Andy Bailey: The Utah Jazz could be a mover & shaker in the NBA Draft
DJ and PK it’s 975 The Zone we’re joined once again by Andy Bailey NBA riter and analyst for Bleach report he’s been on our show dozens and dozens of times and here comes one more Andy good morning good morning thanks for having me gentlemen I I’m glad to be a part of the dozens and dozens Club assuming there is one there there is and you’re in it and now we want to ask you about what the Jazz are going to do but I think we have to start by saying that there are multiple opportunities for trades that could scramble the order I don’t know that people really know what trun langon wants to do he’s brand new in Detroit they got uh somebody brand new calling the shots in Charlotte that seems to be um a bit of a question mark that could alter not just what they do but if they trade out who do they trade to and then what does that team do it seems like the draft gets really scrambled there with the fifth and sixth picks yeah I actually think the entire thing is kind of in flux and you’ve pinpointed I I think pretty important spots where it could get kind of wild but uh we’ve heard a lot of stuff about Houston maybe trading down using that number three pick to add another veteran to their roster they added two last summer but it sounds like they might want more um San Antonio is a team I’ve heard a little bit about potentially moving up and and maybe trying to get one of those French prospects and re a or sard to join with wenyama so I and and you know hovering over all of this is the new CBA that I think fans analysts and even front office is are starting or are trying to still get uh acquainted with um the second apron and all the penalties that come with that and and the desire to avoid that threshold I think he’s going to kind of paint how a lot of teams approach the draft so it’s going to be a really interesting few weeks um and I and I think it’s going to kick off in Earnest on on draft night we’ll start to see some movement Jazz just got about every option you could think of on the table in terms of opportunity don’t know which ones they’ll use uh but they have those options and flexibility to go whichever way they can pull something off and to me this is why they did what they did to be in the position of where they are now so it you know a talking about how he wants to get things done and Smith wants to win and all that stuff what level of activity I guess is the right word do you think that they will be able to pursue and actually get done over the next day or so well like you said I I think there are a lot of opportunities um you know they’ve got multiple picks in this draft they can package stuff together and move up obviously there’s a bunch of you know fans in front offices clamoring for Lori Markin and I don’t I don’t know whether or not they would actually trade him but I’m sure they could get a pretty good haul for him if they wanted to uh uh Danny a has said they’re going to go big game hunting or or whatever the phrase was that he used um you’re white homing guys so you know all about big game hunting exactly at least my mom’s side of the family does um so I mean they they could go One Direction or another and I don’t I I imagine a lot of jazz fans wouldn’t be happy to hear this but I the more I think about Utah situation the more I think this might be another summer to kind of lay low um this draft for you know based on most reporting I I know every year there are guys that surprise us but it sounds like this isn’t one that has a lot of Surefire stars um and and maybe the year to be aggressive for the jazz is next season when when Cooper flag is uh on the table and Ace Bailey and some of the other guys who are kind of projected to be better in next year’s draft and the tricky thing of course with that is if you keep Lori Markin and on the team it’s it’s kind of hard to be intentionally bad and get the best draft odds for that 2025 mix um but they’ve you know they’ve been fairly patient since the Mitchell and gobear trades and I’m I’m not sure this summer is the one to hit the gas yeah right I I agree with you there there are for a draft that’s been all about 19 year olds and uh the future and development and potential there are a lot of 22 and 23 year olds getting projected into the top 10 do you shy away from any of those guys do you Embrace any of those guys Dalton connect is 23 um the point guard from Providence Devin Carter is 22 Zack Ed is obviously 22 what do you think about those guys because those guys either they in most the mock drafts they seem to go right before the Jazz pick or right after yeah um I think this is another thing that relates to that new collective bargaining agreement and I I think we could see a trend towards teams trying to find more NBA ready players um in the next few years because those penalties are so harsh uh the second apron is essentially a hard cap and so teams that already have a lot of big salaries on the books which you know even the bad teams are in that situation a lot