SALT LAKE CITY — The NBA had one of the most highly anticipated finals matchups in recent history, with the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers looking to defend their title against the Kevin Durant-led Golden State Warriors. The series featured a who’s who of the league’s brightest stars, and the Warriors' five-game series victory will be a defining point for legacies for decades to come.

And when it ended, the true excitement of the NBA season began.

If you missed it, here’s a brief rundown of what’s transpired in the league since less than two weeks ago.

• LeBron James is rumored to be interested in joining the Lakers or Clippers
• Hall of Famer Jerry West left the Warriors' front office to join the Clippers
• The Celtics agreed to trade Thursday’s first overall pick to the 76ers
• Paul George told the Pacers he will leave the franchise next summer
• A litany of teams are in pursuit of the Bulls’ Jimmy Butler
• The Cavaliers fired general manager David Griffin

While Utah Jazz fans anxiously await the beginning of the free agency period, hoping Gordon Hayward opts to re-sign with the team that drafted him, they should pay attention to how the Jazz current roster design could make them a valuable partner in complicated trades. With a little bit of luck, and savvy moves by the front office, the Jazz can reap the benefits of patient roster building.

First, the Jazz have a collection of good but not great assets. This is important, because if they had more valuable trade assets, say top 10 draft picks, or proven young stars on low-cost contracts, or veteran All-Stars on long-term deals, the Jazz could be primary players in the trade market, hoping to acquire Paul George or Jimmy Butler.

Instead, the Jazz movable pieces may allow them to be a third team in a multi-team trade, with the Jazz gaining more value than they have to give up.

Currently, the Jazz have two first-round picks in the 2017 (24 and 30) and 2018 (OKC first, and Jazz first) drafts. Draft picks are currently the gold standard for NBA trades.

In addition, the Jazz have a slew of young players — Rodney Hood, Dante Exum and Trey Lyles — that due to their age or production will have value for a team looking to add young talent at a low cost. And finally, the Jazz have a series of mid range contracts, owed to rotation-level players, that could be included in a trade to facilitate a deal.

Boris Diaw has a $7.5 million deal that is fully non-guaranteed, meaning any team that acquires him could waive him immediately and not have to take on his salary this season. Derrick Favors has one year and $12 million remaining on his contract, and when healthy is a starting-level power forward in the league.

Finally, the Jazz have Alec Burks at two years and $22 million that they can trade. Due to Burks' injury history, his deal will be the most cumbersome to move.

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Here is how they could fit into a proposed deal. Looking at a rumored trade that would send the Pacers’ George to Cleveland, the Cavaliers would likely have to ship off All-Star Kevin Love to make George’s salary fit on their books.

If the Pacers lose George, it’s likely they'll need to enter a rebuilding phase, and a talented veteran like Love will only serve to win them more games than they need in order to attain a high draft pick. Meanwhile, the Cavs don’t have the collection of draft picks that will be highly valued by a rebuilding team.

Enter the Jazz.

The Jazz could take on a player like Love, and in return send the Pacers a combination of first-round draft picks, a young player and a veteran contract.

The Cavaliers would land a star in George, the Pacers would get a talented young player, draft picks and an expiring contract, and the Jazz would get a proven veteran who might help entice Gordon Hayward to re-sign with the team this summer.

Ultimately, the Jazz would benefit from being in the right place at the right time in their roster-building process.

Here’s another rumored deal:

The Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in acquiring the Bulls' Butler but may be unwilling to trade budding star Andrew Wiggins to finalize the deal. Again, enter the Jazz.

The Wolves could acquire Butler in exchange for the Wolves' young players Zach Lavine and Kris Dunn, in addition to the No. 7 overall pick in the draft. However, that package is unlikely to be enough for the Bulls, and once again, the Jazz enter the picture.

The Jazz could take on the final two contract years of point guard Ricky Rubio from the Wolves, now filling the void if George Hill leaves as a free agent. The Jazz again send a young player to Chicago to add to the package the Wolves have shipped out and include an expiring contract to free up cap space for the Bulls, or a first-round pick.

In summary, the Bulls acquire a series of young, affordable pieces with potential to be franchise cornerstones, in addition to first-round draft picks. The Wolves land a star in Butler, and the Jazz find their starting point guard for the next several seasons, while shipping out a young player, and either an expiring contract or first-round draft pick.

The NBA summer has been an exciting one so far, and though the most highly anticipated date for the Jazz comes in early July, the team’s roster flexibility and collection of assets could bring a quicker onset of change than fans have expected.

If the rumor mill continues to turn as rapidly as it has over the past several weeks, don’t be surprised if you hear the Jazz’ name mixed in with potential blockbuster trades.

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