Jazz Rumors

Jazz Notes: Sexton, Conley, NAW, Bolmaro, Strong Start

October 31st, 2022 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Jazz point guard Mike Conley has taken new teammate Collin Sexton under his wing and is helping him see the game in a new way, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. With 16-year veteran Conley held out of the second game of a back-to-back set, Sexton received his first start of the 2022/23 season in Saturday’s win over Memphis, recording 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and four assists in nearly 32 minutes.

“We’ll walk through, and he’ll be like, ‘Alright, what are you doing in this situation?’ And I’ll let him know, and then he’ll be like, ‘Well, in this situation, I think you should do this. Just try it,’” Sexton explained. “During the game, he’ll be like, ‘OK, you got to the basket — now let’s see if you can pitch [the ball] behind two or three times.’ And I’ll do it. And then he’s like, ‘Alright, now the next time, try to see if you can get all the way there [to the rim].’ It’s opening my mind to multiple ways of playing, and also multiple ways of seeing the game, too. I know he sees it from a different angle than I do.”

As Walden writes, the Jazz have been cautious not to overextend Sexton after he only played 11 games last season with a torn meniscus, which required surgery. He’s technically not on a minutes restriction, but that’s partly why he’s only averaging 19.0 MPG.

Sexton is eager to prove his worth after inking a four-year, $71MM deal as part of the Donovan Mitchell sign-and-trade with Cleveland, but he recognizes he’ll have more opportunities as the season goes on, per Walden.

“Just giving [it all in] the time that I’m out there and just making an impact. And I might play four-minute spurts, so in those four minutes, giving it all I can, whether it’s pressuring the ball or pushing the ball and changing the pace of the game, whether it’s on the defensive side or offensive side,” Sexton said. “Just trying to use the little time that I’m given just to make sure that they know I’m out there, you know what I mean? Because I know once the season continues to go, more minutes, more time [will come].“

Here’s more on the Jazz:

Little-used guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker got an opportunity for extended run with Conley sidelined against the Grizzlies, and he showed that he can be a positive player when given the opportunity, writes Sarah Todd of The Desert News. Alexander-Walker played solid defense against Desmond Bane and Hardy was pleased with his effort, as Todd relays. “He came in with such a fire,” head coach Will Hardy said of Alexander-Walker. “He really got into the ball with Desmond Bane and I think he got two steals on the ball, just taking the dribble. He has really good instincts and really long arms and he did a good job of just trying to speed up their ball handlers, which I thought was great…It’s a difficult situation. He hasn’t played that much and he got thrown into a big game with Mike out, and I thought he handled himself great.”
Second-year guard Leandro Bolmaro, who recently had his third-year option declined by Utah, has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and is out for Monday’s game against Memphis, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Rudy Gay and Simone Fontecchio are still in the protocols. Rookie center Walker Kessler (non-COVID illness) has also been ruled out for the contest, according to Jones (Twitter link).
How have the Jazz gotten off to a 5-2 start? Tony Jones tackles that topic for The Athletic, concluding that the team’s depth, offensive pressure, floor spacing, and key adjustments from head coach Will Hardy have been instrumental to the surprising seven-game stretch.

Jazz To Decline Rookie Scale Options For Azubuike, Bolmaro

October 30th, 2022 at 8:37am CST by Arthur Hill

The Jazz won’t pick up the fourth-year option for Udoka Azubuike or the third-year option for Leandro Bolmaro, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Both players will become unrestricted free agents next July.

Azuibuike would have earned $3,923,484 during the 2023/24 season and Bolmaro would have received $2,588,400. The deadline for rookie scale option decisions is Monday, and those are the only two that Utah faces.

Azubuike, a 23-year-old center, was selected by the Jazz with the 27th pick in the 2020 draft. He has dealt with injuries during his brief NBA career and has played a total of 33 games, including one this season. The former Kansas standout is averaging 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per game.

Bolmaro, a 22-year-old swingman, was acquired from the Timberwolves this summer in the Rudy Gobert trade. He appeared in 35 games for Minnesota last season and two so far with Utah, averaging 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.9 minutes per night. He was the 23rd pick in 2020, but didn’t come to the NBA until 2021.

Agbaji, Bolmaro Get First Extended Run For Jazz

October 29th, 2022 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Ochai Agbaji and Leandro Bolmaro, two young players acquired in Utah’s blockbuster summer trades, got their first extended run with the Jazz on Friday night, as Sarah Todd of The Deseret News details. Agabaji scored nine points in 19 minutes, while Bolmaro flashed promising play-making and defense and was a plus-16 in 15 minutes. The Jazz have until Monday’s deadline to exercise Bolmaro’s $2.59MM option for the 2023/24 season.

Hardy Telling Players To Keep Proving People Wrong

October 28th, 2022 at 8:49pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz have gotten off to a surprising 4-1 start, but the “general consensus around the league” is that opposing teams will take them more seriously going forward, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. Head coach Will Hardy is telling his players to keep proving people wrong. “He’s tired of looking at media or even his friends telling him, ‘Wow, you guys are winning, this is crazy,’” Malik Beasley said of Hardy’s message. “It’s not crazy. We’re not even playing well and we’re still winning.”