of them are so cost controlled players with a little bit of experience that can maybe help you out the out of the gate a little bit quicker than some of the 18 and 19 year olds that might become a little bit more than Norm I think especially in like the middle of the first round you mentioned that connect is being mocked in the top 10 in a lot of places and Devin Carter and um I I think kind of in that like 8 to 20 range I think we could kind of see more of a run on older more experienced guys over the next few years and it may not stay that way I think the story of the draft for years and years and years has been what you said it’s a lot of 19 18 19 20 year olds um NBA teams like to have those couple extra years of development with young guys so it could it could swing back to that um you know three or four years from now but I do think we’re going to see an emphasis on uh experience and production and I think there’s going to be more in the second round you know in the past we saw a lot of people would take flyers on guys um you know who didn’t have a ton of experience but they you know they had raw tools and and maybe they played a tiny role for some team in Europe or something like that I think we’re going to start to see more established people taken in the second round too I mean um in years past there’s you know maybe a mid- major guy who averages 25 points a game and doesn’t even get a look in the draft because of the level of competition he faced but I I just think those kind of players 22 23 year olds who just kind of know how to play are going to be more popular picked going forward at least in the short term I know you focus on the NBA but down the road a little bit from uh where you live and reside and practice law and the very best lawyer since Jerry Spence in Wyoming as we’ve talked about that um is Cody Williams from Colorado didn’t play a lot up and down season but to me he’s got an awful lot of potential did you have any opinion of him I do I I agree with everything that you just said there um I I like two two wings from Colorado and one of them is with with Utah’s 10th pick taking him at 10 is maybe a little bit of a stretch but I like Tristan dilva too um I I think DVA has a little bit more feel as a playmaker and he’s one of those older guys that we just talked about he’s 23 years old he was a senior and I think he’s going to help somebody um Cody Williams you can see the upside and it’s it’s easy it’s easy to believe an upside when a player has a brother who’s been so successful right off the and Jaylen Williams in OKC and I and I do think there’s something to that um he’s also a good fluid athlete I think he profiles to be a pretty good shooter I think you have Utah is maybe one of the teams um that can still take younger guys and afford to develop them for a couple of years just because of the unique situation that they’re in so if he’s still available at 10 and I think there’s a chance he will be he’s he’s a guy that I think would make a lot of sense for Utah especially after uh last year’s trade of aaji they’re they’re a little bit short on wings right now Zach is a two-time college player of the year took his team to the NCA title game but he’s 74 and his lateral quickness is uh Beyond be Beyond an issue it’s it’s a problem for a lot of teams but his ability to score once he gets in the paint is unquestioned and teams do seem to be a little more worried about offense uh than they used to be and a little less concerned with defense than they used to be so how high is he going to go up the draft boards I think he’s going to be right around the end of the lottery um and I can’t I can’t decide one way or the other what I think about his professional prospects a few months ago I had friends asking me what you know what is this guy going to be and I had ban come to mind um and then I was just listening to ESPN Jonathan gavone on a podcast and he was you know basically saying he hates the ban comparison and Zach is going to be so much better than ban um I I think best case scenario I think he slots into and we didn’t we didn’t see this for long but there was a little trend for a little bit of you know obviously we’ve had heat check six-man scorers for years and years and years but there was a couple year stretch there where that heat check guy was actually a big man um Andis caner had a couple good seasons in that role um I don’t know why I can’t think of his name right now he played for the Clippers 67 re Montres herrell real high energy guy I think he even won six man of the year um one year and I I think Zach Edy even though you don’t really think of his name and then heat check immediately thereafter but if he’s in a role where he’s playing like 15 to 18 minutes a game off the bench um and just dominating as a scorer against backups like like you mentioned he he does profile as somebody who should be able to score I mean he’s massive um and he’s not he doesn’t have great lateral quickness like you said but he’s also not as much as a stiff as as some other 74 75 guys