The 2017 off-season...Hayward, Hill, Ingles...?

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/5287103...the-jazz-could

That alignment starts with Gordon Hayward returning. With all the work and opportunity the Jazz handed over to Hayward, watching that flow down the drain in free agency would be a kick to the tenders. If they lose their primary guy, short of signing a replacement free agent such as Jimmy Butler, they'd be hard-pressed to get back to 45 or 50 anytime soon.

Still have Gobert. They can build a winner around him. They are a year behind. This year they should have been pushing 60 anyway.

No. 2 is the potential hole at point guard being spackled. If George Hill leaves, what are the Jazz going to do? Dante Exum believes he's the answer. While that kind of confidence is encouraging for Quin Snyder, it's far from a sure thing. Exum has to eliminate the frequent trips of the past when he got himself into situations that caused either a turnover or a bad shot. If he's capable of the kind of improvement that served Hayward and Gobert so well, he will play in the NBA for many years and make a whole lot of money. If he can't, he'll be seen as a dubious fifth overall draft pick.

Hayward was a good NBA rotation player immediately! Gobert was by the start of his 2nd year. They played well with Dante as a rookie but he was no NBA player offensively and still isn't except for flashes. Can't see going into next year with him even penciled in the rotation. He needs to earn that still.

There are a few good floor leaders who will be on the move this offseason.

Not sure any fit as well as Hill. I think they need to pay him. It's easier now because I think you can let Ingles walk. Trade Johnson. Move Favors and Burks after the season start. That's more than enough to pay Hill this year. In years to come it may get more difficult as some of their young guys get paid. Front load it if you can? Go with a mix of rookie contracts and cheap vets and the exception to fill out the rest of the roster.

No. 3 is gaining another quality wing player who can straight shoot or shoot straight.

What the Jazz have now is inadequate for their intentions. It's a position management thought was covered by Hayward, Rodney Hood, Joe Johnson, Joe Ingles and Alec Burks. That's one of the reasons the Jazz took Trey Lyles in the draft two years ago instead of Devin Booker. They figured the need was greater at the 4 rather than the 3 or the 2. Exum can also play shooting guard, or so it was thought.

But Hood, in particular, was erratic this season, and it could be attributable, at least in part, to his bad knee. Hood shot 40 percent during the regular season and 35 percent during the playoffs, including 26 percent from deep. When he was hot, he was really hot. When he was cold, his attempts were ricocheting off the rim and glass like hucked Super-balls. That really hurt the Jazz, at times.

Hood started out the year good. He was consistent before he lost weight with the flu and the injuries that followed. They really need Exum to step up here. Neto could handle the back-up pg duties. I think Burks could be big too though they will probably trade him. Need some cheaper options than Ingles and Johnson that can hopefully match up with the Warriors though.

Ingles was a revelation, if the Jazz can re-sign him, that would help. Johnson is terrific because of his versatility, playing both forward spots. He's also got many rings around the trunk, making it problematic for the Jazz to rely too heavily on him. They need more.

It's all about catching up with the Warriors now. Johnson couldn't and Ingles only did at home. Ingles has to go unless it's cheap or Hayward insists on it. If Hayward wants him he needs to take less money. I see him as an end of the bench guy now ideally

Burks has become an enigma on account of his nagging injuries. He spoke confidently last week about his ability to return to action and help his team. Still, at some juncture, you have to wonder if it will ever happen. He's a unique athlete, but if an athlete is perpetually in rehab, he could hit from anywhere and jump through the roof, and nobody would care.

Unlike Johnson and Ingles he is young and no one else wants him now. Have to hope he can get healthy because he is owed a lot!

Or if they should make a major move, at some expense, to ensure the weakness is made a strength.

Can they make a major move after Hayward and Hill? To me the major move will have to come during the season if Favors and Burks return to form and can be moved

[QUOTE]No. 4 has less to do with decisions by Jazz executives and more with good fortune, or better preparation and prevention

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/5287040...will-stay-with

I would endorse Hayward's departure if it involves reuniting with Stevens in Boston and joining a Celtics team that performed better in the playoffs against Golden State than the Jazz did. If the Celtics come reasonably close to winning a championship, while the Jazz's hopes of overtaking Golden State in the Western Conference appear unlikely, that combination would create a strong argument for Hayward's moving.

Regardless I wouldn't blame him for leaving. While the Jazz are counting money the Celtics will do whatever it takes to win it all.