Jazz Notes: Clarkson, THT, Markkanen, Gay, Fontecchio

October 27th, 2022 at 7:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The rebuilding Jazz have enjoyed a surprising 4-1 start to their 2022/23 NBA season, but still seem likely to trade several of their veteran players prior to February’s deadline. That said, Zach Lowe of ESPN suggested in his podcast The Lowe Post that the team is hesitant to offload 2021 Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson, who has thrived thus far this year.

“I’ve heard the same stuff that other people have reported, that they are just super reluctant to move Clarkson,” Lowe said on the podcast (hat tip to RealGM). ”They’re really fond of him for whatever reason. So, I would peg him as the least likely of all these Jazz guys to get traded.”

The 6’4″ combo guard out of Missouri has stepped into a starting role for the Jazz this season, and is playing well for the team under new head coach Will Hardy. Through five games, Clarkson is averaging 18.8 PPG, 5.2 APG, 4.2 RPG and 0.8 BPG. He’s currently posting shooting splits of .452/.429/.769.

There’s more out of Salt Lake City:

21-year-old Jazz reserve guard Talen Horton-Tucker had his first stellar turn for Utah in a 14-point, seven-rebound, four-assist, two-steal performance in a 109-101 win over the Rockets Wednesday. Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune wonders if that game could be the catalyst Horton-Tucker needs to start clicking with his new Utah teammates. “[When] opportunity presents itself, I’ll always be ready,” Horton-Tucker said.
Jazz starting small forward Lauri Markkanen has enjoyed a terrific start to his Utah tenure, to which he in part credits a strong EuroBasket performance this past summer, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Through five games, the seven-footer is averaging 22.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 35.2 MPG. “I think having that experience this summer, coming in confident, I think I showed, yes, to you guys, but even to myself, that I can do all that stuff,” Markkanen told Fischer. “I was the guy this summer. And carrying that over [to Utah], we’ve got a lineup where everybody can do a little bit of everything. But mind-set wise, I’m trying to have that same approach.”
Jazz reserves Rudy Gay and Simone Fontecchio have both been placed in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Both will miss the team’s Friday contest against the Nuggets.

Forbes Releases 2022 NBA Franchise Valuations

October 27th, 2022 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

For the first time since Forbes began issuing annual valuations of NBA teams over two decades ago, a team other than the Knicks or Lakers ranks atop the publication’s list of 2022’s most valuable franchises.

According to Mike Ozanian and Justin Teitelbaum of Forbes, the Warriors are now considered the NBA’s most valuable club, with a record-setting valuation of $7 billion following a championship season.

Forbes’ duo explains that the Warriors generated more revenue and operating income in 2021/22 than any other team in NBA history, buoyed by $150MM in arena sponsorships and advertising, along with $250MM from premium seating.

While the Warriors enjoyed the biggest bump in value since Forbes’ most recent round of valuations, every other NBA team saw its valuation rise during that time as well, according to Ozanian and Teitelbaum, who say the average franchise is now valued at $2.86 billion. That’s 15% more than a year ago, despite the fact that the stock market is down 15% over the same time period.

Of the NBA’s 30 teams, only one – the Nets – lost money last season, per Forbes’ report, which states that record-setting sponsorship and advertising revenue ($1.35 billion last season) has put the league back on its “pre-Covid growth trajectory.” Further growth is anticipated going forward, with a new television and media deal to be negotiated in the coming years — it will take effect in 2025.

Although Forbes’ figures are just estimates and often don’t quite match up with the sale prices for franchises that change hands, they’re still useful for getting a sense of the league’s most and least valuable teams.

Here’s Forbes’ full list of NBA franchise valuations for 2022:

Golden State Warriors: $7 billion
New York Knicks: $6.1 billion
Los Angeles Lakers: $5.9 billion
Chicago Bulls: $4.1 billion
Boston Celtics: $4.0 billion
Los Angeles Clippers: $3.9 billion
Brooklyn Nets: $3.5 billion
Dallas Mavericks: $3.3 billion
Houston Rockets: $3.2 billion
Philadelphia 76ers: $3.15 billion
Toronto Raptors: $3.1 billion
Miami Heat: $3 billion
Phoenix Suns: $2.7 billion
Washington Wizards: $2.5 billion
Milwaukee Bucks: $2.3 billion
Portland Trail Blazers: $2.1 billion
Cleveland Cavaliers: $2.05 billion
Sacramento Kings: $2.03 billion
Utah Jazz: $2.025 billion
San Antonio Spurs: $2 billion
Atlanta Hawks: $1.975 billion
Denver Nuggets: $1.93 billion
Detroit Pistons: $1.9 billion
Oklahoma City Thunder: $1.875 billion
Orlando Magic: $1.85 billion
Indiana Pacers: $1.8 billion
Charlotte Hornets: $1.7 billion
Minnesota Timberwolves: $1.67 billion
Memphis Grizzlies: $1.65 billion
New Orleans Pelicans: $1.6 billion

Trade Breakdown: Bojan Bogdanovic For Kelly Olynyk

October 27th, 2022 at 9:00am CST by Rory Maher

This is the 12th and final entry in our series breaking down the major trades of the 2022 offseason. As opposed to giving out grades, this series explores why the teams were motivated to make the moves. Let’s dive into a deal between the Jazz and Pistons…

On September 22, the Jazz agreed to send Bojan Bogdanovic to the Pistons in exchange for Kelly Olynyk, Saben Lee, and $1,752,638 in cash – that amount was the exact cap hit for Lee, who was subsequently waived before the season began.

