The Utah Jazz have recently fallen short in the Western Conference playoffs, but their recent moves should make them early 2019-20 contenders.
Utah had already made one splashy move earlier this offseason in trading for longtime Memphis Grizzlies star Mike Conley. Putting the veteran point guard alongside a developing young star in Donovan Mitchell seemingly turned the Jazz into one of the West’s most-feared teams.
But with an early commitment from Bojan Bogdanovic on the first day of free agency, their offense became an even more lethal force to be reckoned with. One through four, there will be some extraordinary shooting ability on the floor in Utah.
They also agreed to a deal with big man Ed Davis, an impressive replacement for Derrick Favors, who had been with the organization since 2011. Davis will serve as the immediate backup for Rudy Gobert in the frontcourt and he can also play select minutes with the first unit as an elite offensive-rebounding threat.
After trading away Favors, they were able to retain a total of $1.43 million in cap space (via Early Bird Rights) before renouncing the cap holds owed to Georges Niang, Royce O’Neale and Raul Neto. But they can still guarantee the deals for some combination Niang, O’Neale and Neto without yet having to pay the luxury tax next season.
All other players, including second-rounders Jarrell Brantley and Justin Wright-Foreman, can only be signed to the Jazz using minimum contracts or two-way deals.
Conley-Mitchell-Ingles-Bogdanovic and Gobert will be considered one of the best starting lineups in the Western Conference. Their second unit will have some real punch, too, with Dante Exum and Ed Davis assuredly earning real minutes as well.
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