that we’ve seen in the past so I think there’s a chance he can be an effective role player um and maybe even putting his ceiling as a bench player is not fair you know maybe he tops out as like a NAA zubot type um but I don’t think he’s going to be the kind of dynamic like rim protector um Rim Runner that Utah fans are used to with Rudy gobear um and he’s you know he’s certainly I don’t I don’t think he profiles to be the kind of playmaking five that’s kind of in Vogue now so it’s going to be he’s he’s somebody that fascinates me to no end and I think it’s mostly just because I can’t pay what I think is gonna happen with him you think it might be easy for the Jazz to package the the 29th and 32nd pick and move up a little bit it seems like a team like Phoenix would would have a interest in moving back and getting a couple players cuz they need to flush out that roster yeah totally that you mentioned the optionality that Utah has earlier um and I I think that’s an option that’s very much on the table that’s kind of been reported I think in a couple outlets in the last few days is that that’s something that they’re thinking about and like we mentioned at the top I I think this is going to be a draft with a decent amount of movement so if there’s somebody that Utah is you know starting to get scared as is going to be gone you know at 20 21 22 something like that I I do think uh Utah has the chance to move up and you mentioned a great one with Phoenix at 22 um the difference like your your hit rate basically as a drafter isn’t isn’t dramatically different from 22 to 209 so maybe Phoenix is thinking yeah we we need two guys to fill out that roster and that’s that’s a good one you pinpointed there couple other teams I think where the picks might be available Philadelphia IIA and the Lakers at 16 and 17 they’re in win now mode if you had a veteran and you wanted a first round pick for him I’m wondering if the deal can be made there I I I haven’t been able to nail down exactly what happened with Jordan Clarkson at the trade denline his name was definitely out there but I think the price was a first round pick I don’t know if it was any first round pick so there’s a little gray area there but they didn’t get what they wanted clearly cuz they held on to him and I’m thinking a 16 or 17 pick you’re never getting more than that for him and maybe Collins would there be interest there I just I just think Philly and the Lakers need vets not some rookie from the middle of the first round I think you’re totally right and and the interesting thing about Philly is they have a ton of optionality too obviously I mean they’ve got a boatload of cap space tens of millions um and obviously they’re going to want to preserve a lot of that to potentially Chase free agents in a couple of weeks um but the opportunity to just trade somebody into their cap space is there I think right now the only players they have under contract are embiid and and maybe Paul Reed if I’m remembering correctly um so that’s certainly a chance and I think the Lakers as long as LeBron’s there and it sounds like he might sign a new contract um or an extension or however it’ll get done this summer as long as he’s there they’re going to be in win now mode I mean it’s all year long especially at Bleacher Report where I am we’re constantly cooking up fake trades for the Lakers um and and we’re constantly aware of which picks they can trade and this summer they have access to trade this one that number 17 pick in this draft and then they’ve got a couple more in 29 and 31 um I think they could put all three of those together and potentially get a Difference Maker or and this is maybe the smarter path and it’s one that La seems hesitant to go down um just trade this 17 pick in some salary for for a guy who can help you on the margins instead of trying to continue to go with like the three star the four-star model that that kind of kills your depth um they already have two stars in Lebron and ab I think what what would really help them is a little bit you know better depth better role players and so they’re a team that I think could certainly um move on draft night from 17 if Ryan Smith came to you and said what do you think we should do in terms of trying to make the team substantially better this season or let’s just focus on next year’s draft and will pay attention more to hockey this year what would you tell him I think I would tell him the latter and I think that’s probably a harder self for him because I I think he’s Being Earnest when he says he wants to win um and he wants to win soon and it and it’s it is tricky to have Markin in on the roster and and think we have to be bad and we have to get lottery odds um because Lori marinin is a great player I mean he’s a fringe all NBA guy already and he has been for two years now so as long as he’s available it’s going to be hard for Utah to stack up losses and that was the that was the problem and I you know do air quotes over the phone over that because ideally you you want to be winning um but winning