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2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Utah Jazz

For a second straight year, the Jazz finished the regular season with a strong home stretch after an up-and-down first half. And for a second straight year, they ran into the Rockets in the playoffs, unable to mount a serious threat against James Harden‘s squad. With the current squad having perhaps reached its ceiling, the Jazz will likely look to make some changes to their roster this summer.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Jazz financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000

Offseason Cap Outlook

  • Maximum cap room projection: $38.9MM
  • This projection takes into account Utah’s seven players on fully guaranteed salaries, O’Neale’s non-guaranteed salary, and the cap hold for their first-round pick. It also assumes that Korver is waived and stretched.
  • The Jazz could end up with significantly less cap room. If Favors is retained, for example, his cap hit would reduce Utah’s cap space by nearly $17MM. Retaining other non-guaranteed players like Neto and Niang would further cut into that space. If the Jazz were to waive-and-stretch Korver but retained Favors, Neto, and O’Neale, they’d have $20.8MM in cap room.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Room exception: $4,760,000 6

Footnotes

  1. Favors’ salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 6.
  2. Korver’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 7.
  3. Neto’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 6.
  4. The salaries for two-way players don’t count against a team’s cap, but their cap holds do during the offseason.
  5. McCree can’t be used in a sign-and-trade deal.
  6. This is a projected value. In the event the Jazz remain over the cap, they’d instead have access to the full mid-level exception ($9,246,000), the bi-annual exception ($3,619,000), and their lone trade exception ($3,976,515; expires 11/29/19).

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Zanik Says Front Office Knows 'What We Need To Do'

  • New Jazz GM Justin Zanik believes that continuity within the organization will get it to the next level, as he told Ryan McDonald of the Deseret News. Zanik was promoted from assistant GM last week. “We have a very experienced front office and we know what we need to do,” he said, “so however we get that done, we’re going to do it together and continue to just keep pushing forward with the Jazz to keep us on this championship-competitive path.”

Suns, Bulls, Pacers To Make Runs At Rubio?

Jazz Rework Front Office, Promote Lindsey, Zanik

1:50pm: The Jazz have officially confirmed Lindsey’s and Zanik’s promotions.

1:36pm: The Jazz are making some changes to their front office structure, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that longtime general manager Dennis Lindsey will be promoted to executive vice president of basketball operations. An official announcement is expected from the team as soon as Friday.

With Lindsey vacating the general manager job, assistant GM Justin Zanik will be elevated to that position, per Wojnarowski.

While Lindsey had already been the team’s de facto head of basketball operations, it’s becoming increasingly common for NBA teams to assign a title besides general manager to that top executive. Zanik, Utah’s new GM, will now be responsible for day-to-day duties and running basketball operations, while Lindsey will assume a “broader, strategic and leadership role,” sources tell Woj.

Based on Wojnarowski’s report, it’s not clear if the Jazz will add any new executives to the front office or promote anyone to fill Zanik’s assistant GM role. However, the promotions may help Utah keep its management group in place going forward — Zanik has been considered for other top front office jobs around the NBA before, but might be less inclined to leave the Jazz after being promoted to GM.

Draft Notes: Zion, Norvell, Ponds, Tinkle

There’s a ton at stake this offseason for many of the teams involved in next week’s draft lottery, but there’s plenty at stake for consensus top prospect Zion Williamson as well. As ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Mike Schmitz, Kevin Pelton, and Bobby Marks outline in an Insider-only article, not every team that has a shot at Williamson would be an ideal fit for him.

In the view of ESPN’s insiders, the Hawks, Mavericks, and Pelicans would be the most preferable landing spots for Williamson. The opportunity to play with up-and-coming play-makers – Trae Young in Atlanta, or Luka Doncic in Dallas – would help unlock Williamson’s potential.

On the other hand, ESPN’s panel doesn’t consider the Lakers, Bulls, and Sixers great fits for Williamson. Spacing is the primary concern for the Lakers and Sixers, and it’s unclear how a pairing with Joel Embiid would work. For the Bulls, Zach LaVine‘s ball dominance and Jim Boylen‘s “outdated” offense are viewed as red flags.

