UTA Jazz

On June 7, 1974, the New Orleans Jazz were admitted as an expansion franchise into the National Basketball Association (NBA). The first owner of the team was an ownership group led by Sam Battistone. Team officials selected the name because of its definition in the dictionary: collective improvisation. The team began its inaugural season in New Orleans in the 1974–75 season. The team's first major move was to trade for star player Pete Maravich (who had played college basketball at LSU) from the Atlanta Hawks for two first-round draft picks, three second-round picks, and one third-round pick over the next three years.

Venue issues were a continual problem for the team while it was based in New Orleans. In the Jazz's first season, they played in the Municipal Auditorium and Loyola Field House, where the basketball court was raised so high that the NBA Players Association made the team put a net around the court to prevent players from falling off of the court and into the stands. Later, the Jazz played games in the cavernous Louisiana Superdome, but things were no better, because of high demand for the stadium, onerous lease terms, New Orleans' 11 percent amusement tax (highest in the nation), and Maravich's constant knee problems. They also faced the prospect of spending a whole month on the road each year because of New Orleans' Mardi Gras festivities, similar to the long road trip faced by the San Antonio Spurs each season during their city's rodeo.

Deciding the Jazz were no longer viable in New Orleans, Battistone decided to move elsewhere. After scouting several new homes, he decided on Salt Lake City, even though it was a smaller market. Salt Lake City had previously been home to the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1970 to 1976. The Stars had been extremely popular in the city and had even won an ABA title in their first season after moving from Los Angeles. However, their financial situation deteriorated in their last two seasons, and they were shut down by the league 16 games into the 1975–76 season in December 1975 after missing payroll. Although Salt Lake City was not known for its jazz culture, the team decided to keep the name, as there was not enough time before the start of the 1979–80 season to receive league approval for a name change.

The Jazz's attendance declined slightly after the team's move from New Orleans to Utah, partly because of a late approval for the move (June 1979) and also poor marketing in the Salt Lake City area.

Tom Nissalke departed as coach after the Jazz started the 1981–82 season 8–12, and general manager Frank Layden replaced him.

In 1983, team was losing money, and management was crafting stunts, such as playing games at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, to help the team become more profitable. The team was rumored to be moving as a result of Battistone's cash shortage as well as the fact they were playing in the league's smallest market. However, fortunes on the court improved, with a healthy Dantley, Jeff Wilkins, and rookie Bailey at the forward positions, Eaton and Rich Kelley jointly manning the post, Green and Griffith at the guards, and Drew adding 17 points per game off the bench. They went 45–37 and won the Midwest Division, the first winning season and division championship in team history.

Jazz fans were not happy when the team picked an unknown guard in the first round of the 1984 NBA draft, John Stockton. The Jazz fans on hand for the draft party booed the selection.

The 1984–85 season saw the emergence of Mark Eaton as a defensive force. Eaton averaged 5.6 blocks per game (still an NBA single-season record) along with 9.7 points and 11.3 rebounds, and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. On the downside, John Drew played only 19 games all season, which deprived the team of their high-scoring sixth man. However, the Jazz returned to the playoffs, facing the Houston Rockets and their All-Star centers, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. The Jazz prevailed in the series, 3–2, and advanced to the second round, losing the series to the high-scoring Denver Nuggets, 4–1.

The team's perennial financial woes and instability were somewhat stabilized during April 1985, when auto dealer Larry H. Miller bought 50 percent of the team from Battistone for $8 million. Battistone had been seeking to move the team.

In the 1985 NBA draft, the team added Louisiana Tech forward Karl Malone, who made an immediate impact in the 1985–86 season, averaging 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. However, starter Darrell Griffith missed the season with a stress fracture, and the Jazz hovered around .500 most of the year. Adrian Dantley missed the postseason, and the Jazz lost in the first round to the Dallas Mavericks, 3–1.

