They might take a step back and recalibrate the team around Donovan Mitchell's coming prime. The Jazz might believe enough in the playoff run they almost had to try to improve upon it this offseason. How much are they willing to spend to build on season that almost ended very differently?Īfter a surprising sale of the team to tech billionaire Ryan Smith, we have no precedent to base our answers off of. Can the Jazz afford to bring him back? Does it make sense in basketball terms? They are already close to the luxury tax line before building any semblance of a bench. Rudy Gobert is 28 years old, one season removed from free agency and eligible for a supermax extension. Instead, they're facing the same existential questions every small-market team faces after years of playoff disappointment.
If Mike Conley makes that fateful game-winning 3-pointer at the end of Game 7, maybe the Jazz are the team building off the momentum of back-to-back battles against the Los Angeles juggernauts right now.
This was the difference between the Utah Jazz leaving the bubble after the first round and the Denver Nuggets going on a feel-good run to the Western Conference finals.
