The Utah Jazz currently are the team to watch during free agency in the NBA. They have held trade talks around the league up as teams wait for what they do with All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen has been made available by the Jazz, but for a hefty asking price.
With those talks at the forefront of their offseason to-do list, Utah hasn't been able to do much elsewhere. The only move the Jazz have made during free agency has been signing Drew Eubanks to a two-year, $10 million contract. Still, it was a smart deal for Utah as they continue to rebuild their roster.
Jazz add reliable backup big man in Drew Eubanks
Drew Eubanks has bounced around the league for a bit. He is about to embark on his fifth team in seven seasons in the NBA. However, he's had a positive impact on every team he's been on as a spark plug off the bench. Eubanks averages a double-double (13.3 points and 10.4 rebounds) on a per-36 minute basis. He's especially useful barreling to the rim in transition or as a pick and roll partner.
His athleticism allows him to not only finish above the rim but protect it as well. Eubanks allowed opponents to shoot 57.5% on shots he contested at the rim, via NBA.com. That percentage ranked 28th in the entire NBA among players who contested at least three such shots and played at least 20 games.
His percentage allowed was lower than defensive stalwarts like Evan Mobley and Bam Adebayo.
No, that doesn't mean that he's a better defensive player than those guys. But, it does show that Eubanks is useful on that end of the floor and can contribute there. The Jazz have a lot of versatile bigs who can space the floor and create offense like Markkanen, Taylor Hendricks, John Collins, and rookie Kyle Filipowski. Eubanks can play alongside those guys if needed to give Utah a big lineup or by himself.
Flexibility with roster building
Not only does Eubanks give the Jazz versatility on the floor, he provides off the floor value in terms of the types of moves the Jazz can continue to make. Markkanen is on the block and can be had if he fetches Danny Ainge and company a massive haul in return. But he isn't the only player that Utah has been taking calls on.
Another player the Jazz have been discussing in trade talks is third-year big man Walker Kessler. Kessler was named to the All-Rookie First-Team in 2023 and got there in large part because of his defensive prowess. He was very good on that end of the floor again last season. He allowed a field goal percentage of 50.9% at the rim last season. Only Ivica Zubac and Joel Embiid were better in that regard.
But with Utah's glut of big men that only grew after adding Eubanks and Filipowski to their group, Kessler has suddenly become a hot commodity. The prevailing word around the NBA is that at least a first-round pick could be what it takes for the Jazz to trade him.
That would make sense on Utah's end. Though they are still in a rebuild and a proven 22-year-old big who looks like a potential defensive anchor would fit the bill of what a rebuilding team would want, Utah has plenty of options on their roster already outside of him. And they can fall to the bottom of the league for a top pick in next year's loaded draft.
That path is presented to them because of how many bigs they already have. Eubanks is included in that. That's why the Jazz signing him constitutes the best move they've made during 2024 NBA free agency.
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