In either the best or worst-case scenario, you’re going to largely see the same thing; the team will trade Kelly Olynyk, Talen Horton-Tucker, probably Collin Sexton or Jordan Clarkson, and maybe someone else. But there are two key differences between scenarios.
The first is for whom and what they trade those players for. In scenario one, it’s an All-NBA caliber player, hopefully, a point guard or a point forward. In the second scenario, it’s likely a massive contract and several draft picks.
The other major difference is that the first scenario is about growth, while the second scenario is about draft picks. This means that the other major difference is that a guy like Lauri Markkanen is likely in play during the worst-case scenario.
In this scenario, anyone who is over 25, and has an expiring contract is likely to be dealt in a trade, thus instigating a full-on rebuild. And to further add to the “worst case” aspect, it’d likely be planned.
Instead of doing so out of necessity because the team is playing poorly, it’ll likely be done if the team is hovering around or above a winning record. Further driving the team into a prolonged rebuild that could take years to finish.
That wasn’t always the plan, however.</a></p>
<p>When the team landed Lauri Markkanen, the plans changed. They knew he could be a piece to build around, but they didn’t know he’d be a 25-point-per-game scorer, capable of carrying the franchise on his back better than expected. Had he not been sat for as many games down the stretch as he was, it’s likely the Jazz would have ended up in the play-in game.</p>
<p>He missed nine of the 12 final games, and the Jazz finished 37-45. Had he won, let’s say six games, that would put them at 43-39. They would’ve been in the Top 8 of the Western Conference and right smack dab a member of the Play-In Tournament. That’s how close they were to competing.</p>
<p>So Markkanen threw a monkey wrench into the proceedings and may have kicked off the team’s rebuild faster than expected. And now the franchise in a position where they have to decide to expedite the rebuild around Markkanen, stay the course, or trade away more assets and get worse.</p>
<p>Meaning this season has three distinct ways it can go; but what would those look like?</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2023/09/09/best-worst-and-most-likely-scenarios-for-the-utah-jazz-this-season/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 1 </a>
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<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2023/09/09/best-worst-and-most-likely-scenarios-for-the-utah-jazz-this-season/3/"https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/17364932-scaled.jpeg">
get a Luka Doncic</a> or a<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2023/09/09/best-worst-and-most-likely-scenarios-for-the-utah-jazz-this-season/3/"https://thejnotes.com/2023/09/06/could-the-utah-jazz-realistically-land-giannis-antetokounmpo/"> Giannis Antetokounmpo typ</a>e, then the Jazz would instantly be an NBA Finals contender. Either player would work really well around Lauri Markkanen, and assuming the team retains the likes of Walker Kessler and Jordan Clarkson in the deal, then the Jazz would remain a realistic threat to do some damage.</p>
<p>That said, it’s not like landing someone of that magnitude would be easy to do in the first place. And if it did happen, it’d really shake up the roster, meaning that the team would have to adapt to one another on the fly. That’s never an easy thing to do mid-season.</p>
<p>But as mentioned, this is the best-case scenario. Not the most realistic. So it’s okay to have pie-in-the-sky aspirations for the season every once in a while.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2023/09/09/best-worst-and-most-likely-scenarios-for-the-utah-jazz-this-season/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 2 </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_89858" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-89858 size-full" src=https://thejnotes.com/2023/09/09/best-worst-and-most-likely-scenarios-for-the-utah-jazz-this-season/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1237262075.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1237262075.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1237262075-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – DECEMBER 15: Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge looks on before a game against the LA Clippers at Vivint Smart Home Arena on December 15, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>Worst Case Scenario – Another firesale of veterans, and a Top 10 draft pick</h2>
<p>In either the best or worst-case scenario, you’re going to largely see the same thing; the team will trade Kelly Olynyk, Talen Horton-Tucker, probably Collin Sexton or Jordan Clarkson, and maybe someone else. But there are two key differences between scenarios.</p>
<p>The first is for whom and what they trade those players for. In scenario one, it’s an All-NBA caliber player, hopefully, a point guard or a point forward. In the second scenario, it’s likely a massive contract and several draft picks.</p>
<p>The other major difference is that the first scenario is about growth, while the second scenario is about draft picks. This means that the other major difference is that a guy like Lauri Markkanen is likely in play during the worst-case scenario.</p>
<p>In this scenario, anyone who is over 25, and has an expiring contract is likely to be dealt in a trade, thus instigating a full-on rebuild. And to further add to the “worst case” aspect, it’d likely be planned.</p>
<p>Instead of doing so out of necessity because the team is playing poorly, it’ll likely be done if the team is hovering around or above a winning record. Further driving the team into a prolonged rebuild that could take years to finish.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2023/09/09/best-worst-and-most-likely-scenarios-for-the-utah-jazz-this-season/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> No. 3 </a>
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<span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Ranking the Utah Jazz’s FIBA 5 after the first two rounds of the tournament </a> </div>
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