A diamond in the rough via free agency
When Hayward decided to hit the road last July, it left the Jazz in a pretty rough spot. The team was suddenly without its All-Star and, by that time, all the players with the potential to replace his production were off the market.
Doom and gloom reigned along the Wasatch Front.
Lindsey didn’t panic, though. He went to work signing Sefolosha, Jonas Jerebko and Ekpe Udoh; players that didn’t move the needle at the time, but who would ultimately prove extremely valuable over the course of the ’17-18 season.
This summer, with the Jazz facing long odds to bring in a marquee free agent (and likely lacking the cap room to do so anyway), he’ll need to find a hidden gem on the discount rack once again. The 2019 offseason will be a better time for making a splash; right now it’s all about incremental upgrades on a budget.
Maybe that’s where a Hezonja, a Wilson Chandler or a Kyle Anderson type comes in.
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