During the 1986 off-season, Battistone was approached to sell the team to Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner, who would have moved the team to Minneapolis. Larry Miller did not want to sell the team, but because of contractual language in his agreement with Battistone, could have been bought out by the new owners if he had refused to sell. Offers went as high as $28 million (the Jazz were valued at $16 million less than a year earlier when Miller purchased half for $8 million) before Miller stepped in at the last minute, purchasing Battistone's remaining 50 percent for $14 million and keeping the team in Utah. Wolfenson and Ratner later became the founders of the Minnesota Timberwolves expansion franchise which, coincidentally, was almost sold and moved to New Orleans in 1994.

In 1986, Adrian Dantley, the team's star player who had carried them through the early years in Utah, was traded to Detroit for Kelly Tripucka, who ended up splitting time with Thurl Bailey. Darrell Griffith, back from injuries that caused him to miss the 1985–86 season, lost his starter spot at guard to Bob Hansen. Stockton warranted more time at the point guard position. Despite all these changes, the team finished 44–38 before losing to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.

For the 1987–88 season, Stockton took over for Rickey Green as the starting point guard, and Malone established himself as one of the better power forwards in the league. The team finished 47–35 and defeated Portland, 3–1, in the first round, earning a second-round matchup with the reigning NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. After Los Angeles took Game 1 at home, the Jazz won Game 2 in Los Angeles, 101–97, and took the lead in the series 2–1 with a Game 3 win in Salt Lake City. The Jazz lost Games 4 and 5, but won Game 6, 108–80, tying the series 3–3. In the decisive Game 7, the Lakers won 109–98.

During the 1988–89 season, Frank Layden stepped down as head coach of the Jazz after the first 17 games, and was replaced by Jerry Sloan. The Jazz won 51 games and the Midwest Division championship as they grew better overall. Malone and Stockton, as well as Mark Eaton, were the leaders of the team and also All-Star selections. Eaton won Defensive Player of the Year for the second time, and it appeared the Jazz were ready to take the next step toward contending for an NBA title, after having pushed the Lakers to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals the previous season. However, the second-seeded Jazz were eliminated in the first round in three games by the seventh-seeded Golden State Warriors.

The following year, 1989–90, the Jazz made some changes. Thurl Bailey, who was relied on for 19 points per game the previous season, saw his playing time reduced in favor of rookie Blue Edwards, who played a prominent role with the team. The result was the best win–loss mark in team history, as the Jazz finished 55–27, second in the division to the San Antonio Spurs (56–26). Malone had his best season statistically, averaging 31.0 points and 11.1 rebounds. Stockton averaged 17.2 points and 14.5 assists per game, both career highs, with the assist total and average leading the NBA that season. In the playoffs, the Jazz played the Phoenix Suns in the first round, led by All-Stars Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson. The Suns defeated the Jazz 3 games to 2. Again, the Jazz were left with questions as to how they could do so well in the regular season but fail to advance in the playoffs.

For the 1990–91 season, the Jazz made another move to improve the team by executing a three-way trade that brought shooting guard Jeff Malone to Utah from the Washington Bullets, while Eric Leckner and Bob Hansen were sent from Utah to the Sacramento Kings and Pervis Ellison going from Sacramento to Washington.

The Jazz began the season 22–15 before going 27–8 in January and February, with new addition Jeff Malone averaging 18.6 points, giving them three strong scoring options (Karl Malone, Jeff Malone, and John Stockton – 64.8 of the team's 104 points per game). The Jazz finished 54–28, second in the division to San Antonio by a game, similar to their division finish the prior year. In the playoffs, they met the Phoenix Suns for the second year in a row. In Game 1 Utah won 129–90, which set the tone for the series, as Utah eliminated the Suns 3–1, earning a second-round matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, the defending Western Conference champions. The Jazz played well, keeping close in most of the games, but lost the series 4–1 to a deeper and more experienced Trail Blazers team.

