Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz finished with a solid record of 50-32, good enough for the 5th seed in the Western Conference playoffs. However, the Jazz succumbed to the Rockets in five games. Management realized that additional playmaking and shooting were offseason priorities, so they set out to find players to supplement star guard Donovan Mitchell and Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
The first move that the Jazz completed was a trade with the Grizzlies that sent Grayson Allen, Jae Crowder, Kyle Korver, and a first-round pick to Memphis in exchange for Mike Conley, one of the more underrated players in the NBA
Conley, coming off a season where he averaged 21 points and six assists a game, figures to slide into the starting role left by Ricky Rubio, who left for greener pastures in free agency. He provides the Jazz with a backcourt mate that compliments the skillset of Mitchell, who averaged 23.8 points per game during his age-22 season. Conley and Mitchell have the potential to be one of the best backcourts in the NBA.
In addition to Conley, the Jazz added Bojan Bogdanovic, a reliable sharpshooter, for four-years, $73 million. Bogdanovic averaged 20 points per game for a Pacers squad that finished 5th in the East despite several injuries, including a season-ending one to star guard Victor Oladipo. Bogdanovic shot 43 percent from 3-point range last season, giving the Jazz an extra dimension that they lacked at the small forward position last season.
With how the Jazz rounded out their roster, they certainly are Western Conference contenders and many expect them to be a second round playoff team, if not going farther.