A first-round playoff exit in five games to the Houston Rockets was the perfect reminder: while the Jazz have undoubtedly a better situation than most NBA teams — a 50-win season, young stars under contract for multiple seasons — there’s still a long way to go before the Jazz are truly elite.
With that desire to improve comes the responsibility of making difficult decisions about the team’s future. Ricky Rubio, Thabo Sefolosha, and Ekpe Udoh are free agents this summer, while Derrick Favors, Kyle Korver, Georges Niang, Raul Neto, and Royce O’Neale have either partial or non-guaranteed contracts for next season.