It would have been unbelievably difficult to pull off, and perhaps not even worth it in the end, but based on what we know now, it’s hard to not wonder what would’ve happened had the Utah Jazz pursued Malcolm Brogdon.
Believe it or not, the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers were very much connected this summer. For a significant amount of time during the offseason, former Jazz point guard turned unrestricted free agent Ricky Rubio was connected to the Pacers to the point that many thought he was a lock to sign there. However, things can change rapidly in free agency, and they most certainly did.
In no particular order, the Jazz’s initial target, Nikola Mirotic, opted to spurn the NBA to play overseas, which caused Utah to turn their focus to Bojan Bogdanovic, an unrestricted free agent that the Pacers initially hoped to re-sign. The Jazz ended up luring him away with a better offer, however, and that changed the Pacers’ plan.
At some point during their Rubio courting, they became aware that Malcolm Brogdon, a then restricted free agent for the Milwaukee Bucks, could be had, so they opted to go for him while watching Bogdanovic go and parting with their desires for Ricky Rubio.
Ironically enough, on a far more distant but still loosely connected note, Malcolm Brogdon was a player many Jazz fans had their eyes on as a potential Rubio replacement before Mike Conley came into the picture.
Some were tantalized by his 40/50/90 potential and solid perimeter defense, willing to overlook his presumed lack of dynamic scoring ability. Others feared that the abilities he showed with the Bucks were simply a product of the overwhelming focus placed on Giannis Antetokounmpo, and were never all that interested.
Who knows for certain where the Jazz front office fell in those two groups – perhaps somewhere right in the middle. Maybe the Jazz couldn’t have pulled off the sign-and-trade deal the Pacers did for Brogdon. Perhaps he wouldn’t have wanted to play in Utah, or it was never part of the plans or goals of Dennis Lindsey or the Jazz front office.
Nevertheless, with such an odd connection between players playing or formerly playing for the Jazz or Pacers, it’s hard not to wonder if the Jazz could have had a stab at landing Malcolm Brogdon, and what it could have looked like if they had.
Now, let me preface the rest of this piece by saying that I still believe in Mike Conley. He’s gotten off to a dismal start in a Jazz uniform, but I think it’s far too early to give up on him. I think he can yet be an excellent piece for this Jazz team and turn into the missing piece the Jazz front office hoped he could be.
But thus far, Brogdon has absolutely proven that those who doubted his ability to be a standout starting point guard in this league were absolutely wrong. Not only were they wrong, but they mis-characterized him on so many levels.
Brogdon is far more than just a ‘stand beyond the perimeter and shoot’ guy. He’s been absolutely dynamic off the dribble, beating his defenders into the paint and knocking down easy buckets for his Pacers team at will. Perhaps more than anything, he’s remained efficient and effective. He’s averaging 18.9 points per game while shooting 47.2 percent from the field.
Sure, that percentage is down from a year ago and his three-point shooting is at 33.8 percent, but he still has ample time to improve that mark and has been an incredible scorer. As a bright point, his free throw shooting is also at a career-high of 94.1 percent and he’s getting to the line far more frequently than a season ago.
Perhaps most impressive is the fact that he’s averaging 7.9 assists per game, which is a jump of nearly five per game from a season ago. The efficiency and passing prowess he’s been able to maintain with a nearly six percent jump in usage rating is even more amazing. He’s playing at an All-Star level right now and is absolutely shocking just about everybody’s former perceptions of what he truly is as a player.
Compare those marks to Mike Conley who’s averaging just 13.9 points on 36.9 percent shooting from the field and 4.6 assists, and it’s hard not to wonder if the Jazz could have gotten better value at the point guard spot.
What makes this sting even more is that Brogdon is making just $20 million this year, while Conley is at $32.5 million. I know I’m dipping FAR too deep into hypotheticals here, but just imagine with me for a second that the Jazz had gone for Brogdon and opted to keep Derrick Favors alongside him, instead parting ways with Dante Exum to make room for Bogdanovic this summer. Favors’ and Brogdon’s combined salaries for this season amount to $37.65 million whereas Conley’s and Exum’s amount to $42.1 million.
When looking at the Jazz’s current woes, it feels like the stability, consistency and effectiveness of Brogdon combined with the physical presence, rebounding and defense of Favors could do a lot to patch up their holes. Far more than what Conley and Exum are currently doing anyway, to be sure.
Yes, I know that without Conley, the Jazz may not have landed Bogdanovic, Ed Davis, Jeff Green, etc. I know that the Brogdon sign-and-trade may not have even been plausible for the Jazz, especially to dump the other requisite salaries. It’s probably impossible to believe that the Jazz could have gotten a trade partner to take Exum allowing them to keep Favors.
But nevertheless, it’s an interesting thought exercise considering that there was a plausible path to something that many Jazz fans wanted to see and that, knowing what we know now, may have very well made the Jazz a better team. A starting five of Brogdon, Mitchell, Bogdanovic, Favors and Rudy Gobert sounds very appealing right now based on how the Jazz have looked with their current assortment.
I have no idea whether or not Brogdon was ever a consideration for Dennis Lindsey and Co. But if he wasn’t, they have to be wondering as well if they should have pursued him harder, as he’s been superb in his first year running the point full time for a Pacers team that’s playing extremely well.
Hopefully the Jazz, principally Conley himself, will turn things around to a degree that this won’t even become a thought or regret by season’s end. But with how greatly the Jazz are struggling currently, it’s hard not to wonder how this alternative path may have shaken out if it had been pursued this summer.