Utah Jazz: Predicting what a rebuild would look like

Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
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Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz (Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)

How to follow learned lessons

Assuming the Jazz trade Mitchell for the expected package of five or six picks, the Jazz will have added either 10 or 11 picks for future first rounds. They can use all those assets to trade up or find a star at their position. With 17 first-round picks for the rest of the decade, the framework is there.

The Jazz could go all in on the tank for one season. If they trade Clarkson, Bogdanocivh, Conley, Beasley, and Beverly the Jazz could bring that 17 pick total up to 22 at most, giving them an average of three and a half first-rounders every year. In a loaded upcoming draft, they could package those picks to move up or hope their guy falls to them at any point down the line.

The Jazz could tank for only one year like the Sixers, horde picks like the Thunder, and hopefully draft well as the Celtics did. They should be extra incentivized. Danny Ainge is a master and Will Hardy is looking to build his roster.

With a first-year head coach, it would be a good time to start from scratch. Hardy can build a report with his players, develop and play them as he sees fit, and get the guys that make him ready to win.

Most rebuilds are painful episodes that take several years, but if the Jazz go all-in for just one season, then by 2023-24 fans will have several reasons to be excited about the future. The team won’t be competing by then, but the framework and vision will be in place and clear. As the Suns, Warriors, Clippers, and Lakers start to fade, the Mavericks, Pelicans, and Grizzlies will emerge as contenders, and the Utah Jazz could be right in the thick of it.