The Jazz’s perspective:

None of the players involved in this deal are stars, but it was still a pretty surprising move because most league observers thought the Jazz would receive a young player and/or draft assets for an efficient scorer and shooter like Bogdanovic. So why didn’t they?

For starters, Bogdanovic is playing on a $19.55MM expiring contract, which made matching salaries difficult since nearly every team is over the cap (more on that later). He was rumored to be looking for an extension, which may have impacted his trade value since he’s 33 years old and most contending teams are taxpayers. Bogdanovic also has some clear limitations as a player, which we’ll get into.

By acquiring Lauri Markkanen and Jarred Vanderbilt (in separate trades), the Jazz had a couple of younger players to start at the two forward spots. That made Bogdanovic, another forward, redundant to some extent, and there’s no reason why he’d be interested in a reduced role when he’s still playing at a high level.

Reports after the trade indicated that the Jazz received late first-round pick offers for Bogdanovic that required them to take back longer-term salary, so Utah instead chose to create additional financial flexibility. The Suns reportedly pursued the veteran, but also wanted Vanderbilt in the deal, which caused the talks to break down.

It’s one thing to move an expiring veteran, but Vanderbilt is only 23 years old, under contract for two years, and is one of the league’s most energetic rebounders on top of being a plus defender, making him a coveted asset. It’s understandable why Utah didn’t want to deal him so soon after acquiring him.

Instead of receiving draft compensation, the Jazz saved $6.75MM ($5MM against the cap) in 2022/23, because Olynyk makes $12.8MM this season. Clearly Lee — a guard who was the 38^th overall pick in 2020 — wasn’t in the team’s plans, but Utah essentially got a free look at him in training camp with the cash received offsetting his salary.

Olynyk has been a solid, productive player for a long time and the Jazz lacked a starting-caliber center after trading Rudy Gobert to Minnesota. Rookie first-rounder Walker Kessler (acquired in the Gobert deal) looks promising and could eventually become a starter, but would be a poor spacing fit with Vanderbilt, whereas Olynyk helps in that regard.

There’s an arrhythmic quality to Olynyk’s game that’s difficult to describe. He has some unique qualities for someone 6’11”, and he provides value in atypical ways for a big man.

Olynyk leverages his outside shooting with drives to the basket, creating plays both for himself and teammates. He’s an unselfish passer and is an above-average ball-handler for a player his size.

If you try to put a smaller player on him, he can score over them in the post. He’s smart and runs the floor hard looking for easy buckets. Olynyk is also versatile enough to play both frontcourt positions against bigger lineups, with first-year head coach Will Hardy deploying him alongside Kessler at times.

The Canadian veteran likes flipping up finger rolls near the rim, such as what turned out to be an off-balance game-winning shot against the Pelicans on Sunday – it’s not always aesthetically pleasing, but more often than not it goes in. That’s basically Olynyk in a nutshell — unusual but effective.

I think Olynyk’s sometimes awkward-looking play makes people take him less seriously for some reason. Maybe that’s why writers, analysts and fans alike seemed to overstate the difference in on-court impact between Bogdanovic and Olynyk when evaluating this trade.

Case in point, with the caveat that per 36 numbers are a bit misleading:

Player A’s career per 36 averages (607 games): 18.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.9 APG (2.0 TO) and 0.7 SPG on .457/.393/.862 shooting. Career advanced stats: 59.2% true shooting percentage, 33.4 win shares, 5.0 value over replacement player, 14.0 player efficiency rating.

Player B’s career per 36 averages (614 games): 16.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.4 APG (2.4 TO) and 1.2 SPG on .477/.368/.782 shooting. Career advanced stats: 59.0 TS%, 35.6 WS, 9.9 VORP, 15.8 PER.

Player A is Bogdanovic. Player B is Olynyk.

Olynyk is clearly a better inside finisher and passer, while Bogdanovic is a more prolific scorer and higher-level shooter. Neither is a great defender, though Olynyk has the edge as a rebounder and play-maker on that end.

Two big differences: Bogdanovic has started the majority of his career with an average of 29.1 minutes per game, while Olynyk has primarily been a reserve and only holds a career average of 22.0 MPG.

The main reason Olynyk has come off the bench for most of his career is that he isn’t a traditional rim protector and is a below-average rebounder for a center. Protecting the paint is the foundation of any good defense, and it’s probably his biggest weakness as a player (he’s also foul-prone). Bogdanovic doesn’t have to worry about that as much since he’s a forward.

Don’t get me wrong, Bogdanovic is definitely a better player than Olynyk. There’s no question about that. That’s why he got $73MM over four years the last time he was a free agent and Olynyk got $37MM ($28MM guaranteed) over three.

