Hurts free agency odds further
Let’s not beat around the bush – hitting the jackpot in free agency hasn’t exactly been a forte of the Utah Jazz. Therefore, the more competition they face in free agency, the lower their chances will be of succeeding.
Before the Anthony Davis trade, there was a lot of speculation that the Lakers weren’t exactly high on players’ lists as a free agency destination, no doubt due to the abundance of internal strife and turmoil that the organization had exhibited. Now, though, with two stars in tow and the cap space to add a third, a big-time free agent hungry for a ring may very well find the situation in La-La Land quite tantalizing.
As such, right off the bat a name that would be a dream target for the Jazz may very well become all the less likely – Kemba Walker. According to several reports following the Davis trade, adding unrestricted free agent Kemba Walker to run the Lakers’ point position has become objective number one as the team seeks to further improve.
Utah’s odds were likely already slim to add Kemba in the first place, but if the tantalizing Lakers are making a full pursuit, those odds will go down even further. True, there is reason to believe that Kemba will instead opt to show his loyalty and stay in Charlotte, earning a five-year supermax contract in the process. There’s also speculation, including from Charlotte Hornets reporter Rick Bonnell as shown below, that LA just isn’t the right fit for a guy with Walker’s personality and mentality.
FWIW: Someone who knows Kemba well has told me repeatedly he doubts Kemba would find living in Los Angeles particularly appealing. I’m sure this person has good cause to surmise that, but I still think the Lakers are now a huge threat to convince Kemba to sign there.
— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) June 16, 2019
That may be so, but still, if Walker does decide to move on from Charlotte and go for a championship, I unfortunately have a feeling that a squad like LA would have a leg-up on the Jazz despite any preconceived notions about Kemba preferring a small market.
Whether LA gets Walker or not, their new status as a suddenly highly favorable basketball destination because of their two stars, coupled with the already desirable location aspect of their pitch will help them significantly in their pursuit. I was iffy on whether they’d get a star to commit in free agency before, but now with LeBron and Davis, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they lured someone in.
Regardless of who they get – even if it’s someone that was never realistically coming to the Jazz – there are only a limited number of impactful free agents available, meaning that whenever a significant destination emerges, it could very well remove one from the overall pot, further hurting Utah’s chances.
For example, let’s just say, hypothetically, the Lakers add Jimmy Butler, who before this trade may have been considering a team like the Brooklyn Nets or New York Knicks. Butler was never going to the Jazz, but one of the teams he potentially passes up may instead then decide to go for someone else, perhaps someone like Tobias Harris that the Jazz might have had a shot at if there weren’t so many other options.
As I said, that’s all hypothetical, but I’m sure you see what I mean. The more demand out there for free agents, the less likely it is that a big fish will trickle down to the Utah Jazz. In other words, with the Lakers suddenly a likely top free agent option, it could very well further limit Utah’s chances to make a free agent splash this summer.