/SG

Height: 6'3"

Pro Comparison: Malcolm Brogdon

Scouting Report: Butler returned as a junior to improve his shooting, passing and defense while leading Baylor to a national championship. He's become well-rounded, skilled and versatile enough for scouts to look past his athletic limitations.

             

Jazz Active Roster and Average Salary (Expiration Year)

Rudy Gobert, C: $41M (2026)

Donovan Mitchell, SG: $32.6M (2026)

Bojan Bogdanovic, SF: $18.3M (2023)

Joe Ingles, SF: $13M (2022)

Jordan Clarkson, SG: $12.9M (2024)

Derrick Favors, C: $9.7M (2023)

Royce O'Neale, SF: $9M (2024)

Udoka Azubuike, C: $2M (2024)

Miye Oni, SG: $1.4M (2022)

Matt Thomas, SG: $1.4M (2022)

Elijah Hughes, SF: $1.2M (2022)

      

Free Agents

Mike Conley, PG: UFA

Georges Niang, SF: UFA

Eryan Ilyasova, SF: UFA

Juwan Morgan, SF: RFA

Jarrell Brantley, PF: RFA

Trent Forrest, SG: RFA

            

The 20-year-old guard helped lead Baylor to its first national championship this season, heading the team with 16.7 points per game. He added 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 41.6 percent from three-point range.

Butler scored 22 points with seven assists in the title game victory over Gonzaga and was a key part of the Bears' success on both ends of the court throughout the year.

The Utah Jazz would reportedly consider trading Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Ingles if they could find a major upgrade for their roster.

Matt Moore of The Action Network reported Bogdanovic and Ingles have been "bandied about as available" in trade talks. The team is also reportedly "eager" to move on from Derrick Favors.

Utah is coming off a sensational regular season, earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. However, the team has continually come up short in the postseason. The Jazz were shockingly eliminated by a Clippers team without Kawhi Leonard in the second round this year and have not made it past Round 2 in the Donovan Mitchell-Rudy Gobert era.

"Obviously, we had higher expectations than losing in the second round, so it's painful," Gobert told reporters in June. "You try to ask yourself the right questions and try to think what we can do so it stops happening."

Short of trading Gobert or Mitchell—moves that are not happening anytime soon—trading Bogdanovic and Ingles are the biggest ways the Jazz can reshape their roster. 

Bogdanovic has two years and $37.8 million remaining on his contract. Ingles is heading into the final year of his deal, which pays him $12.4 million. Both are 30-plus and non-defenders, so it would seem the Jazz would prioritize an athletic wing who can knock down shots in any trade talks.

Both are both excellent role players who could help any team around the league, so the Jazz shouldn't be short of offers. However, it seems unlikely either would return the type of player who can help Utah take a leap in the playoffs without a sweetener attached.

The Jazz are also going to spend their offseason prioritizing retaining Mike Conley, who has expressed an openness to returning but told reporters he looks forward to testing free agency for the first time.

After posting the NBA's best record during the 2020-21 regular season, the Utah Jazz reportedly hope to bring their top free agent back. 

Per Tony Jones of The Athletic, the Jazz "will make every attempt" to re-sign All-Star point guard Mike Conley this offseason. 

Utah is in a tricky financial position heading into free agency. The team signed Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert to max extensions last offseason that will go into effect for the 2021-22 season. 

Spotrac estimates that Mitchell and Gobert will combine to account for $63.4 million of next season's salary cap. The Jazz have $133.3 million in total salary commitments for 2021-22 before factoring in a possible Conley extension. 

The luxury-tax threshold for next season is projected to be $136.6 million, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Jones did note a Conley extension would make the Jazz "an expensive roster next season," but the front office isn't likely to let that stop them. They don't have many viable alternatives for their starting point guard. 

Conley told Jones in February that he wants to stay in Utah: 

"I was talking about this to my wife recently. We love it here. I don't think I can go anywhere else that plays the way we play. We'll see this offseason, because when that time comes there will definitely be a lot of chatter.

"But, from where I sit right now, this team is so unique, in the way we play. And everyone has bought into what we want to do on both ends of the floor."

The Jazz acquired Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies in July 2019. The 33-year-old had a fantastic 2020-21 season, averaging 16.2 points and 6.0 assists per game in 51 regular-season starts. He also shot a career-high 41.2 percent from three-point range. 

