Editing Utah Jazz (section)

===2005–2010: The Williams and Boozer era===
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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,<ref>{{cite web|last=Blinebury|first=Fran|title=Kirilenko feels like forgotten man|url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4738548.html|work=Houston Chronicle|date=April 23, 2007|access-date=October 13, 2010|archive-date=October 10, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010142125/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4738548.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Report: Kirilenko 'ready' to leave NBA, $63 mil contract|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=3029816|work=ESPN.com|date=September 21, 2007|access-date=September 21, 2007|archive-date=October 13, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013045319/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3029816|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Beck |first=Howard |date=15 June 2008 |title=Lakers' Fisher Made His Plea for All to See |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/sports/basketball/15fisher.html |work=[[New York Times]] |location= |access-date=30 November 2024}} </ref> 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,<ref>{{cite news |last=Buckley |first=Tim |title=Utah Jazz: Deron Williams sad to say goodbye |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700010615/Utah-Jazz-Deron-Williams-sad-to-say-goodbye.html |newspaper=Deseret Morning News |date=February 20, 2010 |access-date=February 20, 2010 |archive-date=February 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100221170202/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700010615/Utah-Jazz-Deron-Williams-sad-to-say-goodbye.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> allowed Matthews to step into a starting role. Boozer returned to form, Korver set an NBA three-point shooting record,<ref>{{cite news |last=Genessy |first=Jody |title=Utah Jazz: Kyle Korver sets NBA record for 3-point accuracy |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700024731/Utah-Jazz-Kyle-Korver-sets-NBA-record-for-3-point-accuracy.html |newspaper=Deseret Morning News |date=April 15, 2010 |access-date=April 15, 2010 |archive-date=April 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417141801/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700024731/Utah-Jazz-Kyle-Korver-sets-NBA-record-for-3-point-accuracy.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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.