The Three Types of Deals Utah Might Make By Thursday

The Jazz have a few different ways they could upgrade their roster this trade season.

Of course the most satisfying way for the trade deadline to play out for Utah Jazz fans is with a big bang. Sexy names like that Harrison Barnes and Jerami Grant have been connected to the Jazz in trade rumors, so that is now the homerun scenario for many armchair GMs.

That’s not the only way trade season could play out, though. The Jazz have some movable contracts in a monetary range that opens up a lot of different possibilities. While they’re light on the type of assets that generally open the door for big stars, the club has a few different ways it could upgrade the rotation ahead of what folks along Wasatch Front hope is a deep playoff run.

The idea of trading franchise fixture Joe Ingles was always emotionally complicated, but Ingles’ recent ACL injury makes the idea of moving his $13 million in expiring salary a lot more palatable. After all, the Jazz aren’t going to miss his on-court production if they trade him now, because he’s not getting back to the court during this contract either way. And Ingles wouldn’t actually have to leave town at all; an acquiring team would just be looking for expiring salary filler, and would likely waive the requirement for Ingles to report after the trade and/or pass a physical. (And yes, the Jazz could trade him in the next week and still legally sign him to an exception deal whenever he’s ready to get back on the court. No worries there.)

Ingles was always on the table, but the Jazz are now in a scenario where using/moving that salary just makes sense. That plus other tradable contracts — like Jordan Clarkson’s $12.4 million, but also some 7-figure guys who are likely available to varying degrees — give the Jazz a lot of different ways to assemble rotation-enhancing deals.

Here are three types of transactions the Jazz could have available to them by 1:00 p.m. MST next Thursday, the deadline for in-season trades.

Remodel the starting lineup with a big name

Jazz restructure their starting lineup around a big-bodied wing who can shoot & defend.

Again, the Jazz don’t have an asset cache that would allow them to bring back a true star. But there are a number of non-star starters who are rumored to be available. Barnes and Grant keep coming up as Jazz targets. Neither in an All-Star, but both are proven scorers with big bodies, good outside shots, and some defensive versatility. Barnes is a slightly better shooter, while Grant offers more defensive prowess, but both are solidly in the tier where if the Jazz get one, it is likely with the intention of moving someone like Royce O’Neale or even second-leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic to the bench.

Getting either one would be costly. Detroit is reportedly asking for two first-round draft picks in exchange for Grant. For the Jazz to meet that asking price, they’d have to offer every tradable draft pick they have, including some with extremely light (or no) protections. It’s risky. They may see if Detroit relents on that asking price as the deadline nears.

They may have had more traction on Barnes, if you read the subtext on recent reports. Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer said on a podcast that there was movement toward a Jazz-Kings deal that may have stalled out after Ingles’ injury. He didn’t say Barnes specifically, but that’s a safe bet. For the Jazz to revive that discussion, they’d have to convince Sacramento that Clarkson was a worthwhile replacement for Ingles in the trade package, or involve a third team that may desire Clarkson and have something of interest to the Kings.

One possibility: Orlando. They are in need of more dynamism and scoring punch on their bench, and the expiring Gary Harris probably isn’t part of their future plan anyway. Flipping Harris for Clarkson gives them a different kind of creating guard, who’s cheaper and whose rights they would control for an additional season. If the Kings were interested in a short-term Ingles rental for actual basketball reasons, Harris is actually kind of similar. Without knowing if the Magic brass like Clarkson specifically (or, frankly, if the Kings like Harris), this deal seems to make sense for all parties.

Since the Magic have a trade exception about to expire that’s large enough for Clarkson, they could actually create a new TPE for $14.6 million if they made this deal.

Another option here that probably qualifies in this tier: engage Orlando directly on Harris. He too is firmly a starter-quality player (outside of his rookie season, he has started 93% of his career games) who possesses scoring and defensive chops. A Clarkson-and-filler package for Harris could leave the Jazz a little small after losing the 6-foot-8 Ingles, but there are gettable rotation-quality bigs they could add in a separate Ingles deal or on the buyout market. They’d only be acquiring Harris for the remaining 25 or so games, but they’d have the option of re-signing him using Bird rights this summer.

