SALT LAKE CITY — Even though only three teams are still standing in the playoffs, it is quite possibly the busiest time of the year for NBA front offices.
Utah Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge joined the KSL Sports Zone on Tuesday to give a sneak peek into the workings of the team as the draft and free agency period approach.
Understandably, with the draft at the forefront of Utah’s offseason and much of the NBA discourse, Ainge started there.
He started by explaining that, at this point in the process, there is still a lot of information that can be gained, so teams typically don’t have their mind entirely made up. Ainge then pulled back the curtain a bit on the pre-draft process and what the Jazz are currently honing in on.
Pre-draft evaluation process
This time of year, what we do is pore over the medical stuff. That’s a huge thing that we have not had access to in the past. We make sure that we get experts to look at any issues that arise. These guys all got tested in various ways at the combine. We’ll be getting some of those reports this week. We will get a chance to meet with these guys again, talk with them, and try to get to know them better as people. And then we continue to watch film. We’ll go back and watch all the way back to their high school seasons. With a narrowed focus now on a range, we’ll go extra deep and make sure we’ve got the full scope and all the information fresh in our minds to do the best we can.
Holding the No. 2 pick in the draft makes that process at least a little bit easier.
The 2025 draft is the perfect opposite example. The Jazz held the fifth and 21st overall picks, which meant they likely at least considered most of the prospects who ended up being drafted in the first round.
With just one top-two pick to worry about, Utah’s process likely started with only three to five names.
Ainge then went a layer deeper and explained how the workouts for these top prospects tend to go.
Draft prospect workout details
The guys that we communicate with that we’re serious about will come in, but it’s not a huge list. The guys in this range of the draft, they come in and typically do an interview and a little shooting workout. Not live against other people. There’s a limited amount of information you can get from that. We try not to overrate it or underrate it. I would say the most important thing is to get them to spend time with coach and us and have dinner and breakfast. Just really get to know them as people. None of these players are ready-made right now. They all need to progress. Who they are determines that as much as their talent.
As I’ve previously stated, draft prospects will start coming to Utah for workouts this week.
Another thing happening this week: teams will begin receiving reports from medicals done at the NBA Draft Combine.
— Chandler Holt (@CHoltSports) May 26, 2026
Post-draft free agency plans
After the pick is made on June 23, there will be no break in action for the Jazz brass. The focus will quickly shift to free agency and any potential trades.
Free agency opens when the NBA league calendar resets, exactly one week after the conclusion of the draft.
Ainge said that the Jazz will be “appropriately aggressive” in making moves and addressing any potential weaknesses of the roster.
It’s hard to anticipate, but we’ll try to be appropriately aggressive in adding and making our team better. We have some free agents of our own. We could go a few different directions to address some of the weaknesses, and some of that will be determined by which position we draft. Most of our roster is built by the end of June and the beginning of July. It’s a busy and important time. We’ve got a lot of work to do. The teams in the West are really good. We’re very aware that we’ve got to take a big jump in a lot of different ways. But, we’re pretty excited about the group, the talent level, and the progress we’re seeing from our players.
The focus for the Utah Jazz right now is the NBA Draft.
Almost immediately after the pick is made, the focus shifts to other routes of team building.
Austin Ainge said that Utah will be “appropriately aggressive” in free agency and in the trade market this offseason. He also…
— Chandler Holt (@CHoltSports) May 26, 2026
Prioritizing defensive improvements
Ainge highlighted defense as one of the biggest areas of improvement for Utah moving forward.
The Jazz have been a bottom-two defensive team in the NBA for three straight seasons. The blockbuster trade to bring in Jaren Jackson Jr. at last year’s trade deadline was the first domino to fall, but more work will be done to address that end of the floor.
Ainge said that they are looking for defensive improvements to come both from inside and outside of the building this offseason.
We sure hope that we can make a big jump there. That was definitely a big consideration when bringing in Jaren (Jackson Jr.), who is a former Defensive Player of the Year and a guy who can cover up a lot of weaknesses of other players and can play multiple positions. But, we also know that one player can’t do it all. We need improvement throughout the roster. Defense is also something we’re considering strongly in the draft and in free agency. I think there are a lot of ways we need to address it. Internal improvement, external improvement, and more size and talent on the floor. It will be a big emphasis all summer.
The Jazz are hopeful that all of this work will quickly pay dividends as the team aims to make the postseason for the first time since the 2021-2022 season.
With the No. 2 pick, free agency, and possible trades all ahead, the next few weeks could go a long way in determining how realistic that jump will be.
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Chandler Holt is a Utah Jazz insider for KSLSports.com and co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast. Follow Chandler on X for Jazz and NBA updates.
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