Rewards of the tank:2014 off-season!

As free agency wears on, the Jazz have an interest in adding "more shooting in more spots," a league source tells The Salt Lake Tribune.

One of the names that could pop up is Los Angeles Lakers forward Ryan Kelly.

He fits the mold of what Quin Snyder wants, which is a big man who can shoot the ball, stretch the floor and open up space for the guards to get to the rim. Kelly had a good rookie season with the Lakers, although he did battle foot issues.

But he can shoot. And right now - with Marvin Williams a free agent - the Jazz could use shooting in that spot.

Kelly also has size. He

[QUOTE]Hayward played out the season without a deal, and shouldered the load of being the Jazz's top option. He averaged 16 points and better than five rebounds and five assists a game, though he struggled with his shot.

"Last year was a great learning experience for him," Bartelstein said. "It was the first time he was put in that role. It was a huge adjustment. Teams were game-planning for him. It was a gigantic challenge. There were times he struggled, but those challenges are how players grow. There's no doubt what he went through last year will help him."

Will it help Hayward financially?

We'll see.[/QUOTE]

I'd think it could hurt him. I think that may have been part of his problem last year. He was 2nd guessing the money he gave up as he struggled with his shooting. The max deal stuff is hard to imagine really.

[QUOTE]Hayward is a talented wing in a free agent class that looks short on them. The 24-year-old will indeed shop around during his first taste of free agency.

UPDATED

Mark Murphy: Celtics contacted approximately 30 players last night, according to source. Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons are on the list. Twitter @Murf56

[QUOTE]Adrian Wojnarowski: Rival teams believe that Atlanta's Mike Scott is a restricted agent who can be had with a strong offer sheet. Hawks protecting cap space. Twitter @WojYahooNBA [/QUOTE]

well duh!

Not too worried about Marvin staying now that Corbin is out as coach. He's still worth keeping around for 10-15 minutes a game.

Baxter Holmes: Have been told that both Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens have contacted Utah

[QUOTE]Jody Genessy: I'm told seven teams, including the Jazz, are showing interest in Marvin Williams. RT @jared123j: Any word on Marvin yet? Twitter @DJJazzyJody[/QUOTE]

fingers crossed

[QUOTE]UPDATED - July 1st 5:39 pm

The two teams mentioned the most with Gordon Hayward today have been the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics.

The Cavaliers just finalized their deal with Kyrie Irving and are now looking for the next targer. The Cavs are not in play for the main targets so Hayward might be a nice addition.

Will be interesting to see if Hayward is willing to take an offer sheet from Cleveland, a place I don

"Naturally, there is mutual interest," tweeted Baxter Holmes, the Globe's Celtics beat writer. "Stevens would of course love to coach Hayward again, and I

This off-season the Utah Jazz will be taking part of the Las Vegas Summer league for the first time. So long cross country flights to Orlando, hello moving past old grudges and moving on with our lives! (I love this new Jazz front office, btw) The team has not made any official announcement just yet; however, through sleuthing you can find out some of the people who are currently scheduled to play for the team.

They are point guards Trey Burke, Dante Exum, and Diante Garrett; shooting guards Ian Clark and Khalif Wyatt; face up tweeners Rodney Hood and Malcolm Thomas; and centers Rudy Gobert, Greg Somogyi, Erik Murphy, and Jason Washburn. This is an incomplete list, as it's only 11 players. In the last two seasons the Jazz brought 17 (back in 2012) and 19 (back in 2013) players to summer league. I can expect that the Jazz add a few names to this list by the time the games start -- they did just finish working out 90+ players during the predraft period, and just worked out about another 30 guys in a free agent mini camp.

Player Pos HT WT Age From Last seen Last team League
1 Trey Burke 1 6 1 190 21.65 Michigan On Team Utah Jazz NBA
2 Dante Exum 1 2 6 6 190 18.98 Australia Drafted High School Australia
3 Diante Garrett 1 2 6 4 190 25.76 Iowa St. On Team Utah Jazz NBA
4 Ian Clark 2 1 6 3 173 23.31 Belmont On Team Utah Jazz NBA
5 Khalif Wyatt 2 6 4 205 23.08 Temple New Face Springfield Armor NBA-DL
6 Rodney Hood 3 4 6 8 215 21.71 Duke Drafted Duke NCAA
7 Malcolm Thomas 3 4 6 9 225 25.66 San Diego St On Team Utah Jazz NBA
8 Rudy Gobert 5 7 2 245 22.03 France On Team Utah Jazz NBA
9 Greg Somogyi 5 7 3 242 24.77 Hungary Predraft Workout '13 Alba Fehervar Hungary
10 Erik Murphy 5 4 6 10 230 23.70 Florida On Team Utah Jazz NBA
11 Jason Washburn 5 4 6 10 242 24.09 Utah Free Agent Camp '14 Brussels Belgium

Yeah. Right now it looks a little heavy at point guard and center. I can understand why Raul Neto isn't urged to play here as instead got the blessings from the Jazz to play for Brazil this summer. A return to the floor where the magic happened will be good for Ian Clark, and I hope he gets the ball in his hands. He didn't with the Jazz last season.

