The Utah Jazz appear to be done with the rebuilding phase of their team. At least that seems to be the feeling coming out of Salt Lake City after yesterday. Danny Ainge held a press conference on Tuesday and the topic of the future of the team came up, Ainge, the Jazz's CEO, made it clear that they were going to look for major players to add to the team, saying to the media (via Sports Illustrated);
"“We’re ready to go big game hunting.""
The news that the Jazz are likely to start targeting big names isn't that shocking as it was mentioned before by GM Justin Zanik that the Jazz were going to watch out for drama to unfold, that they may be able to take advantage of.
The Jazz know that they can't sit on their hands again. They have Lauri Markkanen heading into the last year of his contract, and he's made it clear that he hasn't been happy with the way the Jazz have handled the roster. He's gone on record saying as much after the trade deadline. He's never been to the playoffs and has nearly dragged the Jazz to two Play-In tournaments in back-to-back seasons on his own.
He wants to play in May, and the Jazz know if they don't make moves now, they won't be able to retain him. The Jazz have to start looking into landing big names at any cost.
The only players the Jazz need to retain this offseason are Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Walker Kessler, and Kris Dunn. Every other player, yes including Keyonte George, can and should be traded if it means landing more established, more reliable players.
I don't' care about potential, I care about efficiency. That is what wins NBA Championships, not holding out for something that rarely comes. The Jazz need to do better at finding and cultivating talent that can make an impact now, not potentially in three years.