Utah Jazz: Five intriguing story lines that have emerged from 2018 Playoffs

The restricted free agency of Dante Exum

Heading into the 2017-18 season, hopes were high that Dante Exum would play a large role in Utah’s success and help the front office get a good bearing on what he should be offered in his impending restricted free agency. Unfortunately, that idea was largely derailed when he went down in the preseason with a shoulder injury.

Since returning to action in March, Exum has been a bit of a mixed bag. He’s shown some flashes of brilliance but other moments that have been borderline cringe-worthy. That’s not a deal breaker by any stretch of the imagination, in fact, that inconsistency is pretty much expected. After all, he had plenty of rust to shake off after his prolonged injury and the 22-year-old has been injured for much of his young career.

Still, the fact remains that the Jazz have to be wise about figuring him into their long term plans including how much they’re willing to pay him next season. In the series against OKC, Exum was largely a liability as his costly turnovers and out-of-control play were more of a hurt than a help. If his future with the Jazz were based solely on that matchup, it may have appeared wise to not extend much of a paycheck to the young man.

However, in two games against Houston, particularly in an incredible Game 2, Exum has been electric. Not only has his offense seen significant improvement, but he’s truly shined on defense, which is what originally earned him a starting gig during his rookie season. Dante played masterfully on James Harden in Game 2, limiting him to two points in the 22 possessions that he covered him.

As Exum ups his game and if he continues to do so throughout this series, it’s going to make his restricted free agency even tougher for the Jazz. Not only as they decide what to do, but also as other teams gain interest and start toying with the idea of throwing a lucrative offer at the restricted free agent.

If I had to make a bet, I’d guess that the Jazz will be pretty open to matching just about any reasonable offer for Dante. They’ve shown nothing but optimism and excitement for his potential, and considering Utah’s track record for developing players, Exum should be a prime candidate for excelling with the Jazz, so long as he can get a fully healthy season under his belt.

Nevertheless, the fact still remains that the Jazz have had only a small sample size to observe Dante, which means they are in for a tough decision in terms of his future no matter what. Take the risk of sacrificing future financial flexibility for him? Or let him walk to avoid spending too much on a player that isn’t going to pan out?

As I said, I believe the former is much more likely, but ending up with the OKC series version of Exum or the Houston series version of Exum will make a big difference in whether that is eventually the right decision or not. This is one of those times where I do not envy Dennis Lindsey’s job whatsoever.