The 1991–92 season proved to be the most successful in team history to that time. The Jazz moved to the Delta Center, a state-of-the-art arena that featured a seating capacity of 19,911. The new venue was a considerable improvement over the Salt Palace, which seated just over 12,000 and lacked luxury suites and retail space. Early in the year, a trade brought Tyrone Corbin, a tough defensive forward, from Minnesota in exchange for fan-favorite Thurl Bailey.

The Jazz went 55–27 and won the Midwest Division championship for the first time since 1989. In the playoffs, the Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 3–2 in the first round, then beat the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round, 4–1, to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time, where they again faced and lost to Portland, this time 4–2.

The 1992–93 season was a letdown, as the team slumped to 47–35 and third place in the division. The center position, manned by defensive workhorse Mark Eaton for most of the past decade, became suspect as Eaton struggled with injuries and age. The bright spot for the season was the hosting of the NBA All-Star Game and the surrounding events of All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. In the playoffs, the Jazz lost to Seattle in the first round, 3–2. During the postseason, the team addressed its struggles at the center position by acquiring Felton Spencer from Minnesota in return for backup center Mike Brown.

During the 1993–94 season, the Jazz traded Jeff Malone to the Philadelphia 76ers for shooting guard Jeff Hornacek. Hornacek meshed well with Stockton, and the Jazz improved to 53–29. In the playoffs, they faced San Antonio in the first round, shutting down NBA scoring leader David Robinson throughout the series. Robinson had averaged 29.8 points on 50 percent shooting during the regular season, numbers that dropped to 20.0 and 41 percent in the series against Utah. The Jazz then fought off a determined Denver Nuggets team 4–3 in the Conference semifinals (almost blowing a 3–0 series lead in the process) to advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the eventual NBA champion Houston Rockets 4–1.

In the 1994–95 season, the Jazz had significant depth and talent and were expected to make a serious run for the championship. However, they lost starter Spencer 34 games into the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Despite this setback, the Jazz finished 60–22 before again losing to Houston in the playoffs, 3–2, in the first round.

Greg Ostertag was added to the team for the 1995–96 season. The Jazz went 55–27, and reached the Conference Finals for the third time in history, nearly overcoming 3–1 series deficit before eventually succumbing to Seattle, 4–3.

In the next two seasons, the Jazz were finally able to capitalize on regular-season success. In 1996–97, the Jazz had the best record in franchise history (64–18), won the Midwest Division and finished with the best record in the Western Conference. The team included Stockton, Malone and Hornacek, as well as Bryon Russell, Antoine Carr, Howard Eisley and Shandon Anderson. Malone won his first NBA MVP award, averaging 27.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

The Jazz reached the NBA Finals for the first time after beating the Clippers 3–0, Lakers 4–1 and Rockets 4–2. The Jazz then met Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the Finals, losing the series 4–2, with the last two games decided in the final seconds (scores of 90–88 and 90–86).

During the off-season, the Jazz made no changes to the roster. As the 1997–98 season neared, they were expected to be contenders for the championship again. However, Stockton suffered a serious knee injury before the season, and missed the first 18 games, in which the Jazz went 11–7.

On February 17, 1998, at the NBA trade deadline, the Jazz consummated a trade with the Orlando Magic, to acquire center Rony Seikaly in an attempt to bolster their center rotation. However, Seikaly refused to report within the mandated 48 hours required by NBA rules. From there, the trade was called off, and the Jazz took Chris Morris & Greg Foster back. Rumors had Seikaly with a serious foot injury; however, Seikaly insisted the Jazz torpedoed the deal and that he wanted to play for them; however, Seikaly's refusal to report effectively killed the deal. After the trade was off, Orlando pivoted and traded Seikaly to the New Jersey Nets, where he would play a total of 18 games over the next 1 1/2 seasons before retiring from the NBA.

The Jazz played better after Stockton returned from his early-season injury. The team went 51–13 over the last 64 games, to finish at 62–20, and won the Midwest Division and received home-court advantage for the playoffs.