When I wrote similar words in July 2014, as Hayward shopped for offers as a restricted free agent, some percentage of Jazz fans took the opposing viewpoint. They wondered why the Jazz would spend a lot of money for an undistinguished player. And when the Jazz matched Charlotte's offer and I quoted Hayward as saying he wouldn't feel pressure living up to his contract, they became more angry.

He wasn't worth the max at the time he signed it. Thanks to the tv deal it became a bargain this season. If they had any foresight they would have given him the max and not matched Charlotte's offer. They might have two more years of him on that contract instead. Obviously he has now earned however much he wants based on his playoff performance.

My advice: Cheer for the Cavs.

If the Celtics get destroyed by GS it may be better for the Jazz

But in the Jazz's case, winning another 50-plus games in 2017-18 seems impossible, if he's playing anywhere else.

I don't think so. They should have been a 50 win team last year and should have won a lot more this year. Imagine a healthy Favors, Hood and Burks and a healthy and re-signed Hill with money left to sign some help. Portland didn't fall apart when Aldridge left. No reason they can't be a better defensive team without Hayward. Put some more shooting around Gobert.

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...offseason.html

[QUOTE]The Jazz have only eight other players who are certain to be under contract with them next season, barring a trade: Derrick Favors ($11.8 million), Alec Burks ($10.6 million), Joe Johnson ($10.5 million), Dante Exum ($5 million), Trey Lyles ($2.4 million), Rodney Hood ($2.4 million), Raul Neto ($1.5 million) and Joel Bolomboy ($1.3 million).

The returning Jazz players

[Xiao Yao You]

https://jazzfanatical.wordpress.com/...of-the-season/

[QUOTE]The question is, how scarred is he from the first three years? And

[Xiao Yao You]

Now the Jazz have to make the toughest decision of the offseason; whether to re-sign Hill or to let him walk.

I think it's easy unless another star caliber player becomes available to them.

Put simply, even if the Jazz trade Alec Burks and his huge contract, and re-sign Ingles and Hayward cheaper than expected, they still won’t have the money to throw at a ‘superstar’ if they keep George Hill.

Who is this superstar they can get? Hill was playing like a star in November. Johnson and Diaw's contracts are probably close to what you need to pay Hill.

The decision to keep or cut Hill will largely be decided by how much he requests on his contract. I say, anything over 12 million a year and you have to let him go, because it takes away any chance of getting another great player this summer. He will almost definitely demand that kind of money, and if the Jazz won’t give him upwards of that, I’m sure a lot of other teams will.

I have a reason as to why the Jazz have to take a risk and cut Hill. I hate to be a bummer to all you die-hard Jazz fans out there, but as long as LeBron James is still roaming an NBA court and playing at that once-in-a-generation level, and Golden State has that much star power, the Jazz will never beat either team with their current roster.

They match up well with Cleveland actually. Their length gave them issues. GS is the team you are gunning for. It's why you let Johnson and Ingles go. They are old and didn't play well against them. You pay Hill unless you can get someone else of his caliber and I don't think there are many of those out there.

No disrespect to Hill, but with a couple added years of development to Exum, Gobert, Hood, Lyles, Bolomboy, etc. they could contend if you put a player like Jimmy Butler, Paul George or Chris Paul (you’d learn to love him) in the place of Hill.

George wants to play in LA from the sound of it. Paul isn't coming and actually isn't as good of a fit as Hill. I'd give them everyone but Hayward and Gobert and I don't think you get Butler. Boston can offer more even if they get Hayward. They were trying to get Butler and George on the same team from the sound of it. That's why Boston is probably the place for Hayward. The young guys you love may or may not be able to play with GS. Hood and Exum have until February to prove themselves or you probably look to trade them too.

Tell me you wouldn’t want to see Chris Paul, the best pick and roll player of the last decade and the NBA’s best point guard in a lineup with a more developed Dante Exum, Rodney Hood, Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert. Now that team has a chance against the star-studded Warriors and LeBron’s Cavaliers.

Realistic?

If George Hill stays, he will almost surely be on a contract big enough to destroy the possibility of an All-Star signing this offseason. Thus, the next thing to do would be to keep all of the key pieces that turned the Jazz into a playoff team this season. This starts by re-signing Boris Diaw.

Diaw has to go unless it's on a cheaper deal and for an end of the bench role

Joe Ingles made it perfectly clear that he wants to play with the Jazz next season so I’m praying that he’s happy to take a slight discount to stay with the Jazz. I’m going to say $10,000,000 for next year (for the following calculations anyway). If George Hill stays, I have him on roughly $17,000,000.

