Feb 6, 2023; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith speaks about the NBA All-Star availability in Utah at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports
Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith says team has room still to make moves
Ryan Smith, owner of the Utah Jazz, believes the team isn’t done making moves.
Can the Utah Jazz shock the NBA world? The team has been rumored to be in on the Damian Lillard trade situation to some degree, so it’s possible that the team does try and swing for the fences. So it’s not surprising at all to hear Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith say the team has space to make one or two moves.
Speaking to 97.5’s KSL Sports Zone, with hosts Patrick Kinahan and David James, Smith revealed that the team is still keeping their eyes open for any potential possibilities
“We obviously have room to do one or two or a couple of more things around the edgesbut I don’t know, it’s a marketplace, we’ll be opportunistic.”
This comes of course off the heels of losing out on the Philadelphia 76ers’ Paul Reed, who the club offered a deal worth $23 million over three years. The 76ers matched it to bring back the defensive-minded Reed.
And with Lillard not a realistic possibility, is a major move likely?
No, it’s fair to say not, but they’re building their roster as a move could happen. Right now the team has 14 players under contract, but two of them, Kris Dunn and Luka Samanic, are not under guaranteed contracts. So it stands to reason that if a deal comes by where they could land a major name, guys like Dunn and Samanic have value.
Not only that but there are a few big names still in free agency. If the Jazz think they’re ahead of schedule on their rebuild, they could possibly offer something to a guy like Kelly Oubre Jr. They could shave some cash off their payroll by letting go of Samanic and Dunn.
They could also part ways with some guys in a trade to land said superstar and if names like Ochai Agbaji and Collin Sexton were part of that deal, then Dunn and Samanic would instantly have more value to the team.
Likely though, and maybe most importantly, the Utah Jazz should stand pat for now. Let the young talent develop and see what you have to work with.
