Hey, how about that NBA Draft lottery, huh? Pretty crazy stuff. Except, the cynical among you might say, that with the Jazz slated to pick 23rd, it had zero impact upon them.
Au contraire, Andy Larsen and Eric Walden might reply, were they the types to speak French. As it is, they’ll settle for a simple “don’t be so sure about that.”
In this latest episode of the Weekly Run podcast, The Salt Lake Tribune’s pair of Jazz beat writers and “brothers in coverage” recap the unexpected unfoldings from Chicago the other night, examine some potential ideas of how it might have a trickle-down impact on the Jazz, and, finally, in response to a plethora of Twitter questions expressing confusion on the subject, break down the rules and regulations of the upcoming free agency period, explaining that no, sorry, the Jazz can’t realistically sign max-level free agents and still retain the likes of Derrick Favors and Ricky Rubio (unless, of course, they’re willing to return for the friendliest of team contracts).
Here’s a breakdown of the highlights:
At 1:33 • The start of free agency is likely to move from July 1 at midnight (or 12:01 according to some) to June 30 at 6 p.m. ET, which we can all agree is a good thing, even if its genesis is in generating more coverage.
At 4:15 • The NBA flattening the draft lottery odds made for an eventful evening, with the Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Lakers proving the biggest beneficiaries. Does it mean the end of tanking, though? (Spoiler alert: Nope.)
At 11:35 • How might any of this impact the Jazz? Might the Grizzlies selecting Ja Morant mean a revival of a Mike Conley deal? Or former Ute point guard Delon Wright returning to Utah? Could the Pelicans do a total tear-down around Zion Williamson, thus making Jrue Holiday available? And Julius Randle figures to also be a free agent now, potentially lessening competition for Tobias Harris or Nikola Mirotic.
At 21:26 • Andy and Eric settle an argument among some Twitter guys who don’t know what this summer’s salary cap number is, and who also apparently don’t know what “cap holds” and “Bird Rights” are, let alone how they work. Hence a theoretical scenario explaining why the Jazz can’t, say, trade for Conley, sign Harris, and then retain Fav and Rubio on top of it all.
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