In the playoffs, the Jazz beat Houston 3–2, and San Antonio 4–1, to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the third straight year. Utah, with a veteran roster of Stockton, Malone and Hornacek, faced a Los Angeles Lakers team led by superstar Shaquille O'Neal, guards Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel and a young Kobe Bryant. The Jazz set the tone for the series with a win in Game 1, 112–77. Game 2, a 99–95 Jazz victory, and Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles were decided by an average of 7.5 points. The Jazz swept the Lakers and earned a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.

In the 1998 NBA Finals (again against the Chicago Bulls), the Jazz took Game 1 at home, 88–85 in overtime. However, the Bulls overcame a slow start to win Game 2, 93–88, easily took Game 3, 96–54, and won Game 4, 86–82, to lead the series 3–1. The Jazz fought back and won Game 5 on the road, 83–81, to trail 3–2 in the series, with Game 6 (and a Game 7 if needed) in Salt Lake City. The Jazz held a lead in most of Game 6, but the Bulls rallied, and in the last seconds of the game, Michael Jordan stole the ball from Malone on the final Jazz possession and then pushed off of Bryon Russell and made a jump shot to win the game, 87–86, and the series for Chicago, 4–2.

In the 1999 season, shortened to 50 games due to a lockout, the Jazz finished 37–13, tied with the Spurs for the best record in the league. They defeated the Sacramento Kings in five games in the first round of the playoffs. However, they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite yet another disappointment, Malone was awarded his second MVP.

During the 1999–2000 season, the Jazz finished 55–27 and won the Midwest Division but again struggled in the postseason, and lost to the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round. In the off-season, Hornacek retired and Howard Eisley was traded in a four-team deal that brought in Donyell Marshall. They selected high-school basketball star DeShawn Stevenson in the first round of the 2000 NBA draft.

In the 2000–01 season, the Jazz posted a 53–29 record, but lost in the playoffs, surrendering a 2–0 series lead in the first round of the playoffs to the Dallas Mavericks to lose the series 3–2. This was their earliest exit from the playoffs since the 1994–95 season.

In the 2001–02 season, Andrei Kirilenko made his rookie debut, averaging 10.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.91 blocks per game. The team started the season slowly, with a record of 16–15 over the first two months, and finished 12–13 to go 44–38 overall. They lost to the Sacramento Kings 3–1 in the first round of the playoffs.

Prior to the 2002–03 season, Marshall and Russell moved on to other teams. Matt Harpring was brought over from the Philadelphia 76ers, and took over the starting forward spot next to Malone, averaging 17.6 points and 6.6 rebounds, the best numbers of his career. The Jazz approached 50 wins going into the playoffs, but ended up falling short with a record of 47–35. They faced the Sacramento Kings in the playoffs again, and lost in a five-game first-round series, 4–1.

After the season, Stockton retired, and Malone left as a free agent to join the Los Angeles Lakers.

Without Malone and Stockton, the faces of the Jazz franchise, the team lacked foundation as it went into the 2003–04 season. They were expected to finish near the bottom of the NBA by several NBA preview magazines, including Sports Illustrated. The Jazz finished with a 42–40 record. The team featured several unheralded players who emerged as key contributors, including Kirilenko, Raja Bell, and Carlos Arroyo. In particular, Kirilenko demonstrated versatility on both offense and defense and earned a spot in the All-Star Game. The Jazz missed the playoffs by one game to the Denver Nuggets, ending a streak of 20 consecutive seasons in the playoffs. Jerry Sloan finished second in the voting for the NBA Coach of the Year Award, losing to Hubie Brown of the Memphis Grizzlies.

During the off-season, the team made moves to change the roster; they acquired Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur as free agents and re-signed Carlos Arroyo and Gordan Giricek to extensions.

The 2004–05 season was marked by injuries, first to Arroyo and Raúl López, and later to Boozer and Kirilenko, which were a large part of the team's fall to the bottom of the division. When healthy, Boozer averaged 17.8 points and 9.0 rebounds in 51 games. The Jazz ended the 2004–05 season 26–56, their worst since the 1981–82 season.

