Jul 14, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (8) drives the ball against San Antonio Spurs forward David Jones-Garcia (25) during the first half of a NBA basketball game at the Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

ESPN Dishes Blunt Review of Utah Jazz's Offseason

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 12:30 PM ET

It's been a busy offseason for the Utah Jazz in fixing up their roster ahead of next season.

On one hand, the Jazz made sure to send out a large chunk of their existing, veteran talent in the form of trading John Collins and Collin Sexton, along with the release of Jordan Clarskon, while on another, Utah also made sure to continue fortifying and building up their young core with a couple more key pieces for the future–– bringing in both Ace Bailey and Walter Clayton in last month's draft.

For the big picture of what the Jazz's long-term goals and vision are, it's an offseason that moves the needle forward in their rebuild by getting younger and adding more potential for the future. But, with all of those moves in the books and the madness of this NBA offseason dying down, where exactly does the national consensus stand on Utah's offseason of moves?

In the eyes of ESPN's Kevin Pelton, the verdict remains a bit underwhelming.

When stacking up the Jazz's offseason amongst the rest of the NBA, Utah found themselves graded at a C for their summer of moves–– largely due to the iffy returns they received in exchange for their three shipped out veterans.

"After hiring Austin Ainge as president of basketball operations, the Jazz firmly picked a direction," Pelton wrote. "Utah sent out veterans Clarkson, Collins and Sexton, meaning they'll no longer appear on lengthy injury reports to create playing time for Utah's young talent. The Jazz likely waited too long to move on from Clarkson and Sexton, forcing Utah to give up a second-round pick in the process. Still ahead: a key decision on center Walker Kessler, who's eligible for a rookie extension through October."

The Jazz did ensure to open the door for their young talent this upcoming season by making some tough calls on their veteran players, but in doing so, many question whether Utah ended up getting a worthwhile return for their outgoing tenured guys–– as the best return of their three departures ended up being a $25 million trade exception as a result of the three-team deal involving Collins.

For an offseason where the Jazz made a clear statement to define their direction next season, it's a major plus, but had they made those calls a year ago, Utah's front office may have found a better return for Sexton and Collins that makes this summer a bit more optically appealing.

Instead, the Jazz did what was necessary, having a refreshed lineup heading into the 2025-26 campaign, one with a clear central focus on the development of young talent.

The next big assignment is for the Jazz to hash out their next contract for their defensive anchor Walker Kessler, but time will tell when Utah is able to put pen to paper there.