Good bye Joe!

If the above is correct (it won’t be, but it should be close), Utah will be paying their 13-man roster $130,865,869, before you take away the contract of Alec Burks who the Jazz will likely trade. The Jazz would also have to re-sign Shelvin Mack and Jeff Withey to maintain their current roster (minus Burks). So Utah would have already burst the salary cap. In other words, they can not possibly keep under the cap if they re-sign Hayward, Hill, Diaw and Ingles.

So after adding it all up, Boris Diaw only stays if Hill leaves and they are unable to pay a big-time player, or either Joe Ingles or Gordon Hayward don’t re-sign. The other possible scenario is Derrick Favors being traded which could clear enough cap space.

Mack, Withey, Diaw, Ingles, Johnson gone. Hayward and Hill signed. Diaw possibly to a cheaper deal. Go into the season like that possibly over the tax line. Can make trade later to get under the tax line once some guys improve their stock. Also have 2 G-league/NBA duel contracts this year. Should have mostly vets at the end of the bench ideally now.

If the Jazz were to lose George Hill this offseason, the first priority would be to sign a good veteran point guard on a relatively small contract. Former Utah Jazz star Deron Williams comes to mind. He will be a free agent this summer and could likely come back to the Jazz for his final years.

Not ideal. They need a vet starter. He would be best on the bench. Neto should be the back-up there

Another player I’m sure the Jazz will have their eyes on is Patty Mills. He is tailor made for the offense in Utah and could come at a nice price. Patty Mills took a very small contract in hopes he could win a title with the Spurs. Let’s hope he would take the same discount to play with the Jazz.

He's my guy if Hill is gone. Might take Hill going to SA for it to happen though and I'm not sure if that's in the works or not? Parker is out until the middle of next season but they have their first rounder from last year as well as Hanlan and probably many others waiting for their shot. A chance to start in Utah might be enough to get him but he's probably starting in SA at least until Parker gets back

The Jazz could target players such as Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Kyle Lowry or Paul Millsap. The two that make the most sense from a salary standpoint are Griffin and Millsap because you can manufacture a way to trade Derrick Favors in order to keep Diaw as the backup power forward.

Maybe they could get Griffin? He actually could be a great fit. He can play much like their most of their team plays. With and without the ball. He could get the ball in his hands more with the Jazz than he does with the Clippers. His lack of D could be hidden maybe. He's the player you are dreaming of Lyles suddenly being!

But fans can rest easy knowing that the masterminds in the front office will make the right decisions to give the Jazz the best chances to win a championship going forward.

We can? Like the brilliant move of letting your best player and another great role player go? The great trade for Burke?....

[Xiao Yao You]

http://purpleandblues.com/2017/05/14...the-utah-jazz/

We are talking about a player who carried what was essentially the second unit of a team through two playoff series and managed to be competitive.

Gobert and him carried them

[QUOTE]there

[Xiao Yao You]

http://purpleandblues.com/2017/05/13...r-price-range/

[QUOTE] I think it

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Joe Johnson was obviously a bright point at the power forward position where he played for much of the latter part of the year. However, age and fatigue certainly caught up to him in the series against Golden State, leaving the legitimate question of how much he has in the tank and how productive he can be in that position over the long haul.

Not much question about it. He needs to go. Thanks for the Clippers series. Who wants him?

[QUOTE]Then there

[Xiao Yao You]

http://purpleandblues.com/2017/05/14...needs-upgrade/

All 15 positions that aren't Gobert and Hayward.

[QUOTE]which position on the Jazz roster is in the greatest need of an upgrade?

For these intents and purposes, we

[Xiao Yao You]

http://purpleandblues.com/2017/05/13...ose-money-fit/

[QUOTE]Beyond Hayward, Joe Ingles is also an unrestricted free agent and although, as Purple & Blues

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]Sam Amick: Pop:

[Xiao Yao You]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...ss-this-summer

The Utah Jazz's roster works.

They'll have to hang onto Joe Ingles, Gordon Hayward and George Hill, but it does work. It'll be expensive to keep everyone in place, but it does work. They'll need confidence in their vision, but it does work.

It didn't work against GS. Changes have to be made especially when it's older guys making big money like Johnson, Diaw and soon Ingles.

There's no reason to mess with that, which makes improving the health of the roster even more of a pressing priority.

and how do they do that? It's likely that they will have less depth next year so it's certainly important but some guys are just injury prone maybe?

