Utah Jazz should go after Kemba Walker with everything they’ve got

The Utah Jazz need to make upgrades this offseason and as they look to get aggressive, they should go after Kemba Walker above anyone else.

As Utah Jazz fans, we’ve all heard the narratives before.

Free agents don’t want to come to Salt Lake City. This team never lands top talent in the offseason. No high-caliber player would pick Utah over more appealing and larger markets as unrestricted free agents.

As much as those statements sting, unfortunately history has largely proven them to be true. The Jazz have had a hard time luring in big-name free agents, which has been problematic for their chances of advancing from the level of a solid squad to truly becoming a title contender.

However, in recent seasons we’ve seen somewhat of a shift in perception regarding small markets. Players have discovered that while the national attention isn’t always the same outside of the bright lights of big cities, if they perform well enough and do things off the basketball court to make a name for themselves, they can still gain fame, acclaim and endorsements no matter where they reside.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has certainly done so with the Milwaukee Bucks. As has Damian Lillard with the Portland Trail Blazers. Consider the fame of Paul George who has played for only the small market Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team with whom he opted to stay rather than jumping ship for Los Angeles in free agency.

Jazz fans need look no further than their very own Donovan Mitchell who has become a league-wide sensation and netted a number of endorsement deals. Market size hasn’t played much a factor in his monumental rise to greatness.

In other words, while the allure of large markets used to be a major factor in free agency decisions – and still is to some extent – it’s not as prevalent as it once was. It’s becoming more and more common for players to place other factors well ahead of that, perhaps none more than opportunity, fit and a fighting chance to win it all.

And, believe it or not, despite a disappointing first-round exit against the Houston Rockets, the Utah Jazz actually have a fantastic pitch that offers all those things. Considering that Games 3 and 5 easily could have gone Utah’s way against Houston and that they have the prolific duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in place, there’s a lot to like about what they can offer.

Add in the fact that they have one of the most well-respected coaches in the league, a deep group of role players and flexibility to offer a max contract, and it’s hard to see free agents just skipping over giving the Jazz consideration and hearing them out.

With such being the case and with that stage set, there’s a particular free agent that the Jazz need to go after with everything they’ve got. That man is no other than unrestricted free agent Kemba Walker.

Walker was nothing short of breathtaking this past season for the Charlotte Hornets. While playing on a very much under-tooled roster, Kemba shouldered an overwhelming load and performed incredibly despite every team placing their full focus on him. He averaged a career-high 25.6 points per game along with nearly six assists per contest while boasting far and above the best offensive rating on his squad. His prolific play landed him a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star starting lineup, which was no small feat.

True, Kemba’s shooting figures were a little less than ideal, but as I mentioned recently in a prior article, with so much attention on him, he was forced into a number of contested looks and heaves late in the shot clock while being asked to do pretty much everything for the Hornets. When weighing circumstances, his figures look just fine.

And most important of all, Kemba would bring a handful of extremely important aspects to the Jazz. First of all, he’d be an offensive force that would take a lot of the pressure off of Donovan Mitchell while creating one of the most prolific backcourts in the Western Conference. No longer would teams be able to just hone in on one of them, as both have been accustomed to throughout their NBA careers, but instead they’d have to find a way to stop both.

With both being ultra-athletic creators that can get up their own shot and punish opposing defenses by going off and converting at crazy efficient clips, opposing defenses would have their heads spinning trying to pick their poison against both Donovan and Kemba.

Walker would also be an instant and dramatic upgrade over the latest Jazz point guard Ricky Rubio. Rubio deserves credit for his court vision, effort and ability to run the offense. However, Walker has been nearly identical with Rubio in terms of assists per game over the past two seasons, while doing essentially everything else better offensively.

He creates space by commanding the opposition’s attention with his reputation of being a prolific deep-ball threat. At the same time, he can easily attack off the dribble to get into the paint with ease where he can either get off a shot, drop a pass down to the big, or kick out to the corner for an open look. His ability to collapse opposing defenses would work wonders for Utah’s spacing and shooting, allowing them a whole new dynamic in terms of scoring.

We’ve seen situations where Mitchell has tried to do this same thing, sometimes with success and other times without it as he drives to the paint and draws in opponents. However, when he’s been smothered, as he was so frequently in the Jazz’s latest playoff series, he struggles to make the right decision from there.

Not only would Kemba be more equipped to be a main attacker, but he would take pressure off Donovan as teams wouldn’t be able to leave Walker, giving Mitchell a better shot at converting at the rim or having a more reliable option to pass to. Kemba would also be an amazing mentor for Mitchell, helping him improve his individual game. Just imagine what the two could do together if when teams got too absorbed with one, the other would be primed and ready to go.

Neither player has ever had such a dynamic backcourt running-mate, so seeing what the two could accomplish together with newfound space and talent would be breathtaking.

Kemba would take the Jazz to another level and fill a dramatic hole offensively especially in terms of providing the playmaking that Utah has desperately needed. Not only that, but his determination to win and play the right way as well as his preference for a slower pace of life and familiarity with a small market would make him an excellent fit on and off the court.

People worry about Kemba’s defense at times largely due to his lack of size. But he is a winner and a fighter through and through. While he would need to improve on that end, I have no doubt that the willingness and work are there. What better organization to enhance his abilities on that end than that of Quin Snyder and the Jazz’s renowned developmental staff.

Walker would be far and above the biggest star to ever join the Jazz in free agency. And as such, most are saying it’s not even close to likely to happen. That may very well may turn out to be the truth, but Utah still has a case and must make pursuing him a top priority.

They’ve made three straight playoff appearances and have a culture of winning. They have a pair of stars firmly in place, a brilliant coaching staff with an excellent reputation for improving players and offer a market size that several reports have indicated would be in line with Kemba’s preferred way of life. In those ways the Jazz would be a great fit for him.

Meanwhile, he’s only 28 years old and is a bona fide offensive superstar, the likes of which would revolutionize Utah’s offense, bring about a second dynamic scorer and shot maker, and make the Jazz much more of a threat than they’ve ever been on that end of the court.

Adding Kemba would take some sacrifices to clear space for the required dollar amount. But the opportunity for greatness and the potential for a marvelous fit are both too overwhelming to ignore. Despite existing stigmas that the Jazz are incapable of reeling in a fish as big as Kemba, they absolutely should stop at nothing to pursue his services.

Simply put, the Utah Jazz need to go after Kemba Walker with everything they’ve got.

Fortunately, it’s crystal clear that Dennis Lindsey and the Jazz organization recognizes the need for immense upgrades this offseason and they’ll likely stop at nothing to make the necessary changes. As such, I’d expect them to go at Kemba at the earliest opportunity and persist on acquiring him until he’s made a firm decision to turn them down.

And while Utah definitely isn’t the favorite to land him, given all the positives I’ve described that exist about the situation, they absolutely shouldn’t be counted out as a contender for landing Walker this summer.