2019-2020 Finish: 48-34 (5^th in the West)

Season Highlight:

The remarkable performance after the year prior where the front office pulled the plug and ushered in the fastest rebuild seen in quite a while. After finishing last in the West in 2018-2019, the Jazz looked nearly unbeatable before the New Year with just 4 losses. The roller coaster dip and recovery in talent was certainly the highlight as it leaves this team with lots to look forward to in the future.

Season Lowlight:

The lowlight has to be not progressing farther in the playoffs. After how strong the team looked all season, they ran into a buzzsaw in the form of the San Antonio Spurs. Expectations grew as the season progressed and I’m sure GM spudspace was hoping for more.

Best Trade:

The LA Clippers send Devin Booker to the Utah Jazz. The Utah Jazz send Jayson Tatum to the LA Clippers.

The decision was a tough one as there were a couple of contenders but ultimately while Tatum is in the range of very-good-but-not-quite-star (in this author’s opinion), moving him for what looks to be a star in Booker looks great. Devin Booker has been on an ascension with his prolific scoring and looks to be a centerpiece for this team.

Worst Trade:

The Atlanta Hawks send Josh Jackson to the Utah Jazz. The Utah Jazz send Jalen Brunson to the Atlanta Hawks.

The answer was nearly none but looking within the scope of the 2019-2020 season, this could be seen as the worst trade as Josh Jackson spent plenty of time in the G League last season. As of this writing though, Jackson appears to be turning his career around with a new NBA team and could see his stock rising.

Other Notable Trades:

The Atlanta Hawks send Vince Carter and Malcolm Brogdon to the Utah Jazz. The Utah Jazz send Ricky Rubio and Dennis Smith to the Atlanta Hawks.


The Atlanta Hawks receive 3 GM points. The Utah Jazz trade -3 GM points.

Atlanta was reeling from some major losing streaks and needed a player that could stay healthy so they moved the best player in the deal for some security in Rubio. Brogdon continued missing games for the Jazz but is looking strong this season.

The Portland Trail Blazers send Brook Lopez, Furkan Korkmaz and Melvin Frazier to the Utah Jazz. The Utah Jazz send Andre Roberson, Cameron Johnson and Nicolas Claxton to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Utah Jazz send a 2nd-Rounder (Orl) to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Portland Trail Blazers receive 1 GM points. The Utah Jazz trade -1 GM points.

Moving the dead weight of Roberson (along with some rookies) for some solid role players in this deal. Nothing too notable…yet.

Free Agency:

Jahlil Okafor: could be moving on

Josh Jackson: could be a tough keep as he switched teams and is looking strong

The others aren’t as notable and shouldn’t be difficult to retain.

Star:

Devin Booker

It has to be Booker. With 28.4 points per game, he was near the top of the NLL in most shooting categories and really changed the identity of the Utah Jazz. Spud has to be very happy with how that trade panned out.

Goat:

Malcolm Brogdon

Hard decision but only being able to play in 40 games in the regular season is the largest culprit for this designation. Here’s hoping he’s more available this season!

Draft Grade:

Taken from Jwalk:

Obi Toppin (8th): A-

The Jazz had one pick and they made the most of it. The NCAA Player of the Year, Toppin has a dominant game even with the defensive concerns. The only problem Utah will have is finding room on the court for both Siakam and Toppin at the same time.

The Future:

The future looks bright in Utah. With a very experienced GM at the helm and loaded with talent, the sky is the limit for this team. They will have to prove to themselves that they belong at the top of the West as they look for better outcomes against the higher ranked squads in that conference but come playoff time, they should be dialed in.