How much cap space will the Utah Jazz have this offseason?
By Chad Porto
The Utah Jazz's season is one of the very worst in franchise history. That's not even a debate, but can a quick turnaround be on the horizon? The team drafted three young players who have oodles of potential, not to mention a foundation that seems to include a stellar pair of defenders (Kris Dunn and Walker Kessler), and a star in Lauri Markkanen. Add on a potential trio of draft picks in the upcoming NBA Draft and the Jazz may very well have all you need to get back to winning.
Adding a major free agent wouldn't hurt. But does the Jazz have the room and the cap space needed for a major addition? It may depend on how much you want to sign him for in year one, but the short answer is yes. The Jazz will likely have somewhere between $38 and $40 million next year on the low end of things, depending on what happens with a few contracts.
Omer Yurtseven, Darius Bazley, and Kenneth Lofton Jr. all have non-guaranteed contracts, making it far more likely that the Jazz void those contracts to go after a big name. The figure could be somewhere around $45 million if they void those contracts, making them a team that could very well be in play for a free agent or two.
There aren't a lot of game-changing players who are on the right side of 30, however. Names like James Harden will be available but he's not a target the Jazz should look into, and others like Paul George could be a free agent but at 34 he's not worth locking into a long-term deal.
With the top-tier free agents not being worth the money, it's very possible the Jazz pick up a few mid-tier guys and then make a trade for another bigger name using the contracts of John Collins and maybe a few others to make it happen.
Guys like Bruce Brown and Buddy Hield could be options to bring in, as is someone like Grayson Allen, a former Jazzman who would fit well with what the team needs.