But is Bogdanovic worth an additional $5MM cap hit for one season?

In a vacuum, yeah, probably. But that’s a much tougher call with the context that Utah’s power forward spot was crowded, Olynyk filled a positional need, and reducing the cap hit this season gave the Jazz more flexibility to take on additional salary without going into the luxury tax if they opt to make more trades, which seems highly likely.

Flipping Olynyk down the line is certainly a possibility; he’d have some takers as a floor-spacing big with only $3MM in guaranteed money in ‘23/24 (he’ll make $12.2MM if his contract becomes fully guaranteed). He’s off to a strong start with the Jazz, averaging 15.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.3 APG and 1.3 SPG on .611/.786/.778 shooting in four games (28.5 MPG). Obviously those shooting splits are unsustainable, but it’s reasonable to believe he’ll have another productive season.

It’s also worth noting that Jazz president Danny Ainge acquired Olynyk’s rights when he was drafted with the 13^th overall pick in 2013, and the 31-year-old spent his first four seasons under Ainge with the Celtics. That level of familiarity often plays a factor in trades.

The Pistons’ perspective:

Detroit’s side of things is easier to understand. The Pistons were one of only three teams under the cap this offseason (the Pacers and Spurs are the others), and used their remaining cap room to take on Bogdanovic’s extra salary (though including Lee would’ve allowed them to adhere to salary-matching rules anyway). That enabled them to receive a superior player without having to give up any draft compensation.

Olynyk was limited to 40 games due to injuries in his first year with the Pistons in ‘21/22 and struggled when he did play, posting career lows of 44.8% from the field, 33.6% on three-pointers, and 19.1 MPG. You’d think that may have depressed his trade value a little, but Utah didn’t seem to mind, instead focusing on his larger body of work.

As with Utah’s forwards, Detroit had a crowded center rotation with Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren, Marvin Bagley III, Nerlens Noel and Olynyk all vying for minutes. Removing Olynyk from that equation and adding a forward in Bogdanovic made a lot of sense, because there wasn’t much depth at that spot.

I previously mentioned that per-36 numbers are a bit misleading. Here are Olynyk’s actual per-game averages from 2018-22:

10.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.2 APG and 0.8 SPG on .468/.360/.823 shooting (.605 TS%) in 256 games (108 starts, 22.9 MPG). 15.1 WS, 4.5 VORP, 15.4 PER.

Here are Bogdanovic’s over the same span:

18.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.9 APG and 0.6 SPG on .461/.403/.860 shooting (.601 TS%) in 285 games, all starts (31.6 MPG). 21.3 WS, 4.8 VORP, 15.4 PER.

It’s interesting that their TS%, VORP and PER are so similar, but Bogdanovic clearly offers more scoring and outside shooting, two key deficiencies for the Pistons last season (they were 28^th in points and 29^th in 3PT%). His career assist-to-turnover ratio is negative, which is never great, but he won’t be tasked with much play-making alongside Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.

Young teams like the Pistons need veterans to show them how to be professionals. Bogdanovic leads by example with consistent offensive output. He was the fourth-best player on the league’s top regular season team in ’20/21, and his play hasn’t dropped off since.

While Bogdanovic has the (deserved) reputation of being a sharpshooter, his offensive repertoire is more varied than that title might suggest. He can create his own shot, he’s an above-average finisher at the rim, he can post up smaller players on switches, and he gets to the free throw line at a decent clip.

Like Olynyk, Bogdanovic has gotten off to a great start with his new club. He has been Detroit’s most effective player through five games (31.2 MPG), averaging 23.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 2.4 APG on .533/.512/.882 shooting.

The fact that Bogdanovic is such a strong shooter and has reached peak performance in recent seasons might portend well for the future, even if he’s 33. If he enjoys playing for the Pistons, I could see the two sides reaching a short-term extension – maybe something like two years, $40-45MM — before he hits free agency next summer.

Another positive aspect of Bogdanovic’s career is that he’s been quite durable, only missing 33 games in the eight seasons leading up to ‘22/23.

Overall, I think it was a logical trade for both sides, with Bogdanovic and Olynyk filling positional needs for their respective clubs. The Jazz gained financial flexibility by reducing their team salary, and Olynyk’s mid-sized contract theoretically makes him pretty easy to trade once he becomes eligible, if they choose to go that route. The Pistons got the better player, and hope to keep him around beyond this season.

Lakers Notes: Davis, Reaves, Westbrook, Trade Talks

October 26th, 2022 at 5:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis admits there’s a “sense of urgency” surrounding the Lakers after their 0-3 start, but he adds that it’s important not to overreact to the first week of the season, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. L.A. was hoping for some early wins to change the narrative about the team after missing the playoffs last season. But the Lakers have played a strong schedule so far — losing to the Warriors, Clippers and Trail Blazers — and are facing a tough two-game road trip against the Nuggets and Timberwolves.

“You don’t want to dig yourself too big of a hole,” Davis said. “But we’ve got to stay even-keeled. We can’t get rattled or flustered and things like that. Just like if we win 12 in a row. We don’t want to get too high.”

