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The Utah Jazz will have plenty of directions to go in as the 2023 NBA offseason gets into full swing.
The Jazz ended last season with a record of 37-45, putting them in 12th place in the Western Conference and three games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for a spot in the Play-In tournament. 13 players will be under contract for Utah in the 2023-24 season, according to Spotrac. Four players, including guards Jordan Clarkson and Talen Horton-Tucker, will have player options for next season.
The Jazz will have some cap space to work with when trying to sign on veteran options in the offseason.
Utah's taxable salaries add up to just over $97.7 million, according to Spotrac. The team's cap holds, or “the placeholder figure a team's own free agent counts against their salary cap until he either signs a new contract or has his rights renounced,” according to CBS Sports, add up to just over $21.4 million. The NBA salary cap is projected to rise by 8.4% for the 2023-24 season, putting it at a figure of $134 million, according to the Associated Press.
Utah holds the No. 9, No. 16 and No. 28 picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. They could use their No. 9 pick to round out their roster with blossoming talent, or they can trade the pick for a more surefire starting option that can help guide them to their first playoff appearance since the 2021-22 season.
Who are some sneaky picks for the Jazz with the No. 28 pick in the NBA Draft?
Colby Jones
Should Clarkson and Horton-Tucker decline their player options and move on to different teams, the Jazz must find valuable contributors at the shooting guard spot if they haven't addressed it with the No. 9 pick.
Jones, a former 4-star recruit from Birmingham, Ala., had a productive third season with the Musketeers. The 6-foot-6-inch guard averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in 36 games and starts, making him a valued part of a Xavier squad that went 27-10 overall and 15-5 against conference opponents.
“The teams I met with just like that I'm the connector on offense. I do a lot of different things on offense and defense and just making those hustle plays, all of the dirty plays. They like my motor,” Jones said in May, via 247Sports. “As far as like getting better, they just want me to continue to shoot the 3 ball so that I can shoot that and just be aggressive at all times. I feel like that's what they're really looking for.”
Terquavion Smith
Guard Kris Dunn is listed with a non-guaranteed contract for the 2023-24 season. It will become fully guaranteed on October 23.
Whether they keep him and guarantee his contract or not, the Jazz can benefit from players who can serve as a backup to guard Collin Sexton at the point and the two spot next season.
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Smith, a 6-foot-4-inch guard from Greenville, N.C., averaged 17.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for the Wolfpack last season. He nearly doubled his assists per game from 2.1 during his freshman season, a point brought up during a one-on-one interview with the Indiana Pacers earlier this month.
“I have to say just making the right play,” Smith said when asked where he grew the most as a playmaker, via The Pacers. “Also pick-and-roll reads. That became second nature to me this year.
“I'll give credit to my teammates. We went and recruited some guys that can play at a high level. Being around better guys can probably increase that too.”
Olivier-Maxence Prosper
With forwards Kelly Olynyk and Luka Samanic on non-guaranteed deals and forward Rudy Gay on a player option, the Jazz can benefit from adding players who can play at both the small and the power forward spots.
Prosper ended the 2022-23 season with 12.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and a 51.2% shooting percentage from the field. The figures took third, second and third place on the Golden Eagles' roster, respectively. He took pride in his versatility in a May interview with ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony.
“My game translates really well to the NBA,” Prosper said, via Givony. “It's a positionless league, and wings like me who can guard multiple positions, run the floor, finish in transition and make catch-and-shoot 3s find ways to make winning plays and impact games. Based on what I've been told, there's no reason I shouldn't be a first-rounder.”
Forward Simone Fontecchio, who signed with the Jazz on a two-year contract last July, had a decent first season off the bench for Utah. He played in 52 games and started in six, averaging 6.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 14.7 minutes played per outing.
Prosper could provide some valuable depth to both forward spots, especially if the Jazz take a guard with either one of their earlier picks.
