Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner Sports)
Rudy Gobert’s supermax
We all knew this day was coming, and now it’s practically at our doorsteps with Rudy Gobert being eligible for the NBA’s “supermax” contract extension.
This was put in the CBA designed for small market teams like the Utah Jazz to offer their star players more money than any other team. This was put in place with hopes that small market teams could retain their franchise players.
To date, only five players have signed a supermax deal, and they are:
- Damian Lillard
- John Wall
- Russell Westbrook
- Stephen Curry
- James Harden
Wall has a player option to make 46.8 million dollars in his age-32 season if he chooses to, something that looks outrageous now that he has been fighting injuries the past couple of seasons.
Lillard will make 54.25 million in his age-34 season, which Portland can only hope and pray that he maintains his peak effectiveness up to that point. As of now the Blazers are cap-strapped and are struggling to find ways to improve the roster.
If they can’t improve the roster, then they will have topped out as a team that made it just once to the Western Conference Finals. If Lillard declines, then Rip City will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs in the rugged Western Conference.
I’m guessing that Rudy Gobert is very interested in receiving a supermax if he can before the start of next season. That explains his actions for publicly complaining about his lack of touches last November, and getting visibly frustrated on the court throughout the season.
I’ve already expressed that I wouldn’t mind if Rudy got the supermax. He’s an absolute game-changer on defense, and one of the most efficient offensive players of All-Time. Sure, he’s a system player on offense but he makes Utah better on both ends of the court.
Only a handful of guys in this league can claim that they are game-altering forces every time they step onto a court, that being LeBron James for his playmaking, Steph Curry for his shooting, James Harden for his scoring, and the Greak Freak for his unstoppable penetrating.
Without him, the Jazz would be a lottery team and have a long ways to climb to even get back to where they are today.
However, I will say this: once upon a time there was a repeat DPOY center named Dwight Howard who wanted more money, and more touches on offense to be a franchise player.
He held his team hostage before ultimately demanding a trade out of Orlando and shoving them into the lottery for the next eight years. Rudy Gobert can’t afford to let his ego interfere with what he’s expressed he wants most: an NBA championship.
In order to get a championship, more especially in a small market, sacrifices need to be made by everyone on the team. And that includes money.
Michael Jordan took a slight pay-cut with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, and Scottie Pippen as we’re all very aware of now was the NBA’s best bang-for-buck contract. That’s how they built a dynasty.
The Utah Jazz also took pay-cuts during that same era, which allowed them to trade for Jeff Horrnacek, and later allowed them to extend Greg Ostertag past his rookie contract.
Fun fact: Ostertag’s contract paid him more money (4.33 million) in the 1998-99 season than John Stockton (4.00 million).
My hope is that Gobert realizes how much he would help the front office by taking a deal that is still a max contract, but not quite the supermax.
The bad thing about the NBA season potentially getting cancelled is that precious sample size of Rudy will be cut short before the Jazz make that decision. The 2019-20 season was especially crucial for Rudy to prove he was a supermax-worthy player.
the possibility of basketball returning potentially this summer</a>, and what that would look like for the Utah Jazz.</p>
<p>But along with this optimism we must also share the point of view of the more pessimistic side of things.</p>
<p>There is no certainty on if or when the NBA will finish out the 2019-20 season and crown a champion, neither is there any certainty on what that would look like as far as playoff formatting. Ditto for the 18 regular season games that remain labelled as “postponed” for the Jazz.</p>
<p>We’ve heard plenty of opinion, whether you’re <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://kslsports.com/432693/mike-conley-optimistic-nba-will-return-this-summer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">optimistic like Mike Conley</a> or <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/4/24/21233792/utah-jazz-joe-ingles-nba-season-covid19-coronavirus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">doubtful such as Joe Ingles</a> on the season getting cancelled. But the fact is nobody knows for sure, not even NBA commissioner Adam Silver.</p>
<p>The Utah Jazz Executive Vice President Dennis Lindsey gave his two cents on the matter last week in a radio interview on The Big Show (1280 The Zone). The headline of the interview is a pretty good summary of his thoughts, which reads:</p>
<p><a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://1280thezone.com/featured_news/dennis-lindsey-believes-well-see-college-and-professional-sports-but-dates-remain-tbd-copy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Dennis Lindsey believes ‘we’ll see college and professional sports’ but dates remain TBD”</a>.</p>
<p>In other words he wants to sees sports return but he’s still waiting on more test results for the novel coronavirus to come back, and for league executives and the NBPA to make their decision.</p>
<p>Should they decide to just bag the 2019-20 season and get ready for the next year with all necessary precautions, the Jazz would be negatively impacted in several ways.</p>
<p>One of course which is all of the TV revenue which would have come in from the remaining 18 regular season games and however many playoff games they would have lasted.</p>
<p>Others will take a negative effect on the basketball side of things which include:</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/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The $150 million question </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-82985 size-full" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2246,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1158112941.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz, Rudy Gobert" width="3200" height="2246" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1158112941.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1158112941-768x539.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner Sports)</p>
