The Utah Jazz head toward the 2026-27 season with a full 15-man roster and, on paper, a pretty clean financial picture.
That’s the big picture here: Utah doesn’t have a nightmare contract clogging the books for years. The Jazz have a few pricey deals, sure, but not the kind that wreck flexibility.
Only four players are signed beyond the next two seasons, and only four are making more than $10 million this season. So the conversation isn’t about escaping a bad situation.
It’s about sorting out which deals actually help the most.
At the bottom of the pile is John Konchar, whose $6.1 million expiring deal lands him as the seventh-highest-paid player on the roster even though he may not see the floor on opening night. That makes him more of a negative asset than a useful one, even with the appeal of an expiring contract.
Cody Williams comes next at $13.6 million over 1+1 years. There’s still a path where he becomes a steady rotation player, but if the season goes sideways, Utah can decline his $7.6 million option next summer. That possibility drags the value down.
Jaxson Hayes checks in at No. 13 on this list with a $12 million 1+1 deal. The Jazz needed a center after sending Walker Kessler to the LA Lakers just hours earlier, so the move made sense. Even so, Hayes remains an underwhelming rebounder and defender, and he may not even hold a rotation spot by the end of the year.
Jaren Jackson Jr.’s $205 million deal over 3+1 years is where the rankings get more complicated. He’s a two-time All-Star and former DPOY, and Utah clearly targeted him for a reason.
He’s a valuable defender and a major addition. But he’s also making more than $50 million a season, which puts him among the league’s highest-paid players.
That kind of price tag naturally invites questions.
Lauri Markkanen lands just behind him at No. 11 on a $149.4 million three-year contract. Like Jackson, the number is huge.
He ranks 26th in the NBA by cap hit this season. But Markkanen has also been Utah’s best player and leading scorer for the last four years, and if the Jazz start winning more, the deal may look better than it does now.
Jusuf Nurkic’s $22 million over two years is a much cleaner fit. He gave the Jazz solid minutes as a fill-in starter last season, there was mutual interest in a new deal, and now Utah gets a veteran center at a fair number.
Josh Okogie’s $12 million 1+1 contract is in the same neighborhood as Hayes’ deal, but it grades out far better. He fills a real need on the wing, brings perimeter defense, and looks far more playable. The fact that he shot over 38% from three last season only adds to the appeal.
Mo Bamba comes in at No. 8 on a $7.2 million 1+1 deal, and the flexibility is the selling point. Year two is a team option, and the deal is non-guaranteed. If Utah needs the roster spot, cutting him before opening night would only leave $200K on the books.
Svi Mykhailiuk’s $7.8 million 1+1 contract is another nice piece of business. He’s a veteran wing Utah clearly likes having around, and he’s been the kind of plug-and-play option teams value. Before the All-Star break last season, he played in 45 games and started all but four of them.
Brice Sensabaugh is a bargain at $4.8 million for next season. After his best career year, when he averaged nearly 15 points per game, that number jumps off the page. The catch is that he’s headed for restricted free agency next summer, so this kind of value probably won’t last.
Kyle Filipowski’s $6 million 1+1 deal is another strong one for the Jazz. Utah got a first-round-caliber player at No. 32 in the 2024 draft, then signed him to a rookie contract that looks a lot like what a first-round pick would get. He’ll make $3 million this season with a $3 million team option for next year.
Isaiah Collier’s $7.7 million 1+1 deal also looks excellent. Drafted three spots before Filipowski in 2024, Collier is making less than $3 million this season and has grown into a quality playmaking guard who can handle 25 minutes a night off the bench. That’s real value.
Keyonte George sits at No. 3 with a $6.5 million contract that looks like a steal for what he brings. He was in Most Improved Player conversations in the middle of last season, and even though he’s in a contract year, this one is still a huge win for Utah.
Darryn Peterson’s $58.6 million deal over 2+2 years is a great one for the Jazz, especially because the No. 2 pick is locked in for four years and won’t crack $20 million annually until 2030. The only reason he doesn’t take the top spot is the way the contract can climb late, including an $18.3 million team option in 2029.
At No. 1, though, it’s Ace Bailey. His $32.1 million 1+2 contract gives Utah a top-five pick and a centerpiece at rookie-scale money.
What pushes it ahead of Peterson’s deal is the price: Bailey’s contract is nearly half as expensive, and he’ll still be making just over $12 million in the final option year in 2028. For the Jazz, that’s the cleanest value on the board.
In Other News...
Jazz Just Sent A Clear Rotation Message For This Season
The Jazz made a straightforward rotation move by sending Cody Williams and John Konchar to Minnesota in exchange for Josh Green, a deal with no cash considerations or draft picks attached. For Utah, the swap reads less like a future-facing asset play and more like a roster fit decision, bringing in a wing who can be part of the nightly mix right away.
Green arrives on an expiring contract, which gives the Jazz some flexibility while also raising the stakes on what he can provide this season. Even without a longer-term commitment, the move sends a clear message about where Utah sees its current priorities, and it suggests the coaching staff has a specific role in mind for him once the rotation settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Just Opened The Door To A Bigger Roster Move
The Timberwolves have already used their latest move to reshape the back end of the roster, sending Josh Green and cash considerations to Utah in a deal that brought back Cody Williams and John Konchar. Minnesotas intent is clear: keep Williams, move on from Konchar and use the transaction to create a little more breathing room on the salary cap while also adjusting the mix of bodies on the roster.
For the Jazz, the trade is another reminder that these smaller, cap-driven deals can ripple beyond the immediate swap of players. Utah took on Green and cash as Minnesota sharpened its books, and the structure of the deal points to the kind of flexibility teams keep chasing when they think bigger moves might still be ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Jusuf Nurkic Is Suddenly Central To Utahs Biggest Rotation Question
Jusuf Nurkic spent the summer reminding people why he still matters, steering Bosnia-Herzegovina to a victory over Italy in FIBA World Cup qualifying with the kind of all-around performance that has long made him a useful piece at the NBA level. For the Jazz, that matters because the front office is counting on him to bring passing, rebounding and steady veteran presence into a rotation that still needs structure inside.
Even so, Utah is not treating Nurkic as the long-term answer at center, which leaves his role feeling important but temporary. The Jazz also have other scoring options on the roster, a detail that could keep defenses from loading up on him and help him fit into the offense more naturally, but it also leaves open the bigger question of how the team wants to use him once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]