Offense is the main issue in L.A. as the Lakers are last in the league in three-point shooting at 21.2% and Davis called their shot selection late in the Portland loss “very poor.” However, there has been improvement on defense as the team leads the league with 11.3 steals per game and ranks third in points per possession.

“We’re continuously learning each other,” Davis said. “The good thing about it is we’re playing defense, ranked third in the league in defense. In all the statistical categories, we’re top-10. We just got to keep pushing. Keep our head down and move forward with the mindset we’re going into Denver (tonight) to get a win.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Embattled guard Russell Westbrook is expected to miss tonight’s game with a hamstring injury and Austin Reaves will take his place in the starting lineup in a move that may become permanent, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link). Reaves saw time with the starting unit during the preseason, and his future in that role may depend on how the team looks against the Nuggets. Sources tell Charania that coach Darvin Ham has been working with Westbrook to figure out the best way to utilize him going forward. Westbrook hopes to be able to return Friday, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
In an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Woj stated that the Lakers haven’t discussed deals with the Pacers or Jazz – viewed as perhaps their two most likely trade partners – since the season began (video link). He adds that the only trades currently available are the ones L.A. refused to do during the offseason.
The Lakers have put themselves in an impossible situation by holding onto Westbrook for a second season, contends Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. He points out that not only is Westbrook in decline, but he doesn’t have chemistry with Davis and LeBron James, as the trio is just 11-13 in the 24 games they have all played together.

Trade Breakdown: Donovan Mitchell To Cavaliers

October 25th, 2022 at 8:01am CST by Rory Maher

This is the 11th installment in our series breaking down the major trades of the 2022 offseason. As opposed to giving out grades, this series explores why the teams were motivated to make the moves they did. Let’s dive into a blockbuster deal between the Cavaliers and Jazz…

On September 3, the Jazz shocked the NBA world by trading Donovan Mitchell to the Cavaliers in exchange for Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton (via sign-and-trade), No. 14 overall pick Ochai Agbaji, the Cavaliers’ unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029, and the right to swap first-round picks with the Cavaliers in both 2026 and 2028.

Part of what made the trade with Cleveland so surprising is that nearly everyone – including Mitchell – expected him to be dealt to New York. I’m not interested in going into that hypothetical much since it didn’t happen, but I do think the Cavs were in a much better position than the Knicks to deal away significant assets.

The Cavaliers’ Perspective:

Over the past 25 years, Cleveland has made the playoffs one time without LeBron James – all the way back in 1998 under former head coach Mike Fratello. With James, the Cavs made nine postseason appearances in 11 seasons, including five trips to the NBA Finals and one championship in 2016 (the Cavs were the underdog in each of those matchups).

In those 11 seasons with James on the roster, the Cavs went 560-342 – a .621 winning percentage, or an average of almost 51 wins over an 82-game season. In the 14 seasons without James during that 25-year span, the Cavs went 420-735 – a .352 winning percentage, or an average of just under 29 wins in an 82-game season.

In the three years after James joined the Lakers in free agency in 2018, the Cavs were the worst team in the NBA, compiling a 60-159 record – a .274 winning percentage, equivalent to just over 22 wins in an 82-game season.

The reason I bring up the Cavaliers’ recent history is because they turned things around in 2021/22, finishing with a 44-38 record. Injuries derailed what had been a great start and they ultimately lost both of their games in the play-in tournament, missing out on the playoffs once again, but the season was still a resounding success.

In many ways, Cleveland’s situation entering the ’22/23 offseason mirrored Minnesota’s – both teams had been very bad without their superstars (Kevin Garnett for the Wolves), but showed a lot of promise last season. Both the Cavs and Wolves are in the midwest, feature talented young cores, and are not free agent destinations. Both were worried about the losing momentum they had gained from last season, so they made blockbuster trades with the Jazz.

The ability to acquire a 26-year-old three-time All-Star with three years remaining on his contract is extremely difficult to pull off, and the Cavs were able to land Mitchell without including any of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen, the team’s other core players. Mitchell holds a player option in ‘25/26, but he’s highly likely to turn it down considering the salary cap is expected to go up exponentially in 2025 with a new media rights deal.

Mitchell is not a perfect fit for the roster. At 6’1″, he’s the same height as Garland, leading to defensive concerns, particularly in the playoffs against top teams. Mitchell has been below average on that end the past few seasons, and was particular poor in ‘21/22.

During the ‘21/22 regular season, opponents shot 4% better than their expected field goal percentage with Mitchell as the closest defender, which ranked 245^th out of 273 players who played at least 50 games, per NBA.com. During the playoffs, he was a complete disaster defensively, with opponents shooting 9.6% better than expected – a figure that would have ranked dead last in the NBA in seven of the last nine regular seasons.

Obviously, those figures need to improve. Relying on Mobley and Allen to cover up his mistakes is not an answer to that problem, just as it wasn’t with Rudy Gobert. Mitchell needs to hold himself accountable and play with much more effort on that end.