In 2005 the Utah Jazz acquired Deron Williams with the third overall draft pick but faced challenges as injuries plagued key players like Carlos Boozer, Gordan Giricek, and Andrei Kirilenko. The Jazz narrowly missed the playoffs, finishing 41–41, and saw veteran Greg Ostertag retire.

The 2006 offseason brought strong draft picks, including Paul Millsap and Ronnie Brewer, and a trade for veteran Derek Fisher. Improved play in the 2006–07 season saw the Jazz finish 51–31, with All-Star nods for Boozer and Mehmet Okur. Despite internal tension with Kirilenko, the Jazz advanced to the Western Conference Finals but were overpowered by the San Antonio Spurs, who later won the NBA championship.

In 2007, the Jazz continued to build momentum but were marred by off-court stories. Controversy arose after Kirilenko led his Russian national team to a win in EuroBasket 2007 (the European championship), a tournament in which he was named MVP. After that, Kirilenko posted on a blog that he wished to be traded from the Jazz and would be willing to walk away from his contract. However, no trade was made and he remained with the team. Elsewhere, Derek Fisher was allowed to walk off the team following his daughter's diagnosis of eye-cancer, leading Fisher to return to the Lakers. Nevertheless, key acquisitions like Kyle Korver bolstered the team, which secured a 54–28 record in 2007–08. After defeating Houston in the playoffs, they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round.

The 2008–09 season was marred by injuries to stars like Williams, Boozer, and Okur, alongside the death of team owner Larry H. Miller. Despite a strong home record, they finished 48–34 and were eliminated in the first playoff round by the Lakers. Williams emerged as one of the league’s elite point guards, averaging 19.4 points and 10.8 assists, despite playing the entire season with a lingering ankle injury.

In 2009 the Jazz drafted Eric Maynor and added undrafted rookie Wesley Matthews. A midseason trade of Ronnie Brewer, criticized by Williams, allowed Matthews to step into a starting role. Boozer returned to form, Korver set an NBA three-point shooting record, and Williams made his first All-Star appearance. The Jazz concluded the 2009–10 season 53–29 but suffered critical injuries to Kirilenko and Okur in the playoffs. Despite overcoming Denver in the first round, they were swept by the Lakers, marking their third consecutive playoff exit at the hands of Los Angeles.

The Jazz's 2010 NBA draft selections included Gordon Hayward (No. 9 overall) and Jeremy Evans (No. 55 overall). In free agency, Carlos Boozer signed a five-year, $80 million deal with the Chicago Bulls on July 7, 2010, later converted into a sign-and-trade yielding Utah a $13 million trade exception. The Bulls also signed Kyle Korver to a reported three-year, $13 million deal, while Wesley Matthews joined the Portland Trail Blazers with a five-year, $33 million offer sheet. To counter roster losses, Utah acquired Al Jefferson from Minnesota using the Boozer trade exception and signed Raja Bell to a three-year, $10 million contract.

The Jazz rebranded in 2010, reverting to their "music note" logo and unveiling new uniforms. Restricted free-agent Kyrylo Fesenko accepted a $1 million qualifying offer, while Francisco Elson and Earl Watson joined for the 2010–11 season. The team began the season strongly but faltered mid-season, prompting the resignation of longtime head coach Jerry Sloan on February 10, 2011. Tyrone Corbin replaced Sloan, while Jeff Hornacek joined as an assistant coach.

On February 23, 2011, the Jazz traded star Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, and two first-round picks. Concerns about retaining Williams long-term influenced the trade. The Jazz missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006, finishing the season 39–43. In the 2011 draft, they selected Enes Kanter and Alec Burks. Following the lockout-shortened 2011–12 season, Utah traded Mehmet Okur, and Andrei Kirilenko opted to remain in Russia. They signed veterans Josh Howard and Jamaal Tinsley.

