The Utah Jazz was joined by perhaps the Indiana Pacers as being some of the league’s biggest overachievers last season. While many expected them to be a lottery team following the departure of Gordon Hayward to the Boston Celtics, the emergence of Donovan Mitchell and the presence of Rudy Gobert allowed them to beyond overcoming that.
They ultimately went on to finish the season with a 48-34 record, which was good for the 5th spot in the Western Conference. They defeated the trio of Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony in six games in the opening round of the post-season.
The goal of the offseason was to improve from the strong foundation that they have laid. While they didn’t make a major splash in free agency, they ended up drafting Grayson Allen with the 21st overall pick in the NBA Draft and they re-signed Derrick Favors and Dante Exum.
The contract that Favors signed was a two-year deal worth $36 million. While that may sound like a lot, the second year of his deal is fully non-guaranteed and that could prove to be an asset in the trade market if they ultimately decided to go that route.
The deal for Dante Exum is interesting and the favorability of it depends on how durable he will be and the development that he makes as a player. He ended up signing a three-year deal worth $33 million.
Here are three takeaways that can be made about the offseason from the Utah Jazz:
Next Page: No. 3