[Xiao Yao You]

Griffin’s acquisition would likely mean parting with Derrick Favors

Not immeditately

I believe the most likely course of action is that Griffin will stay in LA and even if he left, despite the basketball appeal in Utah, I still doubt he would be interested in joining the team

I don't know. He's from OKC. He might like it here. Could be a perfect fit offensively and he could have the ball in his hands more. The questions with him would be injuries and defense

It also may very well result in the departure of Boris Diaw. That could be a tough decision for the Jazz, but given Randolph’s ability to grind, rebound and score in the post with the best of them, I think it would be a wise decision for the Jazz to make.

Doesn't hit the 3 or defend. You don't seem to be very familiar with the Jazz. Just throw names out there. Last year it was said they only wanted something like 5 guys in free agency including Joe and that was when they had excess money.

Hypothetically, he could start at the power forward position while Derrick Favors would officially slide to backup center, helping the Jazz shore up both of those areas.

I see Favors starting until he can show he's a trade asset again unless it's Millsap or Griffin coming

That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Jazz couldn’t add him, but it likely means that if they can afford him they failed to make a bigger splash elsewhere. Although, adding an under-the-radar talent such as James Johnson could very well to be a bigger splash in its own right than many would presume.

He's one of the best fits you found. He's very long. Versatile. Hit the 3 at a decent rate for a 4. Can pass. He would be a huge splash actually. Be tough to get him away from the Heat I imagine. Could start once Favors is dealt or come off the bench

Durability is definitely one worry for Holiday, but he has played over 60 games the past two seasons and the majority of his missed time this past year was for personal reasons due to his wife’s brain surgery and ensuing recovery, not due to health issues of his own.

His injuries are worrisome. I like Mills more

Taj Gibson

Doesn't shoot the 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What is it that you don't get about the Jazz and the way they want to play? They want to spread the floor. They want either a 3 or a lay-up. They want everyone to shoot the 3 except Rudy(someday maybe:?)There's a reason they got Diaw, Lylesm Bolomboy and Joe Johnson instead of keeping Booker or playing Withey! There's a reason that Favors has finally said he will be shooting 3's all summer. Withey said he was working on the corner 3 last year too. Never saw it though.

If the Jazz find themselves with the right amount of money after adding key guys or perhaps if Joe Ingles ends up signing an offer sheet with another team that Utah is unable to match, Covington could provide somewhat of a solution for them.

Ingles has to go! Covington is a 3 and D 4. Could be a great fit. If I'm him I would want out of Philly where they have Simmons, Embiid, Saric and Okafor. Could start here

I’d much prefer the Jazz avoid the “lukewarm” option and instead of adding Collison, either go all in on a better point guard such as Holiday, Teague or Kyle Lowry, or designate that money elsewhere and instead sign a reliable veteran such as Deron Williams.

I'd probably want him more than any of those guys except the injury prone Holiday but ideally he's a back-up. Start Neto again?

I love the scoring that Gay would bring, but Utah will likely look to make a splash with players that aren’t quite so one-dimensional or risky.

Not a great fit

San Antonio may also look to make a big push to replace the aging Tony Parker with a solid point guard such as Kyle Lowry, Chris Paul or even former Spur George Hill. That combined with the quick improvement of the young Dejounte Murray could result in Mills becoming the odd man out.

That's the question with him. He could be starting on the Spurs now even when Parker returns. Do they try to get Hill? Mills could start for the Jazz and maybe not many other teams and with Exum around(hopefully Ingles is gone) he might feel right at home

Of course adding Lowry would only make sense if the Jazz decided to part ways with George Hill, but if the choice came down to spending max money on Hill or spending max money on Lowry, that’s a pretty clear and easy decision.

Hill is a better fit!

As I’m sure you’ve gathered by now, there’s certainly no shortage of options for the Utah Jazz this summer. Of course their first order of business will be resolving the situations involving their current key free agents – Gordon Hayward, Joe Ingles and George Hill.

But beyond that the sky is likely the limit for this Utah Jazz team

The sky is the limit as long as you don't pay luxury tax! There are a shortage of guys that fit as we saw from this. They only went after a handful of guys last year. I say you have to pay Hill unless you can get someone like Millsap or Griffin. After that you go after a Johnson or Covington. Going to need to fill out the roster with rookie contracts, vet minimums and the exception.

[Xiao Yao You]

http://purpleandblues.com/2017/05/14...across-league/

[QUOTE]they

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]Donatas Urbonas: Motiejunas on possibility to stay in New Orleans Pelicans: