We’ll have a good idea soon if Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk and Talen Horton-Tucker will be on the Jazz next year
It won’t take too long to see what the Utah Jazz will look like next season.
The 2023 NBA draft is just over a week away, and whether the Jazz utilize all three of their first round picks — Nos. 9, 16 and 28 — or package them in a trade and/or trades, Utah will add new players to the roster.
Then there is the matter of the current players on the team, many of whom have player options they must exercise before certain dates this summer or they will become free agents.
Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gay, Talen Horton-Tucker and Damian Jones all have player options this summer, all of which have to be decided upon before the end of June (Kelly Olynyk’s contract becomes fully guaranteed as well).
Jones is the first up, with a $2,586,665 option that will need to be decided upon by June 23.
A former first-round pick by the Golden State Warriors (No. 30 in 2016), Jones played in 19 games with the Jazz last season, averaging just under 16 minutes per game.
The 6-foot-11 center was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers at the trade deadline and was good enough as a third string big man.
Good enough to be of value to the Jazz next year if he returns.
“If the Jazz don’t draft a center or go after another one in free agency or get one in a trade, the center rotation could end up being a mix of (Walker) Kessler, Jones and Kelly Olynyk. You could definitely do a lot worse, especially considering the team-friendly contract that Jones will be on,” wrote the Deseret News’ Sarah Todd in April.
June 29 is the deadline for Clarkson, Gay and Horton-Tucker, all of whom could opt into their contracts for $14,260,000, $6,479,000 and $11,020,000, respectively.
Gay almost appears to be a shoe-in to opt in, given his age and the stage he is in his NBA career.
Clarkson and Horton-Tucker are different stories, however, particularly if the Jazz select guards in the upcoming draft.
Horton-Tucker saw plenty of playing time, particularly in the second half of the season and showed flashes, good and bad.
Perhaps not enough good to keep him around long term, though.
“At this point, I don’t think it would be wise to give Horton-Tucker a bigger and longer contract,” Todd wrote. “If I were the Jazz, I’d want more time with him to make a decision.
“Although this season it’s important to remember his age and give him some time to come into his own, I don’t think he’ll be given that same leniency next season. He needs to show growth, self-awareness, strength, and an ability to adapt and improve.”
Clarkson is a beloved figure in Utah and had one of the best seasons of his career last year, showcasing playmaking ability that he hadn’t earlier in his time in the NBA.
Does he fit a rebuilding Jazz team? Only if the Jazz are serious about leaping back into the playoffs next year.
If not, Clarkson would only take valuable time and reps away from younger, more promising prospects.
As for Olynyk, his contract has a guarantee date of June 28, on which it will go from $3 million guaranteed to $12,195,122.
Of the aforementioned players, Olynyk might be the biggest unknown, because his guaranteed salary could be useful if the Jazz were to trade for a player on a larger contract.
Olynyk was quite useful for the Jazz last year, both with his play and his work in the locker room. Additionally, as a backup to Kessler, Olynyk would be a fine choice.
His future largely comes down to if the Jazz draft a big man, sign a raw prospect in free agency or elect to attempt to field a small-ball team when Kessler isn’t on the court.
“Considering how well Olynyk played and how much he helped the Jazz’s young core throughout the season and adding into the equation that Olynyk is a jovial and easygoing player who is good to have in the locker room,” writes Todd, “it’s not really surprising that the Jazz would want to extend his tenure in Utah.”