With this type of roster the team should try to speed up the tempo, and be able to attack the defense from a number of angles with dribble penetration. The bigs are really big and should be able to box out, get rebounds, set screens, and get out of the way. I think it would be silly to see the team try to run the Alfense and post up a big guy and see if he can go one-on-one, which is what the team did in Orlando the last few years.

I wonder who the Jazz front office will fill out this team with. The games start in 10 days, and the Jazz schedule can be found here. (It's worth the look, it's a detailed view of the times, dates, and locations of each game so you can better plan your trip)

Marc Stein ✔ @ESPNSteinLine
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Jazz vowing to match any offer to RFA Gordon Hayward but fresh rumbles tonight that Cavs weighing wisdom of big offer sheet to Hayward

3:19 PM - 1 Jul 2014

[QUOTE]Brian Windhorst: Cavs believed to be preparing a max offer sheet for restricted free agent Gordon Hayward, sources said. Yahoo reported he is visiting today Twitter @WindhorstESPN

Adrian Wojnarowski: Utah RFA Gordon Hayward is meeting with Cavaliers officials in Cleveland today, sources tell Yahoo. Offer sheet could be forthcoming. Twitter @WojYahooNBA

Steve Luhm: Keep hearing Jazz fans/employees think Hayward-to-Utah is a done deal. Just match best offer. But he's a midwest guy. So is his new wife. Twitter @sluhm

Paul Flannery: 1. A max offer for Gordon Hayward is not the same as a max offer for LeBron James. 2. He's restricted and teams need to overpay to get him. Twitter @Pflanns

Tony Jones: Keep in mind, the Jazz can do a sign and trade if they don't want to match a max offer. question would be who on the cave do the jazz want Twitter @Tjonessltrib[/QUOTE]

Got to let him go if true. If he'd rather be in Cleveland than SLC than they deserve each other. Cavs have some good young pieces maybe they can get in a sign and trade. Can look for a vet to mentor Hood. Not Marvin.

[QUOTE]Ken Berger: If Cavs make max offer to Gordon Hayward, it would be a four-year, $63m deal starting at $14.8m. He made $3.5m last season. Twitter @KBergCBS [/QUOTE]

**** that shit! Almost 16 million a year. :facepalm

Marc J. Spears: The Jazz and Lakers free agent guard Kent Bazemore's camp have had some preliminary contract talks, a source said. Twitter @SpearsNBAYahoo

[QUOTE]Adrian Wojnarowski: Cleveland's belief that Utah will match any Hayward offer sheet is strongly discouraging Cavs from extending one, league sources tell Yahoo. Twitter @WojYahooNBA [/QUOTE]

Which is why the Jazz say they will match. Got to believe they won't be that stupid

[QUOTE]The Cleveland Cavaliers will not be giving restricted free agent small forward Gordon Hayward an offer sheet after his visit with the team on Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation. USA Today Sports

Hayward, 23, is one of the top young free agents on the market, but the widespread belief is that the Utah Jazz would match any offer that comes his way. As USA TODAY Sports reported Monday, Hayward was expected to draw interest from the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, the Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and others. USA Today Sports

The Cavaliers' reluctance to tie up a large chunk of their salary cap space (approximately $16 million) may or may not be tied up to their belief that LeBron James is still considering the notion of leaving the Miami Heat. They have been considered a legitimate option for the four-time MVP, who played seven seasons for the Cavs in his home state before leaving in 2010, but teams have become increasingly skeptical that he's strongly considering an exit. USA Today Sports
[/QUOTE]

Boston appears to be out too

Dave McMenamin: Source says the talks between Kent Bazemore and the Utah Jazz have moved past the preliminary stage, but the sides are not close to a deal Twitter @mcten

[QUOTE]Barry Jackson: Besides Anthony Morrow, Heat also has reached out to Marvin Williams. With limited space, Heat searching for reasonably priced wing players. Twitter @flasportsbuzz [/QUOTE]

Do it Pat!