During the 2012 offseason, the Jazz traded Devin Harris for Marvin Williams and selected Kevin Murphy in the draft. They added Mo Williams and Randy Foye, re-signed Evans and Tinsley, and saw longtime Jazz player C.J. Miles leave for Cleveland. Dennis Lindsey became general manager, while Scott Layden departed for the San Antonio Spurs.

Before the 2013–14 season, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson left in free agency, joining Atlanta and Charlotte, respectively. Jeff Hornacek became head coach of the Phoenix Suns. The Jazz were officially eliminated from playoff contention on March 14, 2014, after a 96–87 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

On June 27, 2013, Rudy Gobert was selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. He was later traded on draft night to the Utah Jazz. On July 6, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Jazz and joined them for the 2013 NBA Summer League.

On May 20, 2014, the Jazz earned the 5th pick in the 2014 NBA draft at the NBA Draft Lottery, with which they chose 18-year-old Australian point guard Dante Exum. They also had the 23rd pick from a trade with the Golden State Warriors and their own pick in the second round (the 35th pick overall). With the 23rd pick they selected Rodney Hood from Duke University. The 35th pick was used to select Jarnell Stokes, who was subsequently traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for a future second-round pick.

On June 6, 2014, Atlanta Hawks assistant coach Quin Snyder was named the eighth head coach in team history. Snyder signed a three-year contract with a team option for a fourth. He replaced Tyrone Corbin. Prior to joining the Utah Jazz, Snyder previously served as an NBA assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Lakers.

The Jazz ended the 2015–16 season with a win–loss record of 40–42, good for ninth place in the Western Conference; however, the team failed to qualify to play in the NBA Playoffs by one game.

The Jazz finished 51–31 during the 2016–17 season and qualified to play in the NBA Playoffs as the Western Conference's fifth seed. They defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the first round for the team's first playoff series win since 2010. The team advanced to play the defending Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors in the conference semifinals where they were swept 4–0, ending their season. Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert had breakout seasons in 2017. After putting together several solid seasons in prior years, Hayward was named an NBA All-Star, while Gobert was named to the NBA Defensive First Team and All NBA Second Team.

Hayward left the Jazz to sign with the Boston Celtics as a free agent on July 4, 2017, announcing his decision in a letter published by The Players' Tribune. Hayward's contract was finalized on July 14, 2017.

On June 22, 2017, Donovan Mitchell was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets, who immediately traded Mitchell's rights to the Jazz in exchange for Trey Lyles. The Jazz also acquired veteran Ricky Rubio to play the point guard position.

The Jazz began the 2017–18 season poorly, with an injury to Gobert and a lack of scoring leaving them with a 17–21 record by the end of December. In the second half of the season, the Jazz made rookie Mitchell a starter, and he subsequently led the team and all rookies in the league in points scored. Mitchell went on to break the record for the most three-pointers ever made by a rookie. The team improved drastically as a scoring team, and with the return of Gobert and improved play of Rubio, the Jazz finished the season winning 32 of their last 45 games and ended with a 48–34 record. The late-season burst earned the Jazz a no. 5 seed in the 2018 NBA playoffs, where they went on to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 4–2 in the first round before losing in the Second Round to the Houston Rockets in five games. After the season, Rudy Gobert was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Donovan Mitchell was runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting, Quin Snyder was runner-up Coach of the Year, and general manager Dennis Lindsey was runner-up Executive of the Year.

The 2018–19 season began with promise for the Jazz after the surprising success of the 2017–18 season. However, by the end of November they were 11–12 and in 10th place in the Western Conference standings. This continued in December as Mitchell struggled with his shot, and the Jazz record continued to be around the break-even mark.

However, in the New Year, Mitchell's performance improved as he was averaging 27.7 points in January and 25.4 in February, and the Jazz improved down the stretch, closing out the season with a 32–13 run to finish 50–32 and earned the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. In the first round, they played against the Houston Rockets, who were on a run of their own, going 33–14 in 2019 after a slow start. Houston proved to be too much for the Jazz, taking the series 4–1.

