Utah Jazz offseason recap, early 2026-27 season previewNBA InsidersMultiple AuthorsAug 18, 2026, 07:00 AM ET
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The Utah Jazz finished last season with a 22-60 record, tied with the Sacramento Kings at the bottom of the West — and ahead of only three East teams for the league’s worst record — but began their offseason with the No. 2 pick in the draft. It is tied for the highest they have ever drafted, and they used the pick to select Kansas guard Darryn Peterson.
It didn’t take long for the Jazz to make another offseason splash, sending center Walker Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign-and-trade that netted the Jazz two unprotected first-round picks (2031, 2033) and two first-round swaps (2028, 2030). Utah’s busy offseason follows a busy trade deadline that saw the Jazz acquire forward Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies.
ESPN’s staff of experts is looking back at the offseason and taking an early look at the 2026-27 season for all 30 teams, with 30 pieces — one for every team — rolling out each weekday through Sept. 18. We’re answering the biggest looming questions, evaluating X factors and much more for all 30 teams.
Let’s dive into the Jazz, who are hoping their rebuilding days are behind them:
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Offseason at a glance
Key additions: G Darryn Peterson, C Jaxson Hayes, G Josh Okogie
Key retentions: C Jusuf Nurkic
Key subtractions: C Walker Kessler
The Jazz finally got some lottery luck, landing at No. 2 and taking Peterson, a gifted guard who has the potential to emerge as the face of the franchise. The hope was that Peterson would be the final major piece in Utah’s rebuild, but that plan featured Kessler as the team’s long-term starting center. Instead, the Jazz agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that sent Kessler to the Lakers in exchange for a pair of future first-round picks and two swaps. The return was widely considered to be great value for Utah, particularly after Kessler’s deal (four years, $130 million) pushed beyond the Jazz’s comfort zone, but there is now a glaring need in the starting lineup alongside Jackson and Lauri Markkanen in the frontcourt. — Tim MacMahon
Zach Kram’s offseason grade: A
Losing Kessler makes Utah a less compelling dark horse contender next season, and it will be interesting to see how much coach Will Hardy uses Jackson as a center in Kessler’s stead, because neither Nurkic nor free agent addition Hayes is a top-level starter.
But the Jazz made arguably the best trade of the summer when they landed two unprotected first-round picks and two swaps for a good but not star-level player in Kessler. It’s hard to fault them for taking another temporary step back when the Lakers were offering so much future value. — Kram
What we learned over the past few months
From Ben Golliver’s offseason lessons piece: Peterson isn’t ready to play point guard.
The Jazz should be thrilled with their offseason: They got a great return when trading Kessler in restricted free agency, re-signed stopgap center Nurkic, and drafted Peterson with the No. 2 pick. Utah is in position to start Keyonte George, Peterson, Markkanen, Jackson and Nurkic, which qualifies as a significant upgrade in talent and potential over what it was working with at the start of last season.
While George hasn’t yet received a rookie contract extension, the 22-year-old guard should fill a vital role next to Peterson. George has three years of NBA experience under his belt, and he averaged 23.6 points and 6.1 assists per game last season. His proven scoring and playmaking ability will aid Peterson’s acclimation.
Despite his self-professed goal of playing point guard, Peterson wasn’t ready to handle those responsibilities during summer league. Utah is better off keeping George heavily involved in its offensive initiation so it can encourage Peterson to focus on his own shot creation and off-the-dribble attacks. Once Peterson has some time to adjust to the speed and complexity of the NBA game, Hardy can put more on his plate. The Jazz ranked first in points per possession during the 2021-22 season, but they cratered into the bottom half of the league after trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Peterson could develop into a better scorer than Mitchell, but he’ll need to dramatically improve his assist-to-turnover ratio and decision-making to turn the Jazz’s offense into a juggernaut again. For now, George should keep his hands on the wheel. — Golliver
The big question: How do the Jazz fill their hole at center?
Utah will enter the season with the thunder-and-lightning tag-team tandem of Nurkic and free agent acquisition Hayes logging the vast majority of the minutes at center. The Jazz were happy to re-sign Nurkic to a two-year, $22 million deal after he averaged 10.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game last season, but they hoped to utilize him as a high-caliber backup.
Finding a long-term solution at center will be a priority for the front office, but it will probably require some patience. The Jazz will keep an eye on the trade market, and at some point, they’ll likely use some of the draft capital acquired in the Kessler sign-and-trade to target his replacement. — MacMahon
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NBA trade greades: Why the Jazz get an A+ in the Kessler deal
Basketball Power Index rank: No. 23
Here are the predicted Net Points per 100 possessions for the Jazz’s top seven players for the 2026-27 season:
The Jazz allowed the highest shot quality to opponents during the last three years, 55.7% (using QSP from Genius IQ). Now that they are presumably not tanking, that should get better. Motivation has been shown to matter in improving defense, but the Jazz now become an interesting example of how long it will take to overcome the bad habits that a lot of the team built while tanking. — Dean Oliver
Read about how Net Points works here.
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Post-free agency Power Rankings: Where do the Jazz land?
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Takeaways from Dybantsa and Peterson’s summer league matchup
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Darryn Peterson has the Jazz believing their rebuild is ending
Biggest X factor this season
G Ace Bailey
Bailey could get lost in the shuffle as Utah starts making a real effort to win games; he’s not yet a proven NBA contributor like Markkanen and George, but nor is he an exciting new addition like Jackson and No. 2 pick Peterson.
But Bailey is only a year removed from going fifth in the draft and turning in a solid, if understated, rookie season: 13.8 PPG on below-average but not disastrous efficiency. Bailey turned 20 years old just last week, and he still has tremendous potential. It will be vital for him to harness enough of it this season to stay on the floor for a better team and to continue receiving developmental opportunities after he played 27.6 minutes per game last season. — Kram
Fantasy insight from our expert
Pick to make ahead of the season: Isaiah Collier
Collier averaged 7.2 assists in just 25 MPG last season, the eighth-highest mark in the league, and produced 33.0 fantasy points per game after the All-Star break. Utah’s best pure playmaker should open as the backup point guard, giving him appeal in deeper leagues. His shooting remains the key because further improvement could make him a legit sixth man, while continued struggles could threaten his minutes. — Eric Moody