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<h3>Rudy Gobert’s supermax</h3>
<p>We all knew this day was coming, and now it’s practically at our doorsteps with <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/goberru01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Rudy Gobert </a>being eligible for the NBA’s “supermax” contract extension.</p>
<p>This was put in the CBA designed for small market teams like the Utah Jazz to offer their star players more money than any other team. This was put in place with hopes that small market teams could retain their franchise players.</p>
<p>To date, only five players have signed a supermax deal, and they are:</p>
<ul>
<li>Damian Lillard</li>
<li>John Wall</li>
<li>Russell Westbrook</li>
<li>Stephen Curry</li>
<li>James Harden</li>
</ul>
<p>Wall has a player option to make 46.8 million dollars in his age-32 season if he chooses to, something that looks outrageous now that he has been fighting injuries the past couple of seasons.</p>
<p>Lillard will make 54.25 million in his age-34 season, which Portland can only hope and pray that he maintains his peak effectiveness up to that point. As of now the Blazers are cap-strapped and are struggling to find ways to improve the roster.</p>
<p>If they can’t improve the roster, then they will have topped out as a team that made it just once to the Western Conference Finals. If Lillard declines, then Rip City will be hard-pressed to make the playoffs in the rugged Western Conference.</p>
<p>I’m guessing that Rudy Gobert is very interested in receiving a supermax if he can before the start of next season. That explains his actions for <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://www.sltrib.com/sports/2019/11/04/whats-wrong-with-jazzs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">publicly complaining about his lack of touches</a> last November, and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://purplemountainpost.com/2020/03/11/utah-jazz-what-going-rudy-gobert/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">getting visibly frustrated on the court</a> throughout the season.</p>
<p><a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2020/03/18/utah-jazz-rudy-gobert-appreciation/">I’ve already expressed that I wouldn’t mind if Rudy got the supermax</a>. He’s an absolute game-changer on defense, and one of the most efficient offensive players of All-Time. Sure, he’s a system player on offense but he makes Utah better on both ends of the court.</p>
<p>Only a handful of guys in this league can claim that they are game-altering forces every time they step onto a court, that being LeBron James for his playmaking, Steph Curry for his shooting, James Harden for his scoring, and the Greak Freak for his unstoppable penetrating.</p>
<p>Without him, the Jazz would be a lottery team and have a long ways to climb to even get back to where they are today.</p>
<p>However, I will say this: once upon a time there was a repeat DPOY center named Dwight Howard who wanted more money, and more touches on offense to be a franchise player.</p>
<p>He held his team hostage before ultimately demanding a trade out of Orlando and shoving them into the lottery for the next eight years. Rudy Gobert can’t afford to let his ego interfere with what he’s expressed he wants most: an NBA championship.</p>
<p>In order to get a championship, more especially in a small market, sacrifices need to be made by everyone on the team. And that includes money.</p>
<p>Michael Jordan took a slight pay-cut with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, and Scottie Pippen as we’re all very aware of now was the NBA’s best bang-for-buck contract. That’s how they built a dynasty.</p>
<p>The Utah Jazz also took pay-cuts during that same era, which allowed them to trade for Jeff Horrnacek, and later allowed them to extend Greg Ostertag past his rookie contract.</p>
<p>Fun fact: Ostertag’s contract paid him more money (4.33 million) in the 1998-99 season than John Stockton (4.00 million).</p>
<p>My hope is that Gobert realizes how much he would help the front office by taking a deal that is still a max contract, but not quite the supermax.</p>
<p>The bad thing about the NBA season potentially getting cancelled is that precious sample size of Rudy will be cut short before the Jazz make that decision. The 2019-20 season was especially crucial for Rudy to prove he was a supermax-worthy player.</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/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Aging Vets </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-80373" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1183293207.jpeg" alt="Mike Conley Utah Jazz" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1183293207.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1183293207-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Mike Conley, Utah Jazz. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Aging veterans</h3>
<p>This was supposed to be a good year, maybe even <em>the year, </em>for the Utah Jazz.</p>
<p>Players that are in their 30s tend to be playing at the pinnacle of their career. They play smarter, more unselfish, and are typically chasing that elusive championship in whatever way they can.</p>
<p>They may not have as much spring in their legs as they used to, but they sacrifice for the team and play the season smart to make sure they are ready to go full-throttle in the playoffs.</p>
<p>The Jazz added a few guys in their thirties last offseason in a push to win now. They added Mike Conley (32), Ed Davis (30), Jeff Green (33), and Bojan Bogdanovic (31), all veteran players who would figuratively help the Jazz get over the hump.</p>
<p>Although Green (waived) and Davis (benched) didn’t quite work out in Utah as we would have liked them to, there was still plenty of hope for Bogey and Conley to show us their finest versions of themselves in the stretch run and the playoffs.</p>
<p>Joe Ingles (32) was also probably looking forward to redeeming himself in the postseason after his putrid shooting effort in the spring of 2019.</p>
