The end of the NBA season for a non-playoff team can be a slog, but for the Jazz prospects, there has never been a more important stretch of basketball. Every non-starter, and even Ace Bailey himself, needs to prove immediately that they can contribute to winning basketball next season. Otherwise, they will be nailed to the bench without minutes to show for their next contract, or worse, they will get shipped out this offseason to another losing outfit willing to kick the tires instead of seeing meaningful playoff basketball.

Mark Russell Pereira (@markrussellpereira.bsky.social) dives into this critical juncture for the Jazz, before concluding with some final thoughts and loose ends on the tanking debacle and the NBA's plan going forward.

After decades of hundreds and hundreds of NBA teams constantly pumping the brakes and tanking to improve their draft position, the NBA decided to draw a completely arbitrary line in the sand.

After the media suddenly, randomly, and arbitrarily expressed anger and horror over the Jazz rightfully treating last weekend's games like extended exhibition and training to prepare for the future--something many teams have done before--the NBA decided it couldn't let the fury continue and levied its biggest fine ever for conduct detrimental to the league.

Mark Russell Pereira (@markrussell.pereira.bsky.social) tackles this issue, noting that the actual punishment was issued after recording the meat of the show. On either end of that discussion, we discuss Jaren Jackson Jr.'s necessary surgery to remove a benign mass in his knee, and some clever ideas to alleviate tanking issues while explaining why the NBA is so problematic with this issue to begin with.

Sound off in the comments.

We can't stop thinking about how amazing it is to have Jaren Jackson Jr. in the fold in Salt Lake City!

Mark Russell Pereira (@markrussellpereira.bsky.social) formally sends off this horrible era of Jazz basketball and looks forward to how this team will compete for championships in the near and short term with Jaren Jackson Jr. manning the 4 spot for years to come.

Out of seemingly nowhere, the Utah Jazz officially shifted into top gear with a MEGA trade to immediately become a playoff team next year by trading for Jaren Jackson Jr.!

Utah gives up three firsts, Walt Clayton, and Taylor Hendricks. What does this trade mean for Utah's roster? How does JJJ fit with Markkanen and Kessler? There are so many angles to break down, and Dan Clayton (@danclayt0n & @danclayt0n.bsky.social) & Mark Pereira (@markrussellpereira.bsky.social) are here to cover it all.

Subscribe to Salt City Hoops on your podcast feed or on YouTube to get all of the best NBA and Jazz updates!

Welcome back to another Salt City Hoops episode where the Trade Deadline draws ever nearer! Join Mark Russell Pereira (@markrussellpereira.bsky.social) as he wraps up the Jusuf Nurkic triple double mania discussion before taking a closer look into Cody Williams' pretty solid January. Is Mark ready to eat crow on Cody Williams?

Finally, we can't help ourselves to one last helping of pre-Trade Deadline ideas and banter, including a LIVE reaction to a trade that broke!

The 2026 NBA Trade Deadline draws ever nearer, so the ideas for the Jazz get wilder! Join Mark Russell Pereira (@markrussellpereira.bsky.social) as he explores trade ideas for Zion Williamson, Lu Dort, and Anthony Davis.

Plus! JUSUF NURKIC MANIA! Jusuf Nurkic has recorded two straight triple-doubles in great Jazz games, and that's worth celebrating and analyzing how he's doing it.

The 2026 NBA Trade Deadline approaches and the Utah Jazz, once again, are poised to be active and ready to deal!

The Clayton team of Dan (@danclayt0n) and Ken (@k_clayt) join Mark (@markrussellpereira.bsky.social) to set the table for the moves and strategies the Jazz will be looking to make (or not make!).

Sound off in the comments or on social media who you would like to see the Jazz make a move for!

#nba #basketball #tradedeadline #utahjazz

Trade season is suddenly upon us in 2026! Mark Pereira (@markrussellpereira.bsky.social) from Salt City Hoops breaks down the overall deal before getting into why the Jazz should be paying attention to it for future roster management purposes.

Then, some rotation decisions over the past two weeks has Mark questioning some things while also pointing out some interesting developments.#nba #basketball #utahjazz

Happy New Year to Jazzland!

Every player is always trying to improve, but what specific resolutions should they make?

Mark Russell Pereira (@markrussellpereira.bsky.social) lists a key resolution for every one of Utah's 15 main roster players, diving into specific elements of their games or contract situations to make these resolutions the key to bring their game to the next level.

Merry Christmas to Jazz fans everywhere! Mark (@markrussellpereira.bsky.social) catches us up on what he noticed from behind the Jazz bench in Denver, and highlights how Utah has been fortunate to have different co-stars alongside Keyonte George when Lauri Markkanen is resting.

Like and subscribe to help us grow!

#nba #basketball #utahjazz