UTAH JAZZ
Jazz Receive Praise For Busy Off-Season In NBA GM Survey
Oct 4, 2022, 1:12 PM
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen defends Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz received high marks for their off-season work in the annual NBA GM Survey.
The yearly report asks front office members around the league a variety of questions concerning the summer and upcoming NBA season.
The Jazz had the busiest off-season of any team in the league, but overall, it appears their moves were viewed favorably by opposing front offices.
The 2022-23 NBA GM Survey…https://t.co/1I8RYqJSFg
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) October 4, 2022
Jazz Lauded For Off-Season Overhaul
In the GM Survey, the Jazz were tied for second in “best overall moves this offseason.”
The Jazz received 17 percent of the vote, tied with both the Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves who notably traded for Rudy Gobert.
Somewhat ironically the Cleveland Cavaliers were ranked first by GMs, largely due to acquiring former Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell in September.
The Jazz radically reformed their roster this summer moving both Gobert and Mitchell for a total of seven future first-round draft picks, six of which are completely unprotected. The team got an additional top-five protected pick from the Timberwolves in 2029, and a 2023 first-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic.
Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton are the new faces of the @utahjazz.
At media day, Markkanen spoke of bringing his EuroBasket play back to the NBA, while Sexton is looking out for his teammates. #TakeNote | @BensHoops https://t.co/dNH9oozx40
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 26, 2022
The team also added 14 new faces to the roster, including 2022 first-round selections in Ochai Agbaji and Walker Kessler.
Collin Sexton signed a four-year, $71 million deal with the Jazz in a sign-and-trade with the Cavaliers, while the also added notables Lauri Markkanen, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, and Talen Horton-Tucker.
Will Hardy also received three percent of the vote for which coaching hire will have the biggest impact on his new team.
Jazz Get Home Court Credit
NBA GMs also voted Utah as having one of the toughest home court advantages in the NBA, even though the team won’t be picked to win many games this season.
The Jazz were tied for the fourth-toughest home court advantage along with the Golden State Warriors, behind first-place Toronto, and Boston and Denver who were tied for second.
Last season the Jazz had the best home court advantage in the NBA according to GMs with 47 percent of the vote.
Other Notables
The Milwaukee Bucks were the big winners from the GM Survey as they received 72 percent of the vote to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals, and 43 percent of the vote to win their second title in three years.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was picked as the second-favorite to win the MVP award behind Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic but was the player the majority of GMs said they’d sign to lead their franchise.
The defending champion Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers each received 48 percent of the vote to represent the Western Conference in the 2023 Finals.