It’s important to note that defensive field goal percentage is only one statistic and Mitchell does some things well defensively, like forcing turnovers. Last season, he ranked 23^rd in the league in deflections per game (2.4) and 11^th in steals per game (1.5).

He certainly has the physical attributes to be at least an average defender, if not better, like he was his first couple of seasons. Despite his relative lack of height, Mitchell possesses a 6’10” wingspan and a strong 215-pound frame, and he’s a top-tier athlete. He has been a motivated and willing defender through three games with Cleveland; we’ll see if that continues.

Mitchell makes up for defensive concerns with his offensive skill. He is an elite shot creator who was the best offensive player on the league’s top-ranked regular season offense in ‘21/22.

He has been outstanding in his first three games (38.0 MPG) with the Cavs, averaging 33.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 7.0 APG and 2.0 SPG on .493/.423/.875 shooting. Those numbers aren’t sustainable, but he’s been highly impressive nonetheless playing without Garland, who is currently dealing with an eye injury.

With an explosive first step and a large package of dribble-drive moves, Mitchell is extremely difficult to contain. Because he’s such a strong two-footed leaper, he only needs a sliver of space to get his jump shot off.

As a three-level scorer, Mitchell can put the ball in the hoop in a variety of ways: he can play with or without the ball, finish at the basket, draw contact, and is a very good shooter. From 2020-22, he averaged 26.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.3 APG and 1.3 SPG on .444/.368/.849 shooting.

Mitchell is an opportunist — if he sees an opening, he exploits it without hesitation. He’s nearly unstoppable if he gets a half step on his opponent due to his excellent body control and ability to change direction and speed on the fly, particularly favoring Euro-steps near the basket.

As Mitchell grew as a player, so to did Utah’s offensive rating, climbing each of his five seasons: from 16^th to 14^th to ninth to fourth to first. That is not a coincidence.

It’s true that the Jazz built their offensive system around Mitchell, surrounding him with strong screen-setters and shooters who could space the floor and move the ball intelligently. It’s reasonable to say Mitchell benefited from that, particularly the complementary play-makers.

It’s also reasonable to say that he’s a good enough offensive player to build your entire system around and be the top offense in the league during the regular season.

Unlike Gobert, whom I previously characterized as a floor-raiser due to his elite interior defense and rebounding, Mitchell is a ceiling-raiser due to his elite shot creation ability and high-level scoring. The Cavs are certainly hoping he can help take them to the next level.

Mitchell has never played with a team as talented as the current Cavs roster. Garland, Mobley and Allen are all under 25 years old, and should continue to improve over time. Both Garland and Allen had enormous developmental leaps in ‘21/22 when they were named first-time All-Stars, and Mobley, the Rookie of the Year runner-up, might have the highest ceiling of all four players, though Mitchell is certainly the best – and most accomplished – of the group right now.

The Cavs were one of the more entertaining teams to watch last season due to their cohesion, defense and unselfish ball movement. They played like a true team – one that genuinely enjoyed sharing the court with one another and found joy in the success of teammates.

However, one of the things Cleveland lacked last season was a jolt of athleticism and shot creation to alleviate pressure off Garland, who faced frequent double teams after season-ending knee injuries to Sexton and Ricky Rubio. Mitchell provides that and much more. His addition means the team’s offense will likely approach the top 10 in ’22/23 after ranking a mediocre 20^th last season.

For all of Mitchell’s strengths on offense, he makes some questionable decisions, posting a 1.79-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last season, a below average mark for any guard, let alone high-usage ball-handler (his career mark is only 1.76-to-1). Some of his turnovers are due to him being a very right hand dominant dribbler, which is partly why he’s never been a full-time point guard (on Sunday, the Wizards nearly stole the game away from Mitchell – quite literally – on consecutive possession to force overtime).

He has improved as a passer over the years, but his placement is off at times, and he’ll occasionally force passes and bad shots when pressured. That was particularly the case at the end of games last season, when the Jazz had multiple fourth quarter collapses.

To illustrate the latter point, Mitchell attempted the second-most shots in the league in clutch situations last season (score within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter), but among the 44 players who attempted at least 40 such shots, Mitchell ranked 40th in field goal percentage at 32.9%, posting an overall shooting slash line of .329/.172/.667, per NBA.com. For context, his regular season slash line was .448/.355/.853.

For those who say he had no help, his former teammate, Mike Conley, was No. 8 in field goal percentage in the clutch, posting a shooting line of .469/.462/.786. In the playoffs, among the 32 players who attempted at least five shots in the same situations, Mitchell ranked No. 27 in field goal percentage at 27.3%.

That’s not to say that Mitchell isn’t clutch, because small sample sizes typically lead to a lot of variation in results (for instance, Devin Booker was last in high-volume clutch FG% in ‘20/21 but first in ‘21/22). He just had a down season in that regard, and he has had some epic playoff performances in the past.

The Cavs were able to keep their three best players out of the trade, but they dealt away nearly everything else they had to offer: A couple of starting-caliber former lottery picks (Markkanen and Sexton), a lottery pick in this year’s draft (Agbaji), unprotected first-rounders in 2025, 2027, and 2029, and first-round pick swaps in 2026 and 2028.

Accelerating a rebuild in the manner Cleveland did is interesting because while the team certainly gave up a lot, you can’t really classify it as an “all-in” move, since they were able to keep the young trio out of the deal. Cleveland had an excellent net rating when Garland, Allen and Mobley were on the court last season, and adding Mitchell should only enhance that.

Barring major injuries, the Cavaliers should at minimum be in the playoff mix for the next three years, with their top four players under contract through at least ‘24/25. I don’t necessarily think they’re a top-six lock in ‘22/23, even after landing Mitchell, because the East looks really strong, but I do think they’ll end up making it in (if I had to make a prediction, I’d probably put them fifth or sixth).

Where the Cavaliers finish in the standings will largely depend on chemistry and internal development, but they’ve got the high-end talent to be a very good for a long time – this trade was just as much about the future as the present. There are some injury concerns, as Garland, Mobley, Allen, Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, and Isaac Okoro all missed several games last season, Rubio is still recovering from a torn ACL, and Kevin Love has a lengthy injury history.

The draft capital Cleveland traded to Utah is so far into the future that it’s kind of pointless to speculate about its present value because so many things can change in the meantime, but the 2025 pick seems pretty likely to be in the late teens or 20s right now. Still, if Mitchell leaves in free agency that summer, the picks in ’27 and ’29 could be enticing, and trading away unprotected picks always carries a lot of risk (the swaps in ’26 and ’28 will only matter if the Cavs are worse than the Jazz in those years, which certainly isn’t a given).

Part of that risk isn’t necessarily where a pick might land in the future, but the opportunity cost. As an example, the Cavaliers acquired Allen by trading away a Bucks first-rounder they controlled from a prior deal, but trading for Mitchell – and previously acquiring LeVert – has left the first-round cupboard bare (Cleveland can’t trade its 2024 first due to the Stepien rule).

While it’s true that the Cavs could theoretically trade Mitchell in a year or two if things don’t work out, they wouldn’t receive the same amount of assets that they gave up in that scenario because Mitchell would be that much closer to free agency. The team acquiring him would basically have to have a handshake agreement that he’d re-sign in order to offer a similar type of haul.

Mitchell is an undeniably great player and the Cavs pounced on the opportunity to land him, creating one of the most exciting young cores in the league, with all four players under contract long term. Dealing away substantial assets like they did is simply what it takes to land a player of Mitchell’s caliber – time will tell if it pays off, but he’s certainly off to a great start.

The Jazz’s perspective:

Utah was unable to advance past the second round of the playoffs with Mitchell and Gobert as the team’s two best players despite having a lot of regular season success – the Jazz were tied with Denver for the most wins in the West over the past four years. The ship had run its course, and everyone knew it.

In the NBA, sometimes you have to take a step back to have a chance at a brighter future, even if it’s a tough pill to swallow in the short term. With an aging, expensive roster and a lack of future picks, Utah’s only real option was to retool the roster, and that’s what the front office has done.

The Jazz have gotten off to a surprising 3-0 start in ‘22/23, with victories over three playoff teams from last season. They’ve been entertaining to watch, and they have several quality NBA players, so it will be interesting to see whether president Danny Ainge and GM Justin Zanik deal away more veterans to slide down the standings or just roll with what they’ve got.

The Cavs certainly gave up a haul of assets to acquire Mitchell. The framework of this deal is quite similar Minnesota’s trade to acquire Gobert, with Utah prioritizing unprotected picks and young players, but I definitely think the veterans in the Mitchell package have more long-term upside.

Markkanen has been the Jazz’s best player thus far, even after a down game on Monday. He’s averaging 21.5 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 3.0 APG and 1.0 SPG – all career-highs – through four games (35.5 MPG). If he keeps playing at anything close to this level, his contract — which will pay him $51.7MM ($39.7MM guaranteed) over the next three years — will be an absolute bargain.

Markkanen wasn’t a perfect fit for Cleveland as a jumbo-sized small forward, but in some ways it made sense. Despite being 7’0”, he plays more like a wing than a traditional big man.

Utah has been playing him at the three as well, starting in the frontcourt alongside Jarred Vanderbilt and Kelly Olynyk. Having extra size complementing the team’s small backcourt and surrounding a non-shooter like Vanderbilt with bigs who can space the floor makes sense.

Markkanen was shoehorned into a spot-up role due to the lack of shooting on the Cavs’ roster last season, and his offensive game is more varied than he displayed in ‘21/22, but he still wound up averaging a solid 14.8 PPG and 5.7 RPG on .445/.358/.868 shooting (.582 true) in 61 games (30.8 MPG).

The thing that impressed me most about Markkanen last season didn’t have anything to do with his offensive production though – everyone knows he can score, even if he’s erratic at times. The 25-year-old was a poor defender in four seasons with Chicago, yet with Cleveland, he played with great effort on that end. Even though he was still only around league average, there’s a huge difference between close to average and a liability, and Markkanen showed that he can be better than the reputation that preceded him.

Restricted free agent Sexton finally landed the big payday he’d been looking for, receiving a four-year, $71MM deal via sign-and-trade. He was a very good scorer for the Cavs in ‘20/21, averaging 24.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.0 SPG on .475/.371/.815 shooting (.573 true shooting percentage).

