Utah Jazz Offseason Priority List

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz are awaiting the return of the NBA season. However, the threat that the remainder of the season is canceled continues to hang over the league. The deeper into the summer the break stretches, the less likely it is that the season returns. If they are met with a premature summer, the team will have to start checking these boxes off the Jazz offseason priority list.

Utah Jazz Offseason Priority List

(This list assumes Mike Conley picks up his $34.5 million player option for next season)

Sign Donovan Mitchell to an Extension

The top priority for the Jazz will be to sign guard Donovan Mitchell to a max contract extension. Wrapping up his third season, the Jazz guard can sign the extension a full summer before it becomes a reality. The price tag will be roughly $170 million over five seasons, a cost the Jazz will happily pay.

Donovan Mitchell makes this look easy. It's not. #TakeNote #utahjazz #NBA #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/PJ2AKgBoJ3

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) January 25, 2020

The team won’t make Mitchell wait a year to find the deal, even though he’d be a restricted free agent. That ploy soured the team’s relationship with Gordon Hayward and won’t be repeated.

The deal should require little negotiation, clearing room for the team to move onto other pressing needs.

Resign Jordan Clarkson

Trading for Jordan Clarkson was a no brainer for the Jazz. The guard both provided a steady upgrade over Dante Exum and spared the team from the final year of the oft-injured guard’s contract. The only downside was the potential for Clarkson’s pricetag to exceed Exum’s and do so a season earlier.

That appears to be the case as Clarkson will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, coming off of the best basketball of his career. With a somewhat depleted free agent pool, Clarkson will have many suitors. The guard has proven he can play an important role on a playoff-caliber team.

Oh that's slick, @JordanClarksons 😤 pic.twitter.com/4Tl6lYVGVN

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) March 8, 2020

Though the team won’t have much money to spend after acquiring both Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley last summer, they can go above the salary cap to resign Clarkson. What the future salary cap number looks like will remain a mystery until the league determines its financial losses from the hiatus.

Clarkson is earning $13.4 million this season, and will likely look for an average salary in the same range for his next deal. The Jazz won’t bid against themselves to sign Clarkson but should come out with an aggressive offer to resign him.

If the team can bring Clarkson back on a deal with an average of $14 million or less, that should be considered a victory.

Trade Ed Davis

The Ed Davis signing remains one of the rare misses in recent Jazz history. The veteran center seemed like an ideal fit behind Rudy Gobert. However, Davis’ lack of an offensive identity pushed him out of the rotation in late December.

With just one season and $5 million remaining on Davis’ contract, the Jazz should find suitors in need of a reserve big man. Davis likely won’t garner an enormous return, though a second-round pick or a player of equal value at a more pressing position would be a good return.

Davis has been a good soldier, and the Jazz would be wise to find him a new landing spot.

Explore Extension For Rudy Gobert

Extending Rudy Gobert should go one of two ways this season. Either Gobert accepts a hometown discount for his services. Or, the Jazz wait until 2021 to continue negotiating with the two time defensive player of the year.

Make no mistake, the Jazz are better with Gobert on the roster. However, with a five-year $250 million price tag looming, the Jazz have to ask exactly how much value Gobert brings.

This block by @rudygobert27 on @Dame_Lillard sealed the win for the Jazz over the Trail Blazers on Dec. 26.#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/t3KwNzN7lC

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 30, 2020

Should Gobert choose to sign a deal below the max, say five years at $200 million, it’s a smart move. If the All-NBA center insists on the full cost, the Jazz should wait another year to continue talks.

Gobert will be 29 years old when his next contract begins. With his size and frame, injuries will be a concern over the life of his next deal. The fear of a serious injury next season will give the team pause before signing him to a full extension. Meanwhile, the same fear may encourage Gobert to secure his long term contract, even if it comes at a discount.

At this point, the two sides agreeing to a deal would be surprising, but there are reasons for both sides to get it done.

Extend Georges Niang

Entering the second anniversary of his three-year deal with the Jazz, Georges Niang is eligible for a contract extension. The forward has proven his value as an elite shooter in a reserve role shooting better than 40 percent from three.

The Jazz won’t break the bank for Niang, but tacking on an extra season or two to his existing deal makes sense. The forward could choose to wait for the summer of 2021 to extend his contract but that’s a gamble.

Georges Niang is on 🔥🔥🔥 #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/CoCBuaz1hv

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) January 5, 2020

Niang hasn’t earned significant money by NBA standards and a deal this summer could secure his long term future. Even though he would be an unrestricted free agent, he isn’t guaranteed to find a better landing spot than the Jazz.

If Niang can be had for two years with an average price tag of $5 million, he’s a worthwhile investment.

Extend Tony Bradley

Like Mitchell, Tony Bradley is eligible to sign a rookie extension with the Jazz. Bradley had a coming-out party this season and looks like a solid rotational big man.

🚨Tony Bradley with a THREE! 🚨#ThreesoftheWeek | @MountainAmerica pic.twitter.com/fer3N6lF7L

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) March 3, 2020

Considering the low cost of reserve centers, the Jazz won’t feel pressured to extend Bradley. However, finding insurance for Gobert in case of an injury makes sense. Additionally, Bradley looks to have untapped potential with the team’s second unit.

Like Niang, the Jazz shouldn’t pay a steep price for Bradley, but any extension with a $5 million average is reasonable.

Secure a Fifth Guard

After acquiring Clarkson, the Jazz proved to have one of the best guard rotations in the NBA. However, the team has still needed occasional minutes from fifth-year veteran Emmanuel Mudiay.

The Jazz will likely explore the market for a sharpshooting guard at a low cost this summer. That can be done either through the draft or in free agency. If no player fits the bill, Mudiay is a solid candidate to bring back. However, the guard may look for a bigger role on another team after showing improvement this season.

Mudiay INT + 3 pic.twitter.com/J0moEMG7V7

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) January 15, 2020

The team will have plenty of options to fill this role, including some players already on the roster. However, taking a flyer on a young player with more upside might be a smart move. With Conley entering the final year of his contract, finding future guard depth would be an added bonus.

While the team is keeping an eye on returning for a postseason run this summer, the front office will already have a strong idea of how to accomplish the most pressing issues on the Jazz offseason priority list.