In the NBA, salary cap space is hard to come by. In fact, right now, there are only three NBA teams that have remaining cap space. The Utah Jazz are far ahead of the pack, with $32.5 million to spend. The other two teams are well behind, with the Detroit Pistons possessing $11.4M and the San Antonio Spurs boasting just over $600K.
Of course, these teams don’t have to spend their cap space; they can always roll it over into the next season and make a bigger splash when more players are available. Yet, there may be a reason why the Jazz still have so much money to spend.
Their franchise cornerstone, Lauri Markkanen, is entering the final year of his contract. He’ll be eligible to sign an extension on August 6. With rumors swirling, the Jazz will want to get that extension done exactly on Aug. 6. Otherwise he won’t be eligible to be traded ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
According to ESPN, some are wondering if the Jazz will use a good portion of their cap space to sign Markkanen. If not, they could become one of the NBA’s most popular trade partners.
“All eyes are on Utah through Aug. 6, the first day the Jazz can renegotiate Lauri Markkanen’s contract in conjunction with a long-term extension. It is also the last day Utah can make that move and have Markkanen be trade eligible at the deadline. As a result, consider that date the deadline for a decision on a possible Markkanen trade. If the Jazz don’t use the bulk of their $35 million in cap space on renegotiating Markkanen’s contract, they suddenly become the prime destination for teams looking to shed salary, which could net Utah even more draft picks.” Kevin Pelton
Teams often look to shed bad contracts, but on many occasions, they have to attach a draft pick or two just to get another organization to take on additional salary. This could lead to a favorable situation for Utah, putting them in position to add to their collection of future draft picks all thanks to having more cap space than other teams.
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