ESPN news:Should the Jazz trade Lauri Markkanen in order to have a better chance at landing Cooper Flagg….read more.
Fans of jazz adore the Finnisher, evidently.
Following last week’s SB Reacts column, we received a question regarding the Utah Jazz’s future with Lauri Markkanen. Utah obviously has a thing for the Finnisher!
According to 69% of those who participated in the survey, Lauri Markkanen should be the Jazz’s main focus. This offseason, the Jazz will need to make some decisions, but it appears that a renegotiation of Markkanen’s deal is the most likely course of action. It seems like Jazz supporters will be pleased if that occurs.
Given that most Jazz supporters desire to rebuild around Markkanen, the way the next question was received makes sense. Many of you disagreed when asked if the Jazz should trade Lauri Markkanen in order to have a better chance at landing Cooper Flagg.
Many of you would be against the Jazz trading Markkanen to pursue Cooper Flagg because he appears to be a generational possibility.
In another possible scenario, the Jazz decide to try to acquire Flagg by dealing all of their other veterans and renegotiating Markkanen’s contract. If that’s something you’d like to see, is it something we should inquire about in future polls? This time, I didn’t want to because I wanted to make it very apparent what Utah ought to do.
When we finally asked who you thought will be the Jazz’s long-term best player among their youthful core of rookies, here are your responses.
Not surprise, Keyonte George emerged victorious. George had some amazing moments this season that demonstrated his potential to be a fantastic player for the Jazz in the future if he can shoot and make decisions more consistently.
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Utah Jazz Mailbag: Which Draft Wing Best Suits Jazz?
Welcome to the Utah Jazz mailbag, where our NBA insiders respond to your weekly inquiries regarding your preferred team on social media.
We will ask your questions regarding the Jazz on KSL Sports Threads, Instagram, X, and Facebook pages once a week.
Then, in that week’s mailbag, we will address as many as we can.
Jazz Mailbag: What Wing Works Best for Jazz?
Which of Ron Holland, Cody Williams, Dalton Knecht, or Tidjane Salaun, and why, would you pick if you had to? Out of those four, who do you think the Jazz would choose?
The Jazz clearly had bad luck in the draft lottery, falling from the eighth to the tenth pick, but there’s a good chance that a few players that suit their most pressing wing need will be available when they’re on the clock and still be considered the best player available.
Here is a quick rundown of the four guys you suggested the Jazz should consider.
Top high school prospect Ron Holland ended up playing a major offensive role in the G League last season, with varying degrees of success.
Although Holland has a great work ethic and the potential to be a true star, his poor three-point shooting percentage of 24 percent is a serious challenge in the current NBA.
Cody Williams was originally considered the number one choice overall, but he will probably land in the back half of the lottery due to a string of injuries and a lackluster finish to his rookie campaign.
Williams possesses excellent touch close to the hoop and hit over 40% from three-point range, but he may never realize his full offensive potential due to a lack of aggressiveness and a restricted number of three-point tries.
Dalton Knecht’s exceptional shooting and athleticism would probably mean that he would be a regular member of the Jazz roster right away. His established skill set makes him a rather safe pick to make the NBA, something that cannot be said of any of the other three guys you mentioned.
Knecht’s age of 23 restricts his potential, though, and his subpar defense would still be an issue in Utah.
Standing six feet nine, Tidjane Salaun is the most physically ideal of the four players. He weighs more than twenty points more than Williams, shoots over ten percent better from three than Holland, and is four years younger than Knecht.
He lacks the one exceptional quality that will force him onto the NBA floor, making him the most raw player on the list.
If all four players are available at number ten, I do believe the Jazz will give them substantial consideration; who they choose to select will be largely determined by the outcome of the pre-draft process.
Holland is the most fascinating potential of the four, but they are all good choices. His ability to impact the game defensively and his offensive promise if the shot develops would check a lot of boxes for the Jazz.
According to reports, Memphis will exchange the 9th overall pick for a player with a track record. Which players, who have contracts expiring in the following season, would you be ready to give up for that selection? Memphis would ask for whom?
A: Walker Kessler is the only player on the Jazz roster that I believe would make sense in a trade of this kind, and Memphis wants to acquire a win-now player with the ninth choice.
I don’t know of any other player that would be considered a win-now player, and Markkanen and Sexton are just too talented to deal for this year’s ninth pick.
The Grizzlies need another big man to carry out some of the heavy lifting in the paint after selling Steven Adams last season. Since Donovan Clingan of UConn is probably off the board at nine, Kessler would not be a bad option.
Although there is some logic to this kind of move, the Jazz would have to truly like someone on the board at nine to want back-to-back picks in this round.
Q: Do the Jazz consider bringing Procida in during the offseason after he won the EuroLeague Rising Star award?
A: Simone Fontecchio was traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Gabriele Procida and the 32nd pick in this year’s draft.
With Berlin, Procida averaged 8.3 points in 17.4 minutes during the weekend, earning him the title of EuroLeague Rising Star.
It’s encouraging for the 21-year-old Jazz prospect because previous champions Luka Doncic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Goga Bitadze, Nikola Mirotic, and Ricky Rubio all went on to have successful NBA careers.
I talked to someone close to the matter after Procida was purchased, and they indicated the Jazz were thrilled about Procida’s future, but that he would probably not join the NBA until 2025 at the earliest because of his current three-year deal, which he signed in 2022.
Thus, I wouldn’t count on seeing him in the NBA or Summer League this upcoming season, but he might be a contender to sign with the Jazz in 2025.
Ainge must make firm decisions on how he will handle the upcoming season. Although I myself want to tank for Cooper Flagg, what other players should he target in order to surround Markkannen?
A: Should a superstar become available, the Jazz will keep searching for shrewd moves that can strengthen the squad, preserve trade value, and preserve the team’s long-term salary cap flexibility.
Fans would undoubtedly want to see the team sign more well-known players, but Kyle Anderson is a free agent who I believe would be a good fit for a temporary contract.
His 6.4 points and 4.2 assist per game average won’t impress anyone, but he’s the kind of seasoned player who would add basketball knowledge and experience to a Jazz locker room lacking in both.
Although Anderson is by no means the Jazz’s long-term answer, his ability to start plays could help relieve some of Keyonte George’s workload and act as a bridge for the team’s more experienced players who are reluctant to play all minutes alongside rookies and sophomores.
Even better, the Jazz could overpay for him on a one- to two-year contract knowing that he might still be traded or let his contract expire if it becomes worthless.
I discussed the hidden benefits of entering the NBA’s middle class last week, and Anderson is the kind of player who can assist a team in doing precisely that.
There are worse names on the market than Anderson if the needle movers don’t arrive in Utah this summer.