On May 10, 2019, the Jazz announced the promotion of Dennis Lindsey to executive vice president of basketball operations and Justin Zanik to general manager.

During the 2019 off-season, the Jazz added several players by trade and free agency, including Jeff Green, Mike Conley Jr., Ed Davis, Bojan Bogdanović, and Emmanuel Mudiay, while Derrick Favors, Kyle Korver, Jae Crowder, Raul Neto, and Ricky Rubio left the team. Sports media viewed the changes as positive.

On the opening day of the 2019–20 season, a press conference was held, announcing that Utah would host the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. This would be the second time the Jazz hosted this event; the first was in 1993.

On December 24, 2019, the Jazz announced that they had waived forward Jeff Green, signed G-League free agent Rayjon Tucker, and traded Dante Exum to the Cleveland Cavaliers for shooting guard Jordan Clarkson, whose trade in particular was seen as overwhelmingly positive by the media, if also bittersweet for Jazz fans who hoped that Exum would eventually mature into the franchise cornerstone he was drafted to be.

On January 30, 2020, Gobert and Mitchell were named reserves for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. This marked the first time since 2007 that multiple Utah Jazz players had been selected to the All-Star game, and the first time since 2000 that multiple Jazz players had actually appeared in the game (Mehmet Okur had replaced an injured Carlos Boozer in 2007). In March 2020, Gobert and Mitchell were diagnosed with COVID-19, making the Jazz the first major sporting franchise in North America to be directly affected by the disease, and resulting in the suspension of all remaining NBA games of the season.

Following the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season, the Jazz were one of the 22 teams invited to the NBA Bubble to participate in the final eight games of the regular season. The Jazz were mediocre in the eight seeding games, posting a 3–5 record. However, this allowed them to lock up the Western Conference sixth seed and a favorable matchup with the Denver Nuggets. In game 1, Donovan Mitchell achieved the third-highest single-game scoring total in playoff history (behind only Michael Jordan and Elgin Baylor) with 57 points, but the Jazz lost to the Nuggets in overtime. Mitchell's brilliant play continued through the series as the Jazz won the next three games, two of them by lopsided margins; however, they blew their 3–1 lead and lost at the buzzer in game 7 of the series.

Within hours of the Jazz's playoff loss, Mitchell agreed to a five-year, $195 million contract extension that would keep him in Utah. On December 20, 2020, Rudy Gobert signed a five-year, $205 million contract extension, the third-largest contract in NBA history and the largest ever for a center. During the 2020 off-season, the Jazz traded away backup centers Tony Bradley and Ed Davis, re-signed Jordan Clarkson to a four-year, $51.52 million contract, and re-acquired Derrick Favors from the Pelicans to serve as a more reliable post presence off the bench. In the 2020 NBA draft, the Jazz selected Kansas center Udoka Azubuike 27th overall in the first round and Syracuse forward Elijah Hughes 39th overall in the second round.

On October 28, 2020, the Utah Jazz organization announced that Ryan Smith, an Oregon native (now based in Utah) and the billionaire co-founder of Qualtrics, had purchased the team from the Miller family. Smith agreed at the time of the sale to honor the terms of the legacy trust into which the Millers had placed the Jazz organization, including the provision requiring the team to be kept in Utah. On April 16, 2021, the Jazz announced that Dwyane Wade had purchased a minority ownership stake in the team and was expected to have hands-on involvement in team operations.

The Jazz began their 2020–21 season with an NBA-best and franchise-record 23–5 start, with Donovan Mitchell leading the team in scoring and Jordan Clarkson emerging as the frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year. On February 17, 2021, head coach Quin Snyder was announced as the head coach of the Western Conference team for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, becoming the first Jazz coach so honored since Frank Layden in 1984. On February 23, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert were announced as All-Star reserves for the second consecutive season, with Mitchell also slated to compete in the three-point contest. On March 5, Mike Conley was selected as an All-Star reserve for the first time in his career, replacing the injured Devin Booker. Conley was also announced as Booker's replacement in the three-point contest. This marked the second time in franchise history (the first being 1989 with John Stockton, Karl Malone, and Mark Eaton) that three Jazz players had been selected as All-Stars.

