Utah Jazz Rumors: After acquiring a veteran point guard in George Hill, the Jazz are looking for veterans at small forward in Solomon Hill and Luol Deng.
Utah Jazz rumors were rampant leading up to the 2016 NBA Draft, as the Jazz took part in a three-team trade and were rumored to be in other talks that eventually fell through.
With the draft now behind them, the Jazz will be looking to augment their talented young roster with some veteran players to help push them to the next level.
The Jazz began that process when they acquired George Hill from the Indiana Pacers in the three-team deal. He gives the Jazz a steady veteran at point guard, where they struggled at times last season.
Hill became the oldest player on the Jazz team with the trade, and they will be looking to add more veterans to the mix in the coming weeks.
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The next position they are going to target looks to be small forward. After acquiring the 30-year old Hill, the Jazz look like they have their targets on 25-year old Solomon Hill of the Pacers and 31-year old Luol Deng of the Miami Heat.
Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune was the first to report about the interest in Hill from the Jazz. Hill is an unrestricted free agent because the Pacers did not pick up his player option last season. Here is what Jones had to say:
"The Utah Jazz have expressed interest in acquiring Indiana forward Solomon Hill once the free agency period opens on Friday at midnight, The Salt Lake Tribune has learned….Hill distinguished himself this season as a versatile talent, capable of being a go-to perimeter defender, and an offensive threat. He established himself as a key member of Indiana’s rotation off the bench, and played arguably the best basketball of his career in the postseason."
While Hill’s regular season stats took a step back last season compared to 2014-15, he performed well in the postseason. He averaged 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists in the postseason, playing 28.3 minutes per game.
He shot the ball efficiently, making 45.2 percent overall and 57.9 percent from the three-point line.
He would fit in well with the Jazz second unit, as Gordon Hayward is entrenched as the starting small forward.
He and Trey Lyles would combined to make a solid second-unit forward combination that is versatile on both ends of the court with the ability to defend multiple positions and stretch the floor.
Andy Larsen of KSL.com reported that Deng is another free agent to keep an eye on for Jazz fans. He said via his Twitter account that the Jazz are interested in him once free agency begins.
Another player I've heard from sources about the Jazz being interested in come free agency: Luol Deng.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) June 28, 2016
Deng would be an intriguing addition to the Jazz, as he would bring a ton of veteran leadership and experience. Deng had a resurgence with the Miami Heat this past season, coming up huge when Chris Bosh was forced out of the lineup because of another blood clot scare.
Deng picked things up after the All-Star break, once he was moved to power forward, averaging 15.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. The Heat were plus-7.1 with Deng on the court post All-Star break, as the Heat thrived with him at power forward.
That would make him an excellent addition to the Jazz bench backing up Hayward and Derrick Favors, but the question remains; would Deng want to come off the bench for the Jazz? The Jazz, while improving, are still a ways away from being contenders in the Western Conference.
While it is not a rebuild, it is fair to ask if a veteran such as Deng would want to be a part of that situation. There will be a number of teams lining up for Deng after he showed he has something left in the tank and can play power forward more than adequately.
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Deng could probably find a starting job elsewhere, such as re-signing with the Heat. While the Jazz could use Deng’s experience, he is more likely to sign with a contender or somewhere that has a clearer path to a starting spot.