Utah Jazz: Five wings that should be targeted in free agency

Will Barton — Shooting Guard, Denver Nuggets

Since the start of 2015-16, Lou Williams is the only player with 60 or fewer starts that has scored more points than Will Barton. If the biggest need for this Utah Jazz team is another playmaker on offense, then he is going to be one of the best players available.

Barton started his career with the Portland Trail Blazers, but was never given much of an opportunity to shine. In the first 30 games of the 2014-15 season, Barton was averaging three points per game with the Blazers. He was then traded to the Nuggets, and over the final 28 games of the season, his scoring jumped up to 11 points per game.

His production jumped to another level this past season, scoring 15.7 point per game, and shooting 37 percent from three. Barton is much more than just a shooter though. He is strong at creating off the bounce. Whether that is in an effort to score for himself, or to create for others. He averaged four assists per game last season.

There are two big questions to be asked with Barton. One: how much is he going to cost you to sign? And two: is he willing to accept another role off the bench?

Barton’s most recent contract with Denver paid him about $3.5 million per year, and it’s fair to expect he’ll make much more than that after a career year. Reports are that he will fetch anywhere from $8-12 million per year. The Jazz can afford him on the lower end of that, but it might get difficult at the top end.

The next question is whether or not he’d be willing to continue coming off the bench. One would think that Barton would be fine being the sixth man. I mean, he’s been doing it for his entire career. Last season, though, he started 40 games in place of an injured Gary Harris, and upped his scoring average to 19 points per game during that time.

During the Nuggets end of the season interviews, Barton spoke about his desires to become a starter. Per the Denver Post, he said this —

"“If I would be able to know I would be a starter coming into next season, that would push me in the offseason,” Barton said. “It’s something that I’ve never been before or done before. That’s what makes me who I am and what makes me better every year. That will definitely be a goal of mine.”"

If Barton is committed to finding a situation where he can be a starter, he may be looking to sign with a younger, rebuilding team. Most of the current teams slated to make a run to the playoffs aren’t looking to fill a starting shooting guard position.

During the postseason, it became obvious that the Jazz could desperately use another playmaker who can lessen the load on Donovan Mitchell’s shoulders. If Barton were to sign with the Utah Jazz, he would have to be willing to accept a role of the bench, but he would also be given the reins of the second unit.

I do expect the Jazz to make an offer for Barton this offseason, but the likelihood of him considering Utah will largely depend on his willingness to continue being a sixth man.