maybe wasn’t the best thing for the last two years uh and they stacked up more wins in the first half of each of the last two seasons than maybe they needed to um but in the end it it might not matter that much if they do get a good pick in 2025 because potentially that draft is going to be it’s it’s almost certainly going to be better than this one and it’s probably going to be better than the last one after the first pick of course I mean it would have been phenomenal if Utah could have snagged Victor wanyama um but this 25 draft has potentially multiple stars um it has a guy that I think would fit brilliantly with markting right off the bat and Cooper flag um and obviously that’s a role of the dice like the lottery odds are they’re they’re gambling essentially and so that’s a difficult thing to um sell your owner on you know most of these guys are businessmen who who sure they deal with chance but they also want sure things um and the draft is anything but that however I I just think if you push the gas down right now you might be stuck in the middle for a little bit longer than you want to you need you need a transformative talent to be successful long term and uh I think they’re more likely to find it next year than they are this year but as you know there’s no gambling in Utah you’re on the other side of Wyoming but you know that full well yeah you you guys have to come over to ask for your fireworks too I think precisely yes I can’t tell you how many times everybody in Evon knows my name I feel like I’m walking into cheers that’s awesome the point you make about the draft I think is really important because everybody who follows the league knows free agents aren’t really moving guys are taking the sure money and the extensions before they get hurt and so you’re not going to get Stars through free agency and then even the trades I think you know the new TV deal is going to kick in and I know there’s this whole thought the teams are going to have to shed Talent they are going to make money trades so they don’t get hit with that repeater luxury tax right yeah it’s just so expensive except I don’t know why the players union would smooth the money out this time they didn’t last time so when the new salary or when the new TV deal kicks up for the 25 26 Season all these teams that are right up against the luxury tax line they’re going to get a ton of breathing room so yeah that’s a good point how many trades are really have to be made maybe pick somebody’s pocket on talent but as far as the Money Trade I think a lot of those maybe not all but a lot of those are going to go out the window yeah Sam Quinn from CBS had kind of an interesting um zag take that I saw on Twitter the other day where he was saying everybody’s terrified of the second apron um and you can you can put me in that camp um but maybe a smart way to go is acquire long-term money now and you’re going to you’re going to be in cap heck for a year or two but as that as that salary cap Rises and we know it’s going to rise especially with the numbers that came out with that new TV deal um May maybe those teams that take on what seems like bad money right now are going to be in a better position as the cap starts to go up and and maybe that’s maybe that’s the Forward Thinking approach um that’s going to be successful down the line I I just think there’s going to be so much there’s going to be a lot of tentativeness um people just don’t want to mess with that second apron line right now at least from everything that I’ve heard and I think the trades that that might or or the um the free agency moves that that might Inspire at least in the short term at least this summer is is still going to be to try and avoid that second apron line but I do think it’s an interesting thought experiment to think well maybe maybe the smart approach is the opposite of that and I hadn’t thought of that until I saw Sam’s Point I think it’s it’s smart to think about things in multiple different ways orange is a new black and 40 million is a new 25 yeah it’s it’s ins I mean I’m I’m buried in this stuff all year um and I still I I’m still kind of flabbergasted by the numbers that we see I mean we’re going to have Max contracts that are close to you know half a billion dollars uh fairly soon it’s and and meantime you keep seeing articles every year about how the ratings are down and um but the money just keeps going up and up and up and I’m you know I’m I’m not an economist I won’t pretend to know exactly how it’s happening but it’s happening and it’s it’s just make believe money at this point it really is crazy Andy Bailey NBA writer and analyst for Bleacher Report Andy thanks for one of the dozens and dozens and dozens of appearances you made on this show thank you guys always always love being on DJ and PK what’ you miss in this show golf the NBA draft the NHL draft the next big thing stay with us that’s next
Andy Bailey joined DJ & PK to preview the NBA Draft and examine what he thinks the board could look like and what the Utah Jazz may do with their picks.