Here are several more draft-related notes:

  • Gonzaga sophomore guard Zach Norvell Jr. told reporters today that he intends to keep his name in the 2019 NBA draft, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Norvell was one of 66 prospects announced on Wednesday as a 2019 draft combine participant.
  • St. John’s guard Shamorie Ponds, another one of those 66, has workouts lined up with the Warriors, Bulls, Kings, Jazz, Celtics, and Mavericks, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Ponds is ranked as the No. 51 prospect on ESPN’s big board.
  • After working out for Utah and Philadelphia, Oregon State forward Tres Tinkle has auditions this week with the Raptors, Celtics, and Hornets, and will work out for the Hawks next week, writes Nick Daschel of The Oregonian.
  • After turning in an impressive performance at the Portsmouth Invitational, forward Jarrell Brantley (Charleston) has workouts lined up with 10 teams, including the Celtics, Nets, Timberwolves, Hornets, and Clippers, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.

Jazz Planning To Make A Run At Tobias Harris

Tony Jones of The Athletic is the latest reporter to hear that the Jazz plan to pursue Sixers forward Tobias Harris in free agency. In a column looking ahead to important offseason dates, Jones states that Harris will consider coming to Utah if Philadelphia doesn’t offer him a full maximum-salary contract over five years.

Harris would give the Jazz another perimeter scorer to team with Donovan Mitchell after averaging a career-best 20.0 PPG this season in 82 games with the Clippers and Sixers. As a 6’9″ combo forward, he would bring more flexibility to Utah’s frontcourt.

We’ve heard other reports that the Jazz plan to target Harris when July 1 arrives, with the Grizzlies, Mavericks and Nets also expected to get involved. It appears the Sixers are going to need to come up with a max offer to keep Harris in a summer where Jimmy Butler and J.J. Redick will also be unrestricted free agents.

There’s more on the Jazz, all courtesy of Jones:

  • Management will address the team’s point guard situation this summer, starting with a decision on whether to re-sign free agent Ricky Rubio. The Jazz could try again to acquire Mike Conley from the Grizzlies, but Jones notes that Utah won’t have the same matching contracts to offer that it had in February. Consideration will also be given to making Mitchell the point guard and possibly moving Royce O’Neale into the starting lineup.
  • The Jazz are willing to trade away their first-round pick if they get an offer they like. This year’s draft is considered top-heavy, and Utah may not be able to find an impact player at No. 23. If they keep the pick, Jones identifies Villanova’s Eric Paschall, Gonzaga’s Brandon Clarke, Belmont’s Dylan Windler and Louisville’s Jordan Nwora as potential picks.
  • Grayson Allen and Tony Bradley have the most at stake in summer league. Allen played sparingly as a rookie, but got more time late in the season. He has a chance for an increased role next year, depending on which free agents return. He has proven he can shoot, but significant questions remain about his defense. Jones believes Bradley may be fighting for a roster spot this summer. A first-round pick in 2017, Bradley has been stuck in the G League, playing just 12 NBA games in two years and only three this season. There’s a chance he’ll be the backup center next year, but he has a lot to prove against summer league competition.

And-Ones: Summer League, Stretch Candidates, Sloukas

The NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League now features all 30 of the league’s teams and is the epicenter of NBA activity in July, but it’s not the only Summer League that remains active.

According to a press release, the Spurs, Grizzlies, and Cavaliers will join the Jazz for the 2019 Salt Lake City Summer League, which is scheduled to take place in Utah from July 1-3. Each of the four participating teams will play the other teams once, for a total of three games, before moving onto Vegas.

While Utah’s Summer League generally flies under the radar, it will represent an opportunity for young players and recent draftees on those four teams to get a head start on their professional careers. If the Cavaliers luck out in the lottery, we could even see a top prospect like Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, or R.J. Barrett make his debut that week in Salt Lake City.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

  • Which players around the league are the best candidates to be waived and stretched this offseason? Danny Leroux of The Athletic identifies several of them, including players with small partial guarantees – such as George Hill and Avery Bradley – and vets with overpriced contracts, like Tyler Johnson and Bismack Biyombo.
  • Jeremy Woo of SI.com takes a closer look at the stability of the eight remaining playoff teams, exploring which of those clubs could be in for major changes this summer once they’re eliminated from the postseason.
  • Greek guard Kostas Sloukas is said to be drawing interest from a pair of NBA teams, tweets journalist George Zakkas (hat tip to Sportando). Sloukas, who went undrafted back in 2012, has had an impressive career with Olympiacos and now Fenerbahce — the 29-year-old has three EuroLeague championships and three Turkish League titles under his belt.
  • The NBA recently issued a press release announcing that its 2019 Global Camp will take place in Monaco from May 30 to June 2. The event is a pre-draft showcase focusing on the top draft-eligible prospects from outside America.