Tony Jones: League source confirms to The Salt Lake Tribune that the Jazz have preliminary interest in combo guard Kent Bazemore Twitter @Tjonessltrib

Tony Jones: League Source said that while the Jazz have been quiet behind the scenes, they are open to almost any FA scenario should it benefit them Twitter @Tjonessltrib

UPDATED

[QUOTE]The Cleveland Cavaliers may or may not offer Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward a hefty contract in free agency. If not, another team around the league could swoop in with a significant offer sheet for the restricted free agent. Ultimately

League sources also confirm to The Tribune that the Jazz have had talks with free agent guard Kent Bazemore, a 6-foot-5 athlete who showed flashes of promise last season after a midseason trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. Salt Lake Tribune

[QUOTE]According to league sources, the Wizards also have reached out to Anthony Morrow, Marvin Williams, PJ Tucker, Luol Deng and Danny Granger, among others. Washington Post [/QUOTE]

yeah!

[QUOTE]Tony Jones: League source said, Jazz have had multiple free agent conversations, but are focused on Gordon Hayward. Twitter @Tjonessltrib

Tony Jones: League source says Jazz are confident Hayward can take a leap, therefore not concerned at all about paying him top dollar Twitter @Tjonessltrib[/QUOTE]

should be worried

With FA's flying off the shelves I think you'll see a lot of teams hesitant on tying up all their capspace for 3 days on Hayward on a deal that'll just get matched. Will leave them missing out on a lot of deals. I hope most stay away and the Jazz can get him on a good deal.

So Miami is concentrating on getting commitments from shooters like Anthony Morrow and Marvin Williams. But they

[QUOTE]Forward-guard Gordon Hayward, one of the top free agents in this class, has scheduled a visit with the Charlotte Hornets for early next week, the Observer has learned. Charlotte Observer

Jefferson and Hayward are friends from their time together in Salt Lake City. A source familiar with the situation said Jefferson has been recruiting Hayward and will be part of the Hornets

[QUOTE]In a move to create salary cap space, the Toronto Raptors have reached an agreement to send Steve Novak to the Utah Jazz, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Yahoo! Sports

Along with Novak and the two years and $7.2 million left on his contract, the Raptors will send a future second-round draft pick to Utah, sources said. The deal can't be completed until the league's moratorium ends on Thursday. Yahoo! Sports

The Jazz will send the Raptors guard Diante Garrett, who, with a $915,000 non-guaranteed deal for this season, will be waived, sources said. Yahoo! Sports[/QUOTE]

Means Marvin is gone maybe? Novak starting? :(

I guess they could pick up Garrett again. Bazemore might take his spot if they sign him though.

[QUOTE]David Aldridge: Marvin Williams solidly on "next" line for threes after top four/five. Talking with Spurs, Heat, Wizards, Hornets, Clips, Magic, Suns. Twitter @daldridgetnt [/QUOTE]

You go Marvin! :cheers:

Jody Genessy: Hayward's agent: "We're in the middle of the process and we've just got to work our way through it. Obviously people are interested in him." Twitter @DJJazzyJody

[QUOTE]The move makes real sense for the Jazz for one reason, Novak can really shoot the ball from the outside. That is the only really effective part of his game, and everyone knows it, including Novak. He can shoot it so well from beyond the arc (43.2 percent for his career), that he has managed to last eight seasons in the NBA on that one skill alone.

Novak is the true definition of a stretch 4 on the offensive end because all he wants to do is shoot the 3-point shot. In fact, Novak has attempted more than three times as many shots from beyond the arc (1,268 3-point attempts) as shots from inside it (368 2-point attempts), over the course of his career, according to Basketball-reference.com. He was at his best with the Knicks in 2011-12 when Novak led the league in 3-point percentage (47.2 percent on 5.2 attempts a game) while averaging a career-high 8.8 points a night.

While not a big-time producer, Novak can find time with the Jazz thanks to the skill set of most of their guards. Dante Exum, Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward (if he is re-signed) are all most effective when putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim. That is where Novak fits in. He can space the floor and take away the opportunity for teams to double. That will also open up space on the block for Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter to go to work.

Novak won't get big minutes on the floor but should be a valuable piece on the second unit for the Jazz that really struggled to score a season ago.

Jay Yeomans is a courier by day and a freelance writer by night. He is the creator and lead writer of the website jmoneysports.com. Contact him at [email]jmoney34@hotmail.com[/email]. Twitter: @jmoneysports[/QUOTE]

He might start and ideally he is an end of the bench minimum salary guy.

[QUOTE]It's uncertain if the Jazz will continue to pursue free agent forward Marvin Williams, whom the team has reached out to this week. The 6-9 Williams played an appreciated role as a stretch-four player and was a valued locker room presence in Utah for his two seasons.[/QUOTE]

Maybe if G leaves they could bring him back at the 3 otherwise I wouldn't think so now. Novak might be next in line for my hate. They keep replacing each other. From Harris to Marvin to Novak.