<p>The consequence of the NBA, and the Utah Jazz sitting out the rest of this season is that by 2021 all of these guys will be a year older, and Father Time will have that much more of a grip on them.</p>
<p>Father Time is undefeated, which means it’s imperative for older rosters, such as the Jazz, to make their playoff runs as soon as possible before the legendary figure takes his players from effectively playing the game of basketball.</p>
<p>On top of all that, the Jazz don’t exactly have the smartest contracts laid out for Ingles, Bojan, and Mike. All three of them will be making more money on their deals next season, and because of this pandemic the salary cap may plummet.</p>
<p>In other words there’s a good chance these guys are getting overpaid just at the decline of their careers and the decline of the salary cap, which will make it awfully hard for the Jazz front office to have any wiggle room with making the team any better.</p>
<p>When it comes to the Jazz, my gut feeling is that what you see is what you get, simply because of all these aging vets on lucrative deals.</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/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Good Vibe Tribe </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-82245 size-full" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2130,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1210194062.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz, Jordan Clarkson" width="3200" height="2130" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1210194062.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1210194062-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Jordan Clarkson, Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Jordan Clarkson, the flight risk</h3>
<p>When the Utah Jazz traded to acquire <a style="background-color: #ffffff" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/clarkjo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Jordan Clarkson</a> last December, they knew he was on an expiring deal and could abandon ship after just one partial season with the team.</p>
<p>They knew there was that small chance that they would lose him for nothing in return, but when the trade was made the hope was that they would at least get him for one playoff run.</p>
<p>Now, that might not even be happening. It’s very well possible that Clarkson has played his last game in a Jazz uniform. This would be a big blow to the team as JC became a valuable sixth man with his instant offense.</p>
<p>Joe Ingles was intended to be the sixth man this season, but floundered in that role with his buddy Derrick Favors being gone in New Orleans. He plays much better as a starter and alongside Rudy Gobert.</p>
<p>The Jazz kicked the tires on the <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2020/02/02/utah-jazz-mike-conley-back-starting-lineup-belongs/">thought of having Mike Conley be the sixth man</a>.</p>
<p>However, for making over 30 million dollars a year and being traded in exchange for several assets, they probably felt like they were shortchanging themselves by limiting Conley to just a bench role.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="The Utah Jazz needed Jordan Clarkson, and Jordan Clarkson needed the Utah Jazz" data-url="https://thejnotes.com/2020/02/01/utah-jazz-needed-jordan-clarkson-needed-jazz/" data-call-to-action="Related Story"> <div class="story-link-related"> <a class="story-link-related-btn" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-related-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2020/02/01/utah-jazz-needed-jordan-clarkson-needed-jazz/"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> The Utah Jazz needed Jordan Clarkson, and Jordan Clarkson needed the Utah Jazz </a> </div>
</div>
<p>Outside of Conley and Ingles,<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2019/12/12/utah-jazz-who-will-fix-broken-bench/"> there was no hope for anyone to lead the Jazz bench</a>. The Clarkson trade was a transforming moment of the season in that it allowed Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic to take a quick breather in games.</p>
<p>Before, they were being stretched to their limits and pulling out late game heroics to erase deficits put in place by the bench. The Jazz were winning, but they were <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2019/12/22/utah-jazz-won-five-straight-dont-feel-encouraged/">barely outscoring opponents they frankly should have been destroying</a>.</p>
<p>Once they acquired Clarkson though, it turned Utah’s offense into a juggernaut. They have the top offense in the league since acquiring the Missouri Tiger alumnus, and Clarkson really would have been a great help to the Jazz in the playoffs.</p>
<p>He was the reason the Jazz had a chance to win against the Denver Nuggets both times in February, and ditto for the game in Houston where Bojan hit that improbable buzzer-beater.</p>
<p>He’s a great presence to keep the team chemistry healthy and honestly has a chance to become <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2018/01/15/utah-jazz-lyles-mitchell-top-7-trades-history/">one of the better trades in Jazz history</a> if he keeps playing in Salt Lake.</p>
<p>It was always going to be hard to lose Clarkson after just a partial season, but it would be a double-whammie to lose him without any playoff action.</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/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Flight Risk no. 2 </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-82989 size-full" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1066,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1198124930.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz, Emmanuel Mudiay" width="1600" height="1066" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1198124930.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1198124930-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Emmanuel Mudiay, Utah Jazz. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Emmanuel Mudiay, the flight risk</h3>
<p>If the season were to be cancelled, it would even more likely mean the end of Emmanuel Mudiay’s days with the Jazz.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>Because he signed the veterans’ minimum contract last summer, the Jazz can’t offer more than a certain percentage of Mudiay’s current contract to him.</p>
