Utah's two premier frontcourt players, Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, are both set to hit restricted free agency next summer. Jefferson is earning $15MM in his walk year while Millsap is making a much more modest $7.2MM on the tail-end of a four-year, $32MM deal. The Jazz are doing just fine at the .500 mark, but the team they currently have in place isn't likely to be their first squad to appear in the Finals since 1998.
Earlier today, Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated asked if the Jazz should trade Jefferson, Millsap, both, or neither. Both writers were in agreement on what General Manager Dennis Lindsey should do – make every attempt to keep Millsap while working the phones to find a deal for Big Al. Jefferson, they argue, hasn't grown much defensively and figures to be the costlier option between the two. It's hard to really put a value on either player, however, and it'll be the open market that dictates each of their price tags. Sticking with Millsap would leave Utah with a more competent defensive presence and a tough rebounder that can complement Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors nicely. Of course, they could also jettison both before the trade deadline and completely overhaul the team once more. Or, Lindsey & Co. could go into this summer with their checkbooks in hand, hoping that neither player prices themselves out of Utah. What would your choice be?
Millsap would make sense since he’s an expiring deal but either way I think the Jazz need to cash in one of there bigs to add real depth to the team in other spots (especially at the Guards).
They would be dumb to trade either Millsap and Jefferson bring a different level to the game that can beat elite teams. E.g. the pacers and Millsap and Jefferson make them the team taht’s the most fun to watch