The Utah Jazz have done pretty well with reclamation projects. Look no further than Kris Dunn. His NBA career was on life support when the Jazz brought him in, and now he's been given the biggest contract he's ever earned.
Resurrecting Dunn's career could pay off big time for the Jazz because they may show struggling players that on their team, they can make them look good enough to stay in the league. If the Jazz are on the market for another story like Dunn, someone like Dennis Smith Jr. could fit as a replacement.
Bleacher Report's Dan Favale explained why the Jazz should bring Smith in. He started by explaining why Smith would fit in with the team.
"Dennis Smith Jr. has parlayed his athleticism into exhaustive defense at the point of attack. Relative to what he was always going to cost, in fact, he's the player on this list whose continued availability is most surprising.
"The Utah Jazz already have plenty of guards on the roster. That shouldn't matter. Nobody in their backcourt defends straight up, going around screens or when generally navigating the floor like Smith."
Favale then explained that, warts and all, Smith could fill in the void left by Dunn.
"Sending Kris Dunn to the Los Angeles Clippers actually opens a spot for DSJ's archetype. He can't guard up the same way, but he's someone who can be thrown on the opposition's best backcourt player while also providing rim pressure at the other end.
"Asking Smith to do typical floor-general stuff—and consistently knock down threes—probably goes a few bridges too far. That's fine."
Favale finished by explaining why the Jazz can afford to do this.
"Utah has Keyonte George to develop as well as Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson to fill their offensive quota. And if the Jazz are serious about not being totally invested in winning next season, at least one of the latter two will finish the year on a new team, thereby opening up even more of an opportunity for the soon-to-be 27-year-old DSJ."
While Smith would be worth the flyer, the Jazz don't have any open roster spots. However, all it would take would be a trade or two to open up the opportunity for someone like Smith.
The Jazz have opted for championship experience over reclamation projects
Even if Smith hasn't turned into the player many believed he would become when he was drafted in 2017, he has carved out a niche for himself. In fact, it's fair to say that his career is in a better place than Dunn's was when the Jazz first brought him in.
And yet, he still remains a free agent. On paper, he's an excellent candidate as a reclamation project, but the Jazz seem to not want to take on another reclamation projects with the free agents they signed.
Instead, they've opted to add arguably lesser players in Svi Mykhailiuk and Patty Mills who have something that Smith does not: title experience.
The Jazz clearly want to bring in players who have been to the top, even if they may not be NBA-caliber rotation players. Doing so can help their players form winning habits that could help them become contenders down the line, even if those results may not happen for some time.
However, Smith definitely still deserves to be in the NBA and at the very least, he deserves the same shot the Jazz gave Dunn. Utah might not be the team that keeps Smith's career alive, but it's easy to see why they would be floated as a destination for him.