Will the Jazz draft a big man or wing player?

(Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)


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SALT LAKE CITY — The Jazz have a lot of options to choose from on June 25. The Jazz are looking at multiple big men and wing players who could be available at No. 12. With so many different types of players at pick No. 12, the Jazz may need to focus more on what they can get in free agency and then draft accordingly. We will look at what the Jazz can do if they draft a big man and add a wing in free agency and vice versa. Choosing either a big or wing player could work. We’ll assess what the Jazz can do with either option.

The Jazz have two, maybe three, big men who are in their immediate future. Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert are expected to anchor one of the best defenses in the NBA. Trevor Booker, waiting on the Jazz to pick up his team option for 2015-16 or not, is an athletic big known for bringing energy to the floor. Tibor Pleiss, a big man picked up in the trade with the Thunder involving Enes Kanter, could join the team for the upcoming season. The Jazz have three wings in the long-term plans for the franchise: Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks and Rodney Hood. All three are still developing as players, and they all have a lot of room to improve. Joe Ingles is a restricted free agent who could be re-signed.

Now let’s discuss how the Jazz can improve both their big men and wing players through the draft and free agency.

Draft a big man and sign a free agent wing player:

Big men possibly available at No. 12: Myles Turner, Trey Lyles, Frank Kaminsky, Bobby Portis and Kevon Looney.

Turner seems to be top in the class of the above big men at this point of the draft. Even though his production at Texas wasn’t as explosive as expected coming out of high school, his ceiling is still very high. Lyles and Portis seem to be the safest picks and Kaminsky and Looney are seen as potential busts. According to most mock drafts, Turner is either the best available at No. 12 or won’t be there. He has the ability to shoot from 15-18 feet and is a solid rim protector.

So if the Jazz do select Turner, how do the Jazz address the need at wing? There is a dearth of quality backup wing players in the league. Last year there were some solid backup free agents signed to reasonable contracts: P.J. Tucker re-signed with the Suns to a three-year $16.5 million contract, former Jazzman C.J. Miles signed with the Pacers to a four-year $18 million contract and Vince Carter signed with the Grizzlies to a three-year $12 million contract.

Now, all these numbers are projected to go up in the next couple of years due to the new TV deal.

Here’s a list of potential free agents at the wing position:

  • Jae Crowder
  • Mike Dunleavy
  • Al-Farouq Aminu (player option)
  • Will Barton
  • Corey Brewer
  • Wayne Ellington
  • Wesley Johnson
  • Khris Middleton
  • Luke Babbitt
  • Kyle Singler
  • Gerald Green
  • Marcus Thornton
  • Danny Green
  • Rasual Butler
  • Omri Casspi

Crowder, Danny Green and Middleton are the ones that intrigue me. Crowder and Middleton are restricted free agents while Green is an unrestricted free agent. Crowder and the Celtics are hoping for a reunion and Green is looking for a big payday. So signing either of those could be difficult. Middleton is projected to receive a max deal, and that’s not something the Jazz could offer. So signing another productive wing player could be incredibly difficult this offseason.

Draft a wing player and sign a free agent big man:

A player who seems to be sliding down draft boards is Stanley Johnson. Johnson would be a perfect fit to a Jazz system that thrives on wings handling the ball and playing solid defense. Shooter R.J. Hunter could evolve into a knock-down shooter, Sam Dekker has the potential to be Hayward 2.0, and Kelly Oubre may have the highest ceiling of all wings at this point in the draft.

So if the Jazz select Johnson, how do the Jazz address the need for a big man? Backup big men are in abundance in the league. Booker proved to be a serviceable big off the bench last season. Josh McRoberts signed with the Heat to a four-year $23 million contract, Jordan Hill signed with the Lakers to a two-year $18 million contract, Spencer Hawes signed with the Clippers to a four-year $23 million contract and, what the Jazz are more looking for, Patrick Patterson re-signed with the Raptors to a three-year $18 million contract. The Jazz would love to sign a Patterson-like player to a Patterson-like contract.

Here’s a list potential big men free agents:

  • Pero Antic
  • Brandon Bass
  • Jonas Jerebko
  • Mirza Teletovic
  • Charlie Villanueva
  • Marreese Speights (team option)
  • Luis Scola
  • Jordan Hill (team option)
  • Kosta Koufos
  • Alexis Ajinca
  • Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
  • Thomas Robinson
  • Robin Lopez
  • Ryan Hollins
  • Aron Baynes
  • Drew Gooden
  • Kevin Seraphin

The Jazz are looking for a big man who can stretch the floor. The best floor stretchers on this list are Antic, Teletovic and Hill. The Jazz would most benefit from signing either Antic or Teletovic, both of whom are restricted free agents. Hill, depending on if the Lakers pick up his team option or not, is a knock-down mid-range shooter. It could be too difficult, or too expensive, to steal Teletovic away from Brooklyn, so Antic may be the best option here.

There are a couple of reasons why Antic is both a great fit for the Jazz and very possible to sign. Antic has a relationship with Jazz head coach Quin Snyder. Antic played for the Jazz head coach during Snyder’s stint as an assistant coach with the Hawks. Because Antic is a restricted free agent, teams can sign him to a deal and then his old team, the Hawks, can match the deal if wanted. The reason the Jazz can steal him away from the Hawks is because of former Jazzman Paul Millsap. Millsap is expecting a large payday this offseason and the Hawks are likely to offer it, meaning they might not have the cap space to keep Antic.

Do we have any idea what the Jazz are planning to pick this Thursday? Nope. Not at all. Do the Jazz know who they’re going to draft? Doubt it. But one thing's for sure; this draft choice is very important for the Jazz’s hopes of making the playoffs next season and their future development as a franchise. Nathan Harker is a sports writing intern currently enrolled at Brigham Young University majoring in broadcast journalism. Nathan can be reached at nathan.harker32@gmail.com or via Twitter @nharker3207.

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