The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz: A far-too-early look at potential free agent targets this summer

By Jared Woodcox

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 07: Derrick Favors #15 of the Utah Jazz brings the ball up court during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 7, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 07: Derrick Favors #15 of the Utah Jazz brings the ball up court during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 7, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Big (but unrealistic) stars

Before jumping into our list of individual players that the Jazz could pursue, let’s get this one out of the way right off the bat. There are four big-name players in particular that will grab headlines this summer on the free agent market – LeBron James, Paul George, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony – and all of them happen to be unrestricted free agents.

With the exception of Anthony (who I wouldn’t want the Jazz to even consider adding to their ranks), each of these guys are players that Utah would absolutely love to add in free agency. And they should certainly do their due diligence on reaching out to the camp of each one. With that being said, though, they are all far from realistic.

As exciting as it would be to see superstars like LeBron James or Kevin Durant suit up next to Gobert and Mitchell, James has reportedly narrowed down his four potential free agent destinations to Cleveland, Philadelphia, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers. James later refuted that report, but it sounds pretty plausible to me and no one should expect the Jazz to be high on his list, even though he would be surrounded by an excellent supporting cast.

Kevin Durant, meanwhile, has made it clear that he has no intention of parting ways with Golden State (surprise, surprise).

Paul George isn’t quite in the same tier as those two, but I would absolutely love his fit in Utah as a star alongside Mitchell and Gobert. He’s an exceptional defender and a prolific offensive force that could very well be Utah’s missing piece. He has a better chance of signing with the Jazz than James or Durant, and as such the Jazz should certainly at least try to present their case to him, but the chances of it happening are still minuscule beyond belief.

George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first place because he had made it clear to his former Indiana Pacers squad that he had no intention of re-signing and was planning to join the Los Angeles Lakers as soon as he hit free agency. His current Thunder team will try to keep him, but if he ends up anywhere besides OKC or LA, I will be absolutely shocked.

Not to mention, as fitting as it appears he would be on paper, the fact that OKC has struggled with chemistry this year, that the Pacers are actually doing much better than they did last year with George in their ranks and knowing George’s reputation for calling out his teammates, I can’t help but wonder if he would be more of a hindrance than a help to Utah’s tight-knit locker room.

Strange as it may sound, even if Utah could woo George, they might not want to.

That’s likely an irrelevant discussion, though, because the chances of he or any of these aforementioned stars setting their sights on joining the Jazz is slim to none. With that out of the way, let’s move on to the players that Utah could actually pursue and have a more realistic shot of landing.

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