Okay, well, we kind of knew that this type of thing was going to happen then we had up to 12 potential free agents on the team over the course of the season. It still sucks to see a mass exodus of a) guys we rooted for, and b) potential minutes that are now leaving the franchise while the guys who are staying are statistically behind the curve compared to both their peers, and highly achieving NBA players (which may or may not have anything to do with early career experience).
Anyway, here's a handy table to show some of what we know so far:
Free Agent | 2012 | New | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |||
Jazz Player | 2013 | Team | New Total | Length | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
1 | Al Jefferson | $15,000,000 | Charlotte Bobcats | $41,000,000 | 3 yr | $13,666,667 | $13,666,667 | $13,666,667 | |
2 | Paul Millsap | $8,603,633 | Atlanta Hawks | $19,000,000 | 2 yr | $9,500,000 | $9,500,000 | ||
3 | Mo Williams | $8,500,000 | -- | ||||||
4 | Marvin Williams | $8,287,500 | Utah Jazz | $7,500,000 | 1 yr | $7,500,000 | |||
5 | Raja Bell | $3,480,000 | -- | ||||||
6 | Randy Foye | $2,500,000 | -- | ||||||
7 | Earl Watson | $2,000,000 | Portland Trail Blazers | Vet Min. | 1 yr | Vet Min. | |||
8 | Jamaal Tinsley | $1,352,181 | -- | ||||||
9 | DeMarre Carroll | $885,120 | Atlanta Hawks | $5,000,000 | 2 yr | $2,500,000 | $2,500,000 | ||
10 | Kevin Murphy | $473,604 | Golden State Warriors | $788,381 | 1 yr | $788,381 | |||
11 | Jerel McNeal | $53,802 | -- | ||||||
12 | Travis Leslie | $44,835 | -- |
* The salary breakdowns for the players we know about are estimations
Welp. The next big chips to fall will really decide how we go forward. We do have the money to sign Mo, Randy, and Jamaal. I just don't know if we will. We're at $53.2 million right now with the new additions of expiring dealios from Golden State (Richard, Andris, and Brandon.)
Rush, we presume, makes Randy less useful to us. We do have a bunch of wings to play around with right now; however, I would not be too quick to show Randy the door. After all, the Heat and Spurs showed us all how useful having multiple three point shooters on the floor can be. We shall see.
Mo and Jamaal are at different stages of their careers. Jamaal was already out of the league, so he's more than willing to put in the hard work to stay here, even at the mentor level. Mo is in his prime right now in terms of experience, bball iq, and capability (that sweet spot between being in the league for so long, being 30, and being non-crippled by injury). Even if his agent denies his comments, it only makes sense for Mo to want to start. And in the case of our spectacular head coach Tyrone Corbin, starting a guy like Mo over a young hotshot at this stage of his career is exactly what he would do.
So, ultimately, I don't expect Mo back. However, I wouldn't be against bringing him back. But I'm a crazy person. So don't listen to me for GM stuff. I'm no expert here.