Speaking publicly for the first time since Utah traded Rudy Gobert to Minnesota in a massive move, Jazz CEO Danny Ainge and GM Justin Zanik explained their rational behind the move and how it sets Utah for an extremely bright future.
"Some of these opportunities that come up are hard, but given the amount of return and how motivated Minnesota was, it was just something that we all had to get together as a group and decide, 'Hey, this is something that we need to do for the organization,'" Zanik said of the trade on Saturday.
The return for Gobert was considered monumental, with Utah receiving Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, the draft rights to Walker Kessler, future draft picks and a draft swap.
Following the trade, many experts around the league believed Ainge and Zanik were embarking on a full rebuild — especially considering it meant that Utah's championship window with two all-stars in Gobert and Donovan Mitchell (and recently departed head coach Quin Snyder) had officially ended.
"The team fell short, we fell short," Zanik said. "So we need to recalibrate and try to go and open up the next window. … And hopefully, it's a long window."
That's not the case.
The Jazz are retooling their roster by getting younger, more athletic, and with significantly more assets — all while focusing on building around Mitchell, a budding superstar.
"I'm not trying to be cryptic or anything else, but Donovan is on our roster," Zanik said. "He's a very, very important part of what we're trying to do. Things evolve in the NBA. … So I couldn't sit here and say anybody is (untouchable). We're trying to build a championship team, but there's no intent (to trade him) at all."
Part of this new direction was the hire of Will Hardy, a 34-year-old first-time head coach — a move supported by Mitchell.
"Donovan has been very supportive of all of the things that we're doing," Zanik said. "He has a previous relationship with coach Hardy as well from Team USA. … So we've been in contact with both him and his representatives, kind of keeping them up to date, and we'll continue to do so."
While the Jazz fully expect to build around Mitchell, it doesn't mean that changes won't come from their three-time all-star.
Drafted as a 3-and-D shooting guard, Mitchell has become more than that. An elite scorer capable of getting a bucket whenever he wants, he's also a proven playmaker — a move that Ainge fully expects to build on.
"We have talked about that a lot," Ainge said. "He has played some one. He played some last year at times when Mike was out of the game. Him evolving into a one will make him a better player, whether he is the actual full-time one or a part-time one."
Make no mistake though, the offseason is far from over from Utah's perspective.
"We're still in free agency and the offseason, so we're going to look at every opportunity," Zanik said. "We still have a couple roster spots open and, obviously, the evaluation of Summer League and any other opportunities that come up to continue to do what we can to balance and improve the roster.
With many roster spots still available, the Jazz know that there are moves to be made — but that doesn't mean they will be rushed in making them.
"We're happy with a lot of the guys that are coming in from Minnesota, and I think they all can contribute in some way," Zanik said. "We'll see how it goes, but it's kind of we're in the middle of it right now."
The trade was just the start of what could be an exciting and thrilling future — one full of options, possibilities, and most of all… hope.
"The draft wasn't very much fun. … Free agency wasn't very much fun," Ainge said. "You're over the tax, no draft picks, and our team loses in the first round. … It wasn't fun for us. We want it to be fun for our fans and for our players, but we just haven't had much flexibility to do anything over the last little while."
"What it does is allows you to have a lot of very interesting conversations with teams calling because of just the flexibility that you have," Zanik added. "You have a chance to talk about different concepts or deals — both now and really for the next five or six years. Our goal is to continue to add primary players and build a base that has a chance to be competitive and win a title down the road. … So those assets allow you different pathways to accomplish that; whether you're selecting or you're moving those picks on for other players."