[QUOTE]Garrett was a D-League success story this past season for Utah after being called up from the Iowa Energy in November. He had a nonguaranteed contract for $915,000 for the 2014-15 season, but Yahoo reported that he will be waived after this deal is finalized.

Garrett had been planning on participating with the Jazz in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas from July 11-21.[/QUOTE]

There should be interest in him around the league. He showed he could shoot, defend and play a couple of positions with good size at the 1

[QUOTE]This isn't on the scale of the salary dump the Jazz helped Golden State pull off last summer when Utah received two first-round picks, multiple second-rounders and cash in exchange for taking on $24 million worth of expiring contracts of Richard Jefferson, Andris Biedrins and Brandon Rush.

However, the move will clear up some payroll space for Toronto and help the Jazz inch closer to the salary basement. Novak has two years and $7.2 million remaining on his contract.

Utah's main priority in this free agency period remains the same: re-sign restricted free agent Gordon Hayward to a long-term deal. He will reportedly visit Charlotte next week, but sources continue to insist that the Jazz are intent on matching any offers made to the 24-year-old swingman.

Novak's best season came in 2012-13 when he averaged 8.8 points on 47.8 percent shooting for the New York Knicks. He only averaged 3.3 points and 10 minutes in 54 games last season after being traded to the Raptors from New York.

EMAIL: [email]jody@desnews.com[/email]

TWITTER: DJJazzyJody[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]The Jazz, according to sources, fully intend on keeping Hayward in the fold and matching any offer that comes the swingman's way. Knowing this reportedly made Cleveland hesitant to immediately give the former Butler star a contract offer sheet during their get-to-know-you meeting Wednesday.[/QUOTE]
Which I think is the idea with saying they will match anything. Can't see them actually matching any offer.

[QUOTE]While other teams continue to show interest in Hayward, Jazz management made certain to express its feelings about the athlete Monday night. Coach Quin Snyder and general manager Dennis Lindsey both reached out to Hayward and his agent over the phone as soon as the free agency negotiating period began.

On Friday, Hayward's agent, Mark Bartelstein, said he preferred to not list teams that are currently expressing interest in the 6-foot-8 guard/forward. Like the Jazz, Hayward's camp would rather keep the free agency business dealings private.

"We're in the middle of the process and we've just got to kind of work our way through it," Bartelsein told the Deseret News. "He's a free agent. Obviously people are interested in him."

Although it's good for Hayward to have interest from elsewhere, Utah has the upper hand over other NBA teams in this contract negotiating process. Because he's their restricted free agent, the Jazz can offer Hayward more money and one extra year than anybody else. The max he could receive from other teams is about $63 million over four years, while the Jazz would be allowed to sign him for around $85 million and five years.

Some sources believe Hayward will ultimately receive upwards to a max offer from another team because this summer's free agency pool is limited and multiple franchises have money to spend. Getting a versatile player like Hayward is enticing to some squads because, even though his shooting has slipped every year in the NBA, he's considered to be above average at many aspects of the game even when not scoring.

Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey indicated recently that he believes the likelihood of Hayward returning to Utah is "very, very strong." He's also acknowledged that he wants Hayward to improve his leadership skills and to focus on having more fun while playing basketball in the future.

"We

[QUOTE]Before the Jazz embark on their 10-day visit to Las Vegas for summer league, the participants will cap off a training camp with an open practice for fans. The free event will take place next Thursday at EnergySolutions Arena, with doors opening for the 7 p.m. workout at 6 p.m.

Not only will fans be able to check out Jazz draft acquisitions Dante Exum and Rodney Hood, but the first 10,000 spectators to arrive to the arena will receive a T-shirt featuring the two rookies.[/QUOTE]

Might have went but have concert plans!

[QUOTE]Utah hasn

[url]http://saltcityhoops.com/should-utah-extend-alec-burks/[/url]

[QUOTE] a few smart folks I talked to while preparing this piece pegged him in the $6-$7 million/year range, while a few others were a little higher on him. On yesterday

[url]http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/4711640/Utah_Jazz_Future_Draft_Picks.png[/url]

That Memphis pick gives them 3 that year so I imagine even though it probably isn't as good of a pick as the one they gave up they figure with 3 they'll be able to package them together and do something more.

[QUOTE]With new coach Quin Snyder, who is considered to be a development guru, it is likely he

[QUOTE]He is not capable of being a starter even in the case of injury so this doesn

[QUOTE]While Morrow continues to attract attention, the Pelicans' primary focus continues to be finding a willing trade partner to move either Eric Gordon, Austin Rivers or center Alexis Ajinca in an effort to create enough cap space to absorb center Omer Asik's $8.3 million salary. New Orleans Times-Picayune [/QUOTE]

Jazz?