On February 24, 2021, former Jazz forward Elijah Millsap alleged via Twitter that Dennis Lindsey (then the team's general manager) had made a racist remark to him during an interview in 2015. Both Lindsey and Quin Snyder, who was present for the conversation, adamantly denied the allegations. The Jazz subsequently announced that independent counsel had been retained by the organization to investigate whether the allegations were true. On March 16, the NBA announced that this investigation had concluded that there was no proof Lindsey had made the comments, citing the fact that nobody associated with the meeting could corroborate Millsap's story (including Millsap's own agent, who confirmed that Millsap had never mentioned the incident to him at the time). The Jazz organization subsequently cleared Lindsey of any wrongdoing.

On May 16, 2021, the Jazz defeated the Sacramento Kings 121–99 to clinch sole possession of the best regular season record in the NBA for the first time in franchise history (the Jazz had tied for the best record in 1998 and 1999). At the conclusion of the regular season, Jordan Clarkson was named Sixth Man of the Year, becoming the first Jazz player to win the award and winning over his own teammate, Joe Ingles, who was runner-up.

In the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs, the Jazz played the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. After losing game 1 in a surprising home upset with Donovan Mitchell held out due to lingering injury concerns, the Jazz won the next four games to advance to the Western Conference semifinals. Mitchell shot an impressive 11-16 from the field during game 5, scoring 30 points and recording 10 assists to help the Jazz seal the series. In the second round, the Jazz played the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers. Despite winning the first two games at home, the Jazz were eliminated from the playoffs after the Clippers won the next four games.

The Jazz regressed somewhat during the 2021–22 season; while Mitchell and Gobert were once again named All-Stars, the team did not have the same regular season success. Still, the Jazz posted a 49–33 record and made the playoffs as a 5th seed. In the first round, they faced the Dallas Mavericks. After winning game 1 in Dallas, the Jazz struggled and lost the series 4–2.

On July 1, 2022, the Jazz traded three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award winner Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler (the 22nd selection in the 2022 NBA draft), four future first round draft picks, and a pick swap. On August 25, 2022, Beverley was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Stanley Johnson and Talen Horton-Tucker. On September 1, 2022, the Jazz traded three-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji (the Cavaliers' top selection and the 14th pick in the 2022 NBA draft), three future unprotected first-round draft picks, and two pick swaps.

On June 5, 2022, Quin Snyder announced his resignation as head coach of the Jazz. On June 29, the Jazz organization announced that Boston Celtics assistant coach Will Hardy had been hired as Snyder's replacement.

On February 2, 2023, Lauri Markkanen was selected to appear as a reserve in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, his first career All-Star selection. On February 10, it was further announced that Markkanen had been selected as an All-Star starter as a result of injuries to Stephen Curry and Zion Williamson. Markkanen also participated in the Three-Point Contest during All-Star weekend. In addition, the Jazz fielded a three-player team of Collin Sexton, Walker Kessler, and Jordan Clarkson in the NBA's re-formatted team skills challenge. The three Jazzmen ultimately won the event.

On February 8, 2023, the Jazz traded Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to the Los Angeles Lakers and Mike Conley Jr., Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and two future second-round picks to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a three-team trade. In return, the Jazz received Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Damian Jones along with the Lakers' 2027 first-round pick. The Jazz subsequently negotiated a buyout of Westbrook's contract and waived him, allowing him to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Jazz finished the 2022–23 season 37–45 and failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs. At the conclusion of the season, Lauri Markkanen received the NBA Most Improved Player Award.

The Utah Jazz, led by Markkanen, finished the next season 31–51, missing the playoffs once again. A highlight of the season was Keyonte George's appearance on the All-Rookie second team. The next season, Russell Westbrook was acquired and waived once again by the Jazz during the offseason. They also signed sharpshooting veteran Patty Mills.