A hamstring injury kept Conley out for the first five games of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Clippers. He did return for Game 6, but he managed only five points on 1-of-8 shooting and had six turnovers in 26 minutes. 

Utah earned the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 52-20 record in the regular season.     

Dwyane Wade, who joined the Utah Jazz ownership group this season, reportedly has concerns about Donovan Mitchell's long-term future with the franchise.

"I do think that Dwyane Wade, who [governor Ryan Smith] brought in to be a co-owner but also be an advisor, is seriously concerned about Donovan Mitchell’s desire to stay there long-term," ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on the Hoop Collective podcast.

Mitchell's $195 million contract extension does not kick in until next season, so Wade's level of worry can likely stay at a minimum for now. 

Mitchell's leverage, should he want a trade, will begin kicking in around the summer of 2023. He'll be about halfway through his contract and could indicate he has no plans on re-signing once he can hit free agency in 2025 via his player option.

That would give the Jazz around a two-year window in which trading Mitchell would still bring back elite young talent and draft picks.

That said, the clock on a star's time in an NBA small market is always ticking. Damian Lillard's supermax extension with the Trail Blazers doesn't kick in until next season, and there is already handwringing in Portland about his future given the team's postseason struggles.

Mitchell could be in a similar situation in Utah if the Jazz continue to fall short. Utah has not gotten past the second round of the playoffs in Mitchell's career.

There are increasingly legitimate concerns about whether Mitchell and Rudy Gobert can actually compete at a championship level together.

Gobert also received a new five-year max contract in December, so the Jazz are locked into this core for better or for worse. 

Utah Jazz executive vice president Dennis Lindsey is stepping down from that position and moving into an advisory role with the organization, he announced on Sunday night. 

Dennis Lindsey, who will become an advisor to the Jazz, has confirmed and shared a statement: pic.twitter.com/wU3weLiu5j

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 28, 2021

Statement from Dennis Lindsey to The Athletic: I love Utah, Salt Lake City and the Utah Jazz. My personal and financial interest are all in line with the Jazz being great. I am moving from a leadership role to an advisory role. That's the only difference

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) June 28, 2021

Tony Jones of The Athletic reported that former Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge could be "in play" for the Jazz, "but if he comes into the front office, it won't be to lead the front office. Justin Zanik is the guy."

This signals what could be a major front office shakeup for the Jazz, League Sources tell The Athletic https://t.co/vlV9mQZAho

— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) June 28, 2021

Ainge stepped down from his post with the Celtics this offseason after the team went a disappointing 36-36 and was eliminated from the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. 

Earlier in June, The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor said on The Ryen Russillo Podcast (6:30 mark) that Ainge would be interested in working for the Jazz or Portland Trail Blazers, though he added that "Utah won't hire him."

It seems unlikely that Ainge would join the Jazz in a role underneath Zanik after years of being the top shot-caller in Boston's front office. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Zanik "will continue to run day-to-day basketball operations as GM, which he's done since Lindsey's promotion to EVP in 2019."

Nonetheless, there is buzz connecting Ainge to Utah:

I think Danny Ainge is going to be running the Jazz in the semi-near future. Just wanted to get on the record with that.

— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) June 28, 2021

Ainge, 62, took over as Boston's executive director of basketball operations in 2003 and was promoted to president of basketball operations in 2008 following his acquisition of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and the team's championship in the 2007-08 season. 

He also pulled off one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history in 2013, trading the aging Garnett and Paul Pierce, among others, to the Brooklyn Nets in a deal that netted Boston the Nets' first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018 and first-round pick swap rights in 2017. That trade directly led to the Celtics picking Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the two current building-blocks of the organization. 

And he landed Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn's 2018 first-rounder in 2017, a deal that was heavily lopsided in Boston's favor (even if Irving's tenure in Boston was short-lived and dysfunctional). 

But Ainge was also criticized later in his Celtics tenure for failing to pull the trigger on trades for superstar players that might have taken the Celtics over the top and won them another championship. And moves like signing Kemba Walker to essentially replace Irving didn't pay dividends and resulted in the Celtics giving up a 2021 first-round pick to ship off Walker's huge contract to the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason. 

Nonetheless, Ainge may resurface with another NBA team this offseason. In totality, his resume is impressive. It remains to be seen if the Jazz will come calling, however.