Sexton was limited to just 11 games last season after suffering a torn meniscus, which required surgery. Zanik said they were intrigued by the chance to land the 23-year-old guard, who’s had a slow start this season through three games (19.7 MPG) off the bench, averaging 13 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 2.3 APG on .357/.286/.850 shooting.

For as talented of a scorer as Sexton is, he produced big numbers on terrible teams that were better with him off the court than on it in each of his first four seasons. He also doesn’t provide much value in other areas – he’s a below average rebounder, passer and decision-maker, and needs to improve defensively.

Even if his game is flawed, I still like Sexton’s never-back-down mentality, and he’s reportedly a very hard worker and good teammate. His contract seems reasonable, even if he doesn’t round out the rest of his game, due to his high-level scoring ability.

Rookie wing Agbaji was a four-year starter at Kansas, earning numerous accolades as a senior after leading the Jayhawks to the championship, including first-team All American, Big 12 Player of the Year, and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. It’s unclear how much playing time he’ll receive for the Jazz, but if they continue to deal away veterans, he could have a larger role for Utah than he would’ve for Cleveland.

Still, the main appeal for Utah was the unprotected first-rounders in 2025, 2027 and 2029, plus the ability to swap first-round picks with Cleveland in 2026 and 2028.

The Jazz are betting that Mitchell declines his player option in ‘25/26 and joins another team in free agency, which would obviously weaken the Cavs’ roster and make the picks and swaps from 2026-29 more valuable. Mitchell theoretically leaving Cleveland could also have a domino effect on other players asking out, because it might signal things aren’t going as well as expected.

As Zanik explained after the trade, the value in stockpiling first-rounders isn’t necessarily where the picks might land — it’s that controlling them gives you more options. The Jazz now have have an arsenal of selections at their disposal to potentially package in trades for players they like in order to accelerate their rebuild instead of waiting several years for the picks to change hands.

In addition to their own first-round pick in the 2023 draft, Utah also controls Minnesota’s unprotected first-rounder and a third first-round selection via the Royce O’Neale trade (the lesser of the Sixers’, Rockets’ or Nets’). Despite the hot start, there’s still a good chance the Jazz finish as a lottery team in ‘22/23, especially if they keep trading away veterans.

For the sake of argument, let’s say that one of Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns or Rudy Gobert gets injured during the season and the Timberwolves miss the playoffs. I hope that doesn’t happen because I don’t want to see anyone get injured — I’m just playing devil’s advocate. That scenario would give Utah two 2023 lottery picks. The Jazz could fairly easily trade for a third if they really wanted to, given all of the future picks they control.

I’m not saying I think that chain of events will happen – it’s possible, sure, but improbable. That isn’t the point. The point is, had the Jazz kept Gobert and Mitchell and remained a middle-of-the-pack playoff team, they’d be picking in the 20s in 2023, they’d be over the salary cap, and would only control their own future picks with a limited ability to improve. Now they have an incredible amount of flexibility to reshape the roster in whichever way they deem best.

The Jazz also cleared a ton of short- and long-term salaries off the books with their five major trades this offseason. As of right now, Utah projects to have at least $20MM in cap room next summer, and could have over $80MM in cap room in 2024. In addition to going after free agents, having that much financial flexibility also allows a team to accumulate more draft picks and young players via salary dumps.

The Jazz’s roster reconstruction culminates a competitive, yet ultimately disappointing stretch of basketball for the Gobert-Mitchell era. There’s no doubt in my mind that the team is now better positioned for the future than it was after another first-round playoff exit in 2022.

Western Notes: Markkanen, Hart, Bassey, Porter Jr.

October 24th, 2022 at 9:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lauri Markkanen was not the centerpiece of the package the Jazz received in the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster with the Cavaliers. However, in his first regular-season week with Utah, Markkanen has played like a star, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes. In the first three games, he averaged 24 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists, all career-highs.

“It’s a good fit here,” Markkanen said. “I’ve tried to stay active and aggressive on both ends every time I come out there. It’s a good start, but we’ve still got to keep learning and keep getting better.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

Josh Hart‘s contributions are a big part of any Trail Blazers success, according to Damian Lillard. “He’s a winning teammate,” Lillard told Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian and other media members. “The way he plays the game. He plays hard. He’s physical. He does everything that you ask him to do. He’s got his teammates best interest. He communicates.” Hart’s $12.96MM salary for 2023/24 is non-guaranteed but he holds a player option and could choose to become a free agent.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a colorful response when asked about the team’s latest addition, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. Charles Bassey was signed to a two-way contract on Monday and Jordan Hall was waived. “Management wants me to look at him, so I’m going to look at him,” Popovich said of Bassey.
Michael Porter Jr. has shown a greater commitment to playing defense, Nuggets coach Michael Malone told Mike Singer of the Denver Post. “I’m on him a lot about his defense, but I think being a coach in a leadership position, you also have to reward them when they’re doing things correctly and build the confidence up,” Malone said, adding “right now what he’s showing me is that he cares.”

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