The Utah Jazz’s offseason has been quieter than the roster churn around them, but the moves they did make changed the shape of the team in a major way. A month into free agency, there’s a real chance this is close to the group Utah takes into October.
At the center of it all is Darryn Peterson, the No. 2 overall pick. With no second-round selection in this year’s draft, Utah’s lone draft addition was Peterson, and the Jazz are treating him like the kind of backcourt talent who can alter the direction of the franchise. He fits alongside Keyonte George as a player who can handle work on and off the ball, and the expectation is that he could grow into Utah’s top scorer in a few years.
The biggest swing the Jazz made came on the defensive end, where they moved on from Walker Kessler. Utah sent Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers and got unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, plus first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030.
It also meant the Jazz avoided the $130 million over four years the Lakers paid him. That’s a painful loss in the short term, but one Utah clearly viewed as a long-range win.
Replacing Kessler’s presence, at least in part, became the rest of the front office’s summer job. The Jazz brought back Jusuf Nurkic on a $22 million, two-year deal after trading for him earlier last offseason in the Collin Sexton deal. Nurkic gave Utah a surprising amount of value as a connector - a playmaking big who can screen and rebound - and while he was originally projected as more of a backup behind Kessler, he could end up opening the season as the starting center.
Utah also added Jaxson Hayes on a two-year, $12 million deal after news of Kessler’s departure broke. Hayes isn’t the kind of center you pencil in as a full-time starter, but he gives the Jazz another body in the frontcourt and can handle backup minutes. His game is built more around finishing than defense or rebounding, and last season with the Los Angeles Lakers he shot over 74% from the field.
On the wing, the Jazz used part of their mid-level exceptions to land Josh Okogie on a two-year, $12 million deal. That move fits the roster need almost perfectly.
Okogie brings length, experience, and defense, while also offering enough shooting to matter as a floor spacer. Utah should be able to lean on him as a steady rotational piece.
Another familiar face came back into the fold in Mo Bamba, who signed a two-year deal worth $7.2 million. Bamba had already spent time around the organization, first as part of Utah’s preseason roster before the 2025-26 season and later on a 10-day deal in the middle of the year.
His contract stands out because it’s non-guaranteed heading into the regular season. Utah owes him $500,000 if he’s on the opening night roster, and the deal becomes fully guaranteed if he’s still there on January 10th.
Not every name on the board has a clear answer yet. Kevin Love spent last season with the Jazz after arriving in a trade from the Miami Heat, and he made it clear he’d return for a second year if the team wanted him back.
Utah hasn’t given him that opportunity so far, though that could still change with Bamba on a non-guaranteed contract. There’s also a slim chance Love has played his final minutes in the NBA.
Two other players who spent time with the Jazz last season are also in limbo. Bez Mbeng joined the team on a pair of 10-day contracts late in the year before signing a two-year deal at the end of the season, then appeared for Utah in summer league.
The Jazz later declined his team option for the 2026-27 season. Hayden Gray, who played one game for Utah in the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Lakers, also had his team option declined after signing a two-year deal at season’s end.
The result is a roster that looks noticeably different from where it stood a few months ago, even if the Jazz kept most of the offseason relatively calm. Peterson is the headliner, Kessler is the major departure, and the rest of the moves were built around reshaping the frontcourt and tightening up the perimeter.
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