GM Justin Zanik Reveals Plan for Rebuilding Jazz

The Utah Jazz are pivoting to the youth movement.

Apr 11, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) drives against Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The 2024-25 NBA season is just around the corner, and unlike the two years prior, the Utah Jazz’s front office is setting expectations for its fans early. At the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, Jazz CEO Danny Ainge told the press that Utah was ready to go ‘big game hunting’ this offseason. However, other than some low-key free agent acquisitions, it was a relatively quiet summer in Salt Lake City.

At media day on Friday, Jazz GM Justin Zanik addressed the lack of pursuit of an All-Star caliber player via trade or free agency this offseason. According to Zanik, the opportunities weren’t there for a significant upgrade, and Utah will focus its energy into the youth movement for the upcoming year.

"You guys have seen how things evolve in an offseason,” Jazz GM Justin Zanik said. “In this organization, we are extremely aggressive with pursuing any and all means necessary to make this a championship-caliber roster. When those opportunities come up, we’re ready for it. There weren’t any.

“And so to sit there and not do anything, we decided that our plan was to completely throw our focus into our young guys and the best player on our roster in Lauri Markkanen.”

Zanik's statement was music to the ears for the Jazz fan base, which has its eyes focused on getting a top-five pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Led by University of Duke's Cooper Flagg, the 2025 draft class is loaded with 'face of the franchise' talent and could be the best shot at rostering a player better than Utah's current best player, Lauri Markkanen.

So, what do Zanik's statements mean for the rostered Jazz players that aren't going to be a part of the future? The two names that stand out are John Collins and Jordan Clarkson. Both players have contracts that run through the 2025-26 season and days in Salt Lake City should be coming to an end.

However, the pair's contracts are tough to sell in today’s trade market, and it’s not out of the question that the Jazz could employ both players for the whole season. That doesn’t bode well for a team in which player development and draft positioning take priority over winning basketball games.

Jazz head coach Will Hardy could be challenged to play the younger players over the vets who need minutes to help cash in on their next contract. When the rubber meets the road, is that even plausible?

We won’t know how serious the front office is about the youth movement until we see how Hardy decides to distribute minutes. However, it does appear that Zanik is setting the stage for a season in which gunning for a top-five pick will take precedence right out of the gate.

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