As the Utah Jazz seemingly head towards a full-on rebuild, it’s important to understand how exactly the franchise got here. The Jazz drafted poorly for the better part of a decade, lucking into trades with the Denver Nuggets to land Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. If it weren’t for those moved, the Jazz may have languished in absolute mediocrity for a long, long time.
Utah Jazz: What to expect from the inevitable rebuild
With Gobert traded for four first-round picks, and Donovan Mitchell on the block for even more, the Utah Jazz will be set up well for a full-on rebuild. Luckily, it should be quick, if done right. Unfortunately, all rebuilds, no matter how fast, have their painful moments.
The first step in a successful rebuild is a complete cleaning of the house. Danny Ainge was brought in to be the CEO of basketball operations and could help immensely with the future, and Quin Snyder called in quits, meaning untested head coach Will Hardy will make his debut in 2022-23.
The Jazz moved Royce O’Neale and Rudy Gobert, and with Mitchell seemingly next the Jazz will have parted ways with three of their top five players. The foundation is nearly set, so what will the Jazz do?
If the Jazz decide to learn from the past, they should look at three fairly recent rebuilds: The Sixers’ “Process,” the Celtics’ return to relevance, and the post-Durant and Westbrook reconstruction of the Thunder.