They Maintained Salary Cap Flexibility for Next Summer
The initial reactions to the Favors deal were that they Jazz overpaid to bring him back. The tone shifted some when it came out that the second-year of his two-year deal was non-guaranteed. They can use that as a trade chip or use it to create cap space if needed.
Between the expiring deals of Ricky Rubio, Alec Burks, Thabo Sefolosha, and Ekpe Udoh, the Jazz will have around $35.1 million in salary cap spending that is set to come off their books after the upcoming season. Their flexibility only amplifies when you take the $16.9 million in non-guaranteed money owed to Favors too.
While it remains to be seen regarding what level of talent the Jazz could attract with real salary cap space, they have a great opportunity to add a third piece to their core. Donovan Mitchell will still be under his rookie contract and Rudy Gobert will earn $25 million in 2019-20. To be perfectly clear, the Jazz landing a star seems unlikely.
If they ultimately decide to move on from Rubio, they could look for more of a scorer at that position so they can keep up with the elite offenses of the Western Conference. For reference, some of the top 2019 free agent point guards include; Kyrie Irving (PO), Kemba Walker, D’Angelo Russell (R), Gordan Dragic (PO), Eric Bledsoe, and Jeff Teague (PO) to name a few.
It’s rare to be able to land a star wing player without developing that player from the beginning of their career or through taking advantage of timing with a major trade package. Joe Ingles is a rock-solid starter but there are some star wing players like Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, and Kawhi Leonard that will be available.
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