We wondered what Utah was going to do this summer. After blowing up the group that had qualified for six playoffs, was Danny Ainge going to move up a gear?
Ultimately, the Jazz barely moved, contenting themselves with extending Lauri Markkanen at a high price…
“You know how things evolve during the offseason. At this club we are extremely aggressive in seeking every means necessary to build a squad capable of winning the title.” explains GM Justin Zanik. “When these opportunities present themselves, we are ready to seize them. There was none. »
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However, there has obviously been quite a bit of interest in Lauri Markkanen, with the names of the Warriors, Spurs, Kings, Pelicans and Wolves having been mentioned as potential landing points. Except that the rewards probably did not allow the Salt Lake City club to get any closer to the title.
“By doing nothing, we decided that our plan was simply to focus on our young players, and on the best player in our squad, who is Lauri Markkanen. »
So advocating patience.
“I think what's different this year is we're really starting to build a really good foundation. It turns out that the players are very young. In addition to having three rookies, we now have seven players under the age of 23”concludes Justin Zanik. “Our growth will come from developing our youth, so we can win more games, now and in the future. It doesn't happen overnight, but what's important in development is playing. »
