FanPost

Musings about reshaping the Jazz roster

Current Jazz roster:

PG: Rubio, Exum (injured), Neto

SG: Mitchell, Hood, Burks

SF: Ingles, Sefolosha, O'Neale

PF: Favors, Jerebko, Johnson

C: Gobert, Udoh, Bradley

I think most Jazz fans would agree that the current Jazz roster needs some reshaping. Although there are many things to like about this Jazz team overall and many things to like about almost all of the Jazz's individual players (if they can fit into the right role), it's a roster that doesn't quite mesh. This Jazz team has great depth and good defense, but not quite enough scoring. The Ricky Rubio experiment does not seem to be working out. The Jazz miss the scoring punch of both Gordon Hayward and George Hill, although Donovan Mitchell has made up for that somewhat, on his fast track to becoming an all-star. Joe Johnson, Derrick Favors, Rodney Hood, and Dante Exum are all in contract years, and the Jazz must make some hard decisions about who to keep and at what price, if those players are all still on the team at the end of the season. Joe Johnson is not likely to be re-signed, and both Derrick Favors and Rodney Hood may command a salary on the open market that the Jazz wouldn't want to match. Plus, both Derrick Favors and Rodney Hood may not be completely happy with their current role on this Jazz team and may look to go elsewhere in free agency.

Here are my musings about how the Jazz could reshape the roster at the trade deadline and through the NBA draft to make the Jazz more of a legitimate contender going forward.

Move #1: Trade Joe Johnson to Portland for Meyers Leonard.

Meyers Leonard has fallen out of the Portland rotation; Portland is overpaying Leonard for the production he is providing; and Portland needs salary cap relief. Leonard has pretty much worn out his welcome in Portland, although he is still young (will turn 26 in February), and still appears to have the potential to become a good player in the right situation. Joe Johnson will be more useful to Portland in their 2017-2018 playoff run than will Meyers Leonard, and Johnson's expiring contract will give Portland some much needed salary cap relief for the 2018-2019 season. Leonard had great potential as a 3-and-D stretch big man coming out of college in 2012, but he hasn't developed into much of a defender in the NBA, although he has the tools of great size and athleticism, and can really shoot from the outside. I think he's worth the gamble that the Jazz can rescue him off the scrap heap and still mold him into a useful stretch big. Young, talented, stretch bigs are becoming harder and harder to acquire in today's NBA--and there are not a lot of options out there for the Jazz, without giving up much more than the Jazz would want to give up. He's got two more years on his contract after this season at a little under $11 mil. per season average, which is not a bad contract--if the Jazz can help him become more productive on both offense and defense. He's already been in the league for 5 years, so he's at a stage in his career where he could really start to be productive with the right coaching and opportunity. Perhaps Udoh could mentor him a bit on the defensive end. Joe Johnson hasn't had much impact on the Jazz so far this season, and is not likely to be re-signed next season, so the cost of the trade would be minimal for the Jazz--other than paying Leonard's salary for the next two seasons.

Move #2: Trade Rodney Hood to Orlando for Mario Hezonja.

Hezonja has fallen out of favor in Orlando to the degree that Orlando did not even pick up the fourth year option on his rookie contract, making him an unrestricted free agent after only 3 seasons, although he was the #5 pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He has played better as of late, but still should be available in a trade. Rodney Hood has been a much more productive player than Mario Hezonja in his career so far, with many of the same physical attributes and talents. Although Hood's weakness has always been his inconsistency, he has been much more consistent this season, and has the ability to take over games when he has a hot hand. Although Jazz fans would like to keep Rodney Hood, he may command a salary in restricted free agency that is more than the Jazz may be able to pay. Thus, it makes sense for the Jazz to trade Hood for a player who could potentially provide the same type of shooting that Rodney Hood can provide, but who should be able to be re-signed at a much lower cost. The only question is whether Orlando would value Hood enough to make the trade.

Move #3: Trade Ricky Rubio and Raul Neto to Sacramento for George Hill.

