3 Key Moves Utah Jazz Still Need to Make This Offseason

The first and likely most immediate order of business for the Jazz before getting into next season will be slimming this roster down to one less player. Right now, Utah sits at 19 total players on the roster, 16 of those being traditional contracts, so one name will have to be forced out of the mix before October's tip-off.

The obvious candidate to look towards on the roster is Kevin Love. The veteran big man was brought to Utah this summer as a result of the three-team deal shipping John Collins out, and now resides on a rebuilding team in the Jazz where all signs point to a buyout transpiring in the near future.

It's likely not a matter of if Love will get bought out from the Jazz, but when. Love has previously been linked to fits like the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, but each also has their respective roster hangups that make his signing a bit less seamless. Regardless, the expectation remains that Love won't be sitting on the sidelines in the Jazz come October's tip-off.

2. Extend Walker Kessler

Now comes the most important task on the agenda for the Jazz this summer, as we still have no word on Kessler's rookie extension coming to form before what will be his fourth season in Utah, and the last on his rookie contract.

A small window does remain open for the Jazz to send out Kessler in a trade in exchange for other assets in the event they didn't want to foot the bill on a multi-year extension, but based on his timeline fit, recent production, Utah's lingering hole on the defensive end, it's a deal that makes sense for both Kessler and the Jazz to get right for the long haul.

Even if they did want to trade Kessler, it's hard to see any team on the trade market willing to offer the steep package the Jazz would covet for their young defensive anchor.

The last day for Kessler and the Jazz to agree on a new deal comes right ahead of the regular season tip-off on October 20th, providing more than enough time for the two sides to hash something out. In the meantime, though, it's certainly a situation worth keeping tabs on.

3. Decide on KJ Martin's Future

A smaller bullet point on the Jazz's to-do list compared to the latter two, but February's trade acquisition of KJ Martin still sits on a non-guaranteed contract for the 2025-26 season worth just over $8 million, meaning the Jazz have a lot more flexibility with what to do with his deal compared to a traditional contract.

There are a few directions the Jazz could go with Martin. Utah could release him to save $8 million without any dead money on the books. They could decide to keep him on board as a piece in the frontcourt (who was solid in his 19 games last season), or even decide to capitalize on his value in a trade if another team were interested.

If I had to predict the outcome for Martin's season with the Jazz, I think he'll inevitably make the roster on his traditional contract for Utah to see what they have in the 24-year-old forward. Maybe he's a trade candidate leading up to the deadline, but unless another move were to pair with his release, Martin should be on Utah's opening day roster.

The Jazz have until January 10th, 2026, before Martin's contract becomes fully guaranteed, so they'll have lots of time to make a final decision, but if the front office didn't have any long-term plans with him on this roster, perhaps they will decide to be more proactive.

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