Jazz, Ricky Rubio Facing Critical Point

Ricky Rubio will be an unrestricted free agent and the Jazz have a tough decision to make regarding his future. Although Rubio has been a solid floor general for the franchise, Utah has appeared to hit its ceiling with him playing alongside Donovan Mitchell.

“We want to move the group forward,” GM Dennis Lindsey said at season’s end (via Jody Genessy of the Deseret News). “And while we have a very good team, the results told us that we don’t have a great team.

The Jazz attempted to take a step forward and deal for Mike Conley at the trade deadline, but ultimately didn’t complete the much-rumored move.

“Unfortunately,” Lindsey said, “a team leaked something and it was unethical.”

Rubio landed in Utah during the 2017 offseason and the Jazz have made the postseason in each of his two seasons with the team. They were able to win a playoff series during that stretch, but ran into the Rockets each spring and proved to be a notch below the top tier in the Western Conference.

Rubio tried to stay positive as he heard his name on the rumor mill. The point guard admitted that hearing the team’s trade talks impacted his mindset.

“I play with heart, and you go out there and you want to play with heart, but you don’t know if tomorrow you’re going to be here,” Rubio said. “It’s tough. I’m not going to lie. Luckily, it didn’t happen and I ended the season on a good note and I’m happy.”

Assuming the Jazz look to free agency, finding an upgrade on Rubio won’t be easy. The franchise has no immediate replacement on the roster and players like Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker seem unlikely to consider Utah as a destination.

Pairing Mitchell with a point guard who’s a better shooter than Rubio could be a feasible option. Goran Dragic could opt to hit the market. Malcolm Brogdon is a restricted free agent and perhaps the Jazz can take advantage of Bucks’ potential spending trepidation and snatch the efficient play-maker.

Utah could have upwards of $39MM in salary cap space, though that’s an unlikely figure as it would require the team to renounce the rights to Rubio and let go of Derrick Favors, whose $16.9MM contract for next season is non-guaranteed.

The Jazz believe Rubio can improve on his game and Lindsay said there are “a lot of scenarios” in which he could see the point guard return for his third season with the team.

“We really appreciate who he is and we think we can get him better from a health perspective and skill standpoint. We know who he is,” the executive said.

Jazz Notes: Favors, Ingles, Sefolosha, Udoh

The Jazz have until July 6 to decide whether to keep Derrick Favors for another season, but the 27-year-old power forward is certain that he wants to stay in Utah, writes Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. The Jazz hold a team option on Favors’ $17.65MM salary for next season and will have close to a week to examine the free agent market before making a final decision.

“I have a team option; I need that option picked up! I would prefer to come back here,” Favors told Walden. “The grass is not always greener on the other side. … I’m happy in the situation that I’m in, in the position that I’m in — I think it’s good for me and the organization.”

Utah can open enough cap room to make a maximum offer by letting Favors go. While that’s enticing, several Jazz players are lobbying for the team to keep Favors, and GM Dennis Lindsey admits that he has enormous value.

There’d be no playoffs this season without Derrick, no playoff advancement the two previous years,” Lindsey said. “I get it, I get it — obviously, Jae [Crowder] comes in and we have some more mobility and spacing. … [But] Derrick Favors isn’t part of the problem, he’s part of the solution.”

There’s more today from Utah:

  • After winning 50, 48 and 51 games the past three seasons, it’s time for the Jazz to take some chances to reach the next level, contends Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. That may mean parting with Favors, along with Kyle Korver and Royce O’Neale, who also have non-guaranteed contracts, and letting unrestricted free agents Ricky Rubio and Raul Neto move on. Deveney suggests finding a Rubio replacement by resuming talks with the Grizzlies about Mike Conley or targeting Nets restricted free agent D’Angelo Russell. While Tobias Harris would fit perfectly, Deveney believes he will stay with the Sixers and sees the Bucks’ Malcolm Brogdon as a possible alternative.
  • Joe Ingles could be switched to a sixth-man role if the Jazz are able to make an upgrade at the wing this summer, according to Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News. Ingles improved as a playmaker this year and his durability makes him valuable however the team decides to use him.
  • As free agents over the age of 30, Thabo Sefolosha and Ekpe Udoh both face uncertain futures in Utah, Sorensen adds in a separate story“I’m going to keep my options open and see what makes sense,” Sefolosha said. “Like I say, I had a great experience here for two years and I think it would be great if I can come back and keep working with this group and keep evolving.”

Jazz Bring In Six Prospects For Evaluation