<p>With Mudiay breaking out this season and learning to play smarter basketball, he’s due for a raise, one that the Jazz aren’t allowed to offer under the CBA rules. Mudiay deserves to be paid somewhere in the ball park of 4-8 million dollars per season.</p>
<p>Additionally, he also deserves a role and playing time the Jazz can’t guarantee either. If Mike Conley opts in to the 2020-21 season (which we all expect him to), there goes the lion’s share of point guard minutes.</p>
<p>Factor in Donovan Mitchell’s minutes he plays at the 1 (49 percent of his minutes this season), and also Jordan Clarkson (assuming he returns), and there’s not a regular spot in the rotation for Mudiay.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">5 players who may have played their final game with the Utah Jazz:<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://t.co/lr09yOsSo9">https://t.co/lr09yOsSo9
<p>— Zack Padmore (@ZP12Hoops) <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://twitter.com/ZP12Hoops/status/1243936981828108289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 28, 2020</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>It would be in his best interests to leave Utah and sign as a primary backup point guard elsewhere in the league. He could really help out the Washington Wizards as John Wall needs a soft landing returning from his Achilles injury.</p>
<p>He could also help out the Detroit Pistons as Derrick Rose is their best point guard and plays best off the bench as a sixth man.</p>
<p>The Atlanta Hawks may be looking for a point guard as well since Jeff Teague is an unrestricted free agent, and Trae Young is wanting more help from the front office in acquiring a talented supporting cast.</p>
<p>I have no doubt Mudiay willl be able to find a new home in the NBA next season, but sadly for the Jazz he may have played his last game donning the blue, green, and gold colors.</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/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Title Window </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—></p><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_82991" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-82991 size-full" src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2160,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1130136766.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz, Donovan Mitchell" width="3200" height="2160" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1130136766.jpeg 3200w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1130136766-768x518.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Title Window shrunk</h3>
<p>When the Jazz cashed in their chips to bring in Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic in the same summer, they were really setting themselves up to have their best shot at winning a championship in a two year window.</p>
<p>It would be two years before Donovan Mitchell graduated from his rookie contract, and two years before Rudy Gobert would be eligible for a new max contract. Conley also came with two years left on his deal.</p>
<p>Well, now there’s a good chance that this two year window has been cracked in half to only a one year window of desperation, and it really hurts that the season getting cancelled happened to be the one where the Golden State Warriors were dismantled.</p>
<p>Not only was it the Utah Jazz that were gunning for a ‘chip by 2021, but several other NBA teams as well.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="Projecting the Utah Jazz Championship Window Part I" data-url="https://thejnotes.com/2019/10/27/projecting-utah-jazz-championship-window-part/" data-call-to-action="Related Story"> <div class="story-link-team-logo"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: " data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2019/10/27/projecting-utah-jazz-championship-window-part/"> <img src=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_108,h_108,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fjazz__108x108.png"> <div class="story-link-text-box"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story</span> <h3 class="title-text" style="color: #00265D;">Projecting the Utah Jazz Championship Window Part I</h3> <p class="read-now">Read now >></p> </div> </a> </div>
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<p>The Los Angeles Clippers only have until 2021 before Paul George and Kawhi Leonard can opt-out of their deals.</p>
<p>The Milwaukee Bucks only have until 2021 before Giannis Antetokounmpo can become a free agent and leave them in the dust.</p>
<p>Houston Rockets owner <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://sports.yahoo.com/rockets-owner-this-is-our-window-to-win-championship-or-we-wont-win-in-next-10-years-211007586.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tilman Fertitta has been vocal</a> about his intentions to blow up the core if the team doesn’t win a championship in the next couple of years.</p>
<p>LeBron James is 35 years old and not getting any younger, the clock is ticking for King James to win one last title before his retirement.</p>
<p>To make matters worse, the Brooklyn Nets were also supposed to be a dormant championship contender this year, and in a year from now they will most definitely be woke from their sleep with the return of Kevin Durant.</p>
<p>If the season as we know it is cancelled, then Utah’s chances for a championship will be much smaller than they originally were. They will have to go through even more of a gauntlet next season to reach the Finals.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Jazz rank: The 15 best draft picks of all time" data-url="https://thejnotes.com/2019/06/14/utah-jazz-counting-top-15-draft-picks/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/utah-jazz-repurcussion-hiatus/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2019/06/14/utah-jazz-counting-top-15-draft-picks/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Jazz rank: The 15 best draft picks of all time </a> </div>
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<p>If it doesn’t work, they still have to pay the remainder of Bogey’s large contract as well as Joe Ingles’ extension, and reloading the roster will be tough to come by.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">