u/ClutchOlday

That leaves only one regular spot left. I think Blake Hinson will be converted to a regular contract and someone else (likely a big) will get his two-way spot.

Apparently Andre Drummond can shoot threes now. But I think the Jazz will want to take a look at Jaxon Kohler and Micah Handlogten. Kohler seems to be a great rebounder and Handlogten is a rim running big man and shotblocker though he doesn't shoot from outside.

That's what you hope to see from these young guys.

Newly-signed Tamar Bates will play as well as Cody Williams. And of course the #2 pick Darryn Peterson.

Undrafted rookies Mohamed Wague, Micah Handlogten, and Jaxon Kohler will also compete for a two-way contract.

Blake Hinson, who I think should be shoo-in for a regular NBA contract with the Jazz after the team declined the options for Bez Mbeng and Hayden Gray, will seek to solidify his place in the rotation.

Love the IG post by Nurk. How many triple doubles will the Bosnian Beast get with the Jazz this season?

If there's one superpower that Nurk has to offer, it's his superb screening. Damian Lillard, Devin Booker and Keyonte attest to the effectiveness of the big guy's screens in giving them space to pull up for an open three.

On an Exhibit 10 contract

Will Utah find a diamond in the rough after the second round?

In other news, Memphis picked up Isaiah Stewart for just 3 second round picks.

Article written after the Jazz picked Darryn from the draft. I thought this part was most exciting:

>“I think I really guard. This past year, I didn’t really get to guard a whole bunch because of everything going on. Like, I can really sit. I can go guard the best player on the other team and give him buckets, too.”

The following players are on our current roster for 2026-27:

Jaren Jackson Jr.: $49,000,000 (acquired via trade from the Grizzlies)

Lauri Markkanen: $46,113,154

Ace Bailey: $9,523,080 (rookie-scale contract)

Keyonte George: $6,563,925 (rookie-scale contract)

John Konchar: $6,165,000 (acquired via trade from the Grizzlies)

Cody Williams: $6,015,600 (rookie-scale contract)

Brice Sensabaugh: $4,862,237

Svi Mykhailiuk: $3,850,000

Kyle Filipowski: $3,000,000

Isaiah Collier: $2,763,960

Hayden Gray: $2,150,917 (Team option)

Bez Mbeng: $2,150,917 (Team option)

Darryn Peterson: Newly-drafted

Blake Hinson: Two-way contract

Elijah Harkless: Two-way contract

Walker Kessler: $7,064,703 (Qualifying Offer)

There are players who are going to be available (or likely to be) from the waiver wire and in trades:

• Jaylen Brown
• DeMar De Rozan
• Myles Turner
• Kyle Kuzma
• Tyler Herro

The Jazz are also interested to bring back Jusuf Nurkic which I think is a great move at a team-friendly price. Nurkic is one of the best screen-setters around, a good rebounder, a great passer from the elbow, and can score in sneaky ways. The Jazz lack size behind Walker Kessler (should he choose to return to the Jazz) and the Jazz can sign someone like Jamarion Sharp who was the G-League DPOY this season to a two-way contract to give him a look.

I think Hayden Gray might be waived and perhaps signed to a two-way contract if the Jazz are really interested in him. Ditto for Bez Mbeng which would mean Elijah's two-way contract might get waived. I'd like to see Blake Hinson signed to a standard contract.

John Konchar might be traded or waived as he might not see a lot of usage this season. Svi's contract is quite cheap so he might be kept around.

They just drafted 7'3 Aday Mara to play alongside 7'1 Chet Holmgren and 6'6 Shai.

If we miss out on AJ, I'm ok to take a chance on Caleb Wilson at #2. He plays with a level of athleticism that is key to opening up the Jazz offense. Even though he doesn't shoot three pointers well (yet), his midrange jumper looks smooth and repeatable even with defenders around him. In a few years when Lauri is past his peak, Caleb could be ready to be #1. In the meantime, Caleb can relieve either Lauri or JJJ to make sure he gets a steady diet of minutes.

The Jazz lack elite athleticism and mobility among their bigs. Lauri can dunk over people on the run but mostly because of his 7' frame. Caleb will provide this trait right off the bat. I'm thinking Giannis lite.

This one I don't get. Is Key seeking the maximum for a contract extension? Just offer him something based on his performance last season and tie him up for several years more on his rookie contract.

Key is going to be an important cog in the Jazz offense next season. He has taken ownership of the leader role and has built good rapport with everyone on the team. His scoring numbers are likely to go down just because the Jazz will be playing Lauri, JJJ and Bailey/our #2 pick more minutes as the Jazz try to rack up the wins. His stats have all been trending upwards from his rookie season. He is clearly a keeper regardless of whether the Jazz draft DP or not.

This even as the Washington Wizards already have Trae Young. Trae has a player option for his 2026-27 contract with the Wizards though there is talk of other teams being interested to trade for him during the offseason.

Any thoughts?

Key is still young and hopefully will continue to improve on the defensive side with the team's renewed focus on winning games.

If Walker doesn't want to be here, sign-and-trade his ass. The Jazz should not overpay for a center again when we have our future payroll to consider and there are cheaper options.

This guy thinks Utah will play DP at point alongside Ace Bailey. It's an interesting idea which means the Jazz will have positional size advantage most games at every spot.

We'll know more during the off-season if the Jazz sign Key to an extension or not.