Until George Hill was injured last season, his signing with the Jazz for the 2016-2017 season seemed like a match made in heaven. He could run the Jazz offense effectively, played good defense and gave the Jazz a point guard who could really shoot the 3-point shot, and who could score between 15 and 20 points a game regularly. His skill set seemed to fit seamlessly into the Jazz's offensive and defensive schemes. He could also shift over to the SG position and play with another point guard. However, he wanted a much bigger contract than the Jazz were willing to offer him. Once the free agency period began last summer, the free agency money began to dry up very quickly. George Hill had to move quickly to get a contract close to what he had been demanding from the Jazz, and wound up in a less-than-ideal situation with the rebuilding Sacramento Kings--who shortly after signing Hill and other veterans in free agency, decided to go all in on a rebuild, rather than to try to make the playoffs (which they were trying to do when they signed veterans George Hill, Zach Randolph, and Vince Carter to relatively big contracts in free agency). On top of that, Hill's performance thus far with the Kings has been subpar, making both him and the Kings dissatisfied with their current situation. Ricky Rubio has a much better track record of leading a developing team as its point guard; his contract is cheaper and shorter than Hill's contract; and he would fit better into the Kings' plans to play poorly in order to get a high lottery pick. Although the Jazz would most likely like to keep Raul Neto, his salary would need to be thrown into the trade to make the trade work dollar-wise, and he's a very competent backup point guard whom the Kings should appreciate.

Move #4: Trade Derrick Favors to Memphis for Tyreke Evans and Brandon Wright, plus the right for the Jazz to swap its 2018 1st round draft pick with Memphis's 2018 1st round draft pick (which swap might also require the Jazz to throw in the Jazz's 2019 1st round draft pick).

Although Tyreke Evans has been the Grizzlies' best player for most of this season, he is on a low dollar one-year deal, and with the way he has been playing, the Grizzlies probably won't be able to re-sign him during the off-season--even if they had cap room. By trading for Favors, the Grizzlies get a very good post player who fits well into their system, and who can be re-signed even if they are over the salary cap (and luxury tax cap), because of his Bird rights. Brandon Wright needs to be thrown into the deal to make the dollars work, but he could also fill Favors' current role with the Jazz for the remainder of the season. Tyreke Evans--if he continues playing the way he has been playing recently--could fill most of the scoring and play making void created by the loss of Gordon Hayward in free agency, and should be able to be signed for the mid-level exception in the off-season ($8.4 mil. per season). By obtaining a swap of draft picks with Memphis (even if it means the Jazz would also have to trade next season's 1st round draft pick to Memphis) the Jazz would be able to pick high in the 2018 draft lottery in order to get a good replacement PF for Derrick Favors. Favors would get to go to a system (that fits his skill set) where he could continue to be a starter and have a big role--and the addition of Favors might be enough to allow Memphis to get back to its winning ways without having to go through a major rebuild. Finally, the Jazz would get some cap relief by replacing Favors' salary for 2018-2019 and beyond with Tyreke Evans' salary for 2018-2019 and beyond (plus a rookie scale salary).

Proposed Jazz roster following 2018 trade deadline:

PG: Hill, Exum (injured), Burks

SG: Mitchell, Ingles, Hezonja

SF: Evans, Sefolosha, O'Neale

PF: Jerebko, Leonard, Wright

C: Gobert, Udoh, Bradley

Move #5: Use the Memphis 2018 draft pick to draft Robert Williams III.

Robert Williams appears to be a younger, slightly shorter version of Derrick Favors, but with a more developed game than Favors had when he joined the Jazz. By plugging Williams into Favors' role with the Jazz, the Jazz could get perhaps 70% of the production that Derrick Favors would have given the Jazz in that role at about only 30% of the cost of keeping Derrick Favors going forward.

Move #6: Re-sign Dante Exum, Tyreke Evans and Mario Hezonja in free agency, and guarantee thel non-guaranteed contracts of Jerebko, Udoh and Sefolosha (to the extent that such contracts are not fully guaranteed for the 2018-2019 season).

Keep every player on the Jazz at the end of the season, except Brandon Wright, by re-signing them in free agency (Exum, Hezonja, Evans) or guaranteeing their non-guaranteed contracts.

Proposed Jazz roster for 2018-2019 season:

PG: Hill, Exum, Burks

SG: Mitchell, Ingles, Hezonja

SF: Evans, Sefolosha, O'Neale

PF: Williams, Jerebko, Leonard

C: Gobert, Udoh, Bradley

The above scenario would require the Jazz to trade away some very good, much beloved Jazz players, but it would result in a Jazz roster with a nice balance of scoring, defense and depth--at a price under the luxury tax threshold (approximately $121 mil. to $124 mil.).

What do you think--if the Jazz could pull it all off?

All comments are the opinion of the commenter and not necessarily that of SLC Dunk or SB Nation.