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But for the Jazz, what he provides on the court and for the team was reason enough to want him back for the long haul. That's a bonus of getting a multi-year commitment from Conley. "So I'm sure it gave him some comfort level here." "He was able to have somebody that he knows and trusts to tell him about what the state of Utah is like, the Utah Jazz and what coaches are like and what we're all about," Zanik said. And that relationship sure didn't hurt Utah's chances of landing Gay, who was sought after by a number of contenders. His friendship and established chemistry with Conley shouldn't hurt either.
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"I think he offers things - leadership toughness, size at the four. "He's seen different programs and how they work, and he's continued to evolve his game and into how he fits," Zanik said. Gay was an obvious target for the team's taxpayer mid-level exception due to his ability to guard multiple positions, adapt to new schemes quickly and his multi-level scoring ability. On paper, the Jazz look to have done that. That was the challenge for Zanik and the Jazz front office this offseason: take an already good team and improve it. "Are we better? I think that we're giving ourselves a chance to be better, and we were already very good to excellent." "We had a plan that we set out to try to accomplish and I think we've done that," Zanik said. With that, the Jazz checked all the boxes. Conley signed his three-year deal to return to the team, Rudy Gay signed on for two years and Hassan Whiteside signed for the minimum to come to Utah. On Friday, as Utah's offseason moves became official (well, most of them - the trade to get Eric Paschall from Golden State is still pending). Get a cheaper but still reliable option to backup Rudy Gobert - check.Bring in forwards that have some switchability and versatility - check.They started making an offseason shopping list to hopefully address those issues. It was clear the team wasn't versatile enough and couldn't adapt when it had to they were far from matchup proof. But Zanik's mind was still fresh enough to declare: "We have a plan."Īfter the sobering loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the playoffs, the Jazz, as a group, had taken a step back and determined what they needed. Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik had already finished six Red Bulls to keep his mind clear as the adrenaline of grabbing Jared Butler - a borderline lottery talent that dropped due to health concerns - at No. SALT LAKE CITY - The clock ticked past midnight on draft night.