3 biggest needs the Utah Jazz must address in the 2021 NBA off-season

The Utah Jazz's season ended in an ugly manner. After holding the best record in the league for the longest time and the 1st seed in the Western Conference, Donovan Mitchell and co. were eliminated by the Kawhi Leonard-less LA Clippers in the second round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. The Jazz held the three best winning streaks in the league in the regular season and were the first team to cross the 50-win mark in a shortened 72-game schedule.

What is the #Jazz top off season priority? @ESPN700 #TakeNote
— Bill Riley (@espn700bill) June 22, 2021

Rudy Gobert was a major storyline in the series as he was rendered useless after Clippers' Tyronn Lue implemented a small-ball lineup. It got fans thinking the Jazz needed better perimeter defense when, in fact, they weren't particularly bad in that department.

The front office now enters the offseason with a handful of goals. They need to prepare for another title run next season while maintaining their players and assets. Here, we take a look at three needs the Utah Jazz must address in the 2021 NBA offseason.

#1 Utah Jazz must figure out Mike Conley's future

Mike Conley earns a salary of $34.5 million and then enters free agency. He has no player or team options, and now the Utah Jazz have to figure out his future with the team. Conley will turn 34 next season but many agree he can still play at a high level. He earned his first-ever All-Star selection in the 2020-21 season and was above his career averages in most statistical categories. It does look like the Utah Jazz are interested in re-signing him.

Mike Conley is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and he is expected to receive interest from other teams besides the #Jazz. Could one of these teams steal him from Utah? #NBA #NBATwitter

Via: @BrettSiegelNBA @HoopAnalysisNet https://t.co/mKkscHk3mo
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) June 23, 2021

If Conley returns on an $18 million deal, Utah Jazz would be paying a tax penalty worth $40+ million. The rest of the contracts would then be on minimums and it would freeze the team from acquiring any more players if they wanted.

The 33-year-old averaged 16.2 points, 6.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game this season, and 15.3 points and 7.7 assists in six games in the 2021 NBA playoffs. Conley is expected to draw interest from other teams and if the Jazz do not re-sign him, they must figure out who to acquire as a replacement.