Harris isn’t as glitzy as Barnes, but he’s a real player. Jazz fans should remember the Jazz-Nuggets series in the 2020 bubble, when he returned from injury and instantly had a big impact on the defensive end. Especially if the Jazz feel like they could address the size need by signing a buyout guy like Thaddeus Young or acquiring Kenrich Williams from the Thunder, that scenario would definitely upgrade their defense while giving them a good outside shooter who can create in a pinch. 

Upgrade key bench roles

Jazz keep elite starting unit intact by upgrade two key bench roles.

If unlocking the Barnes/Grant tier — or even getting Harris — proves too pricey, the next tier down includes solid bench pieces. These are guys who have been part-time starters in their NBA careers, and could easily start in the right scenarios. But remember: Utah’s starting lineup, at +15.2 per 100 possessions, is the best volume quintet in the NBA, so Jazz brass shouldn’t feel like they need to break up that group to compete.

Marcus Smart, for example, has been connected to the Jazz throughout trade season precisely because he’s a borderline starter who gives them an instant toughness upgrade. Boston would probably prefer a scenario that gets them out of the luxury tax, but because Jaylen Brown will likely miss out on his All-Star bonus, the Celtics do that by tethering one small salary to a Smart-for-Clarkson swap. (They may prefer Ingles’ expiring salary instead, but then it gets harder to help them get under the tax threshold.)

The obstacle here is that the Celtics likely view Smart as being worthy of some draft compensation, but the Jazz may be reluctant since they’re also doing Boston a favor by helping them remove a big financial obligation to Smart, who signed a 4-year, $77 million extension last summer. We’ll see if either side flinches on that piece of the negotiation.

If not, there’s another good option on that same roster: Josh Richardson, who allegedly also interests the Jazz. He makes less than Smart (and doesn’t have a fat extension about to kick in), but that also makes it harder for Utah to help Boston get under the tax in a deal. Boston would have to attach a player/salary that may not interest the Jazz.

Basketball-wise, Richardson offers a lot of value. He’s not the bulldog Smart is, and he’s less of a creation option. But he is a much better shooter (39% this season), he’s a little bit longer (6’11” wingspan), and he excels at checking guards.

Again, the Jazz probably need to get some size in a separate deal/signing if they’re going to add the 6’3″ Smart or the 6’5″ Richardson. The graphic to the right presumes that they swing a Clarkson-Richardson swap, and separately get Williams from OKC by sweetening the asset in a Ingles salary move. Alternative, there could be some good buyout options this year, too.

The Jazz get more athletic in the frontcourt. (Less likely now post-RoCo trade)

I also liked the idea of fishing around Larry Nance Jr., but that possibility faded greatly on Friday afternoon. Portland was another team slated to pay luxury tax for a mediocre roster (they’re 10 games under .500), so my idea here was to see if the Blazers would want Rudy Gay, a playable four whose cheaper deal could have helped them evade the tax.

But alas, Portland already found their tax-dodging trade, agreeing to a 5-player swap with the Clippers that saves them the necessary $3 million or so. Nance hasn’t had a great year in Portland, so maybe this is still a possibility, but the likelihood here went down greatly when the financial urgency disappeared.

Gay-for-Nance would be an upgrade in athleticism, though Gay is more skilled in certain ways that matter. Unfortunately, the smallball combinations with Gay haven’t been successful yet, but maybe a better version of the 35-year-old is going to burst out before the playoffs. This should be a no-brainer for Utah if Portland were interested in saving more cash; the Jazz would have more option across the frontcourt positions if a specific playoff opponent challenges them to play a certain way. This 3-for-1 deal would leave the Jazz with some deep bench holes to fill, but they could do that with signings or by separately moving Ingles/Clarkson for guard help.

If the Jazz combined these thoughts — swinging both Clarkson-for-Richardson and Gay-for-Nance — the resulting rotation would be:

• Starters: Conley, Mitchell, O’Neale, Bogey, Gobert (again, a +15.2 unit)
• Bench: Richardson, House, Nance, Whiteside, Paschall
• Deep bench: Forrest, Butler and a buyout signing or two

Damn. That’s a deep, good, versatile, defensive team. Again, it’s not likely to happen now that Portland found another way to shed $3 million, but I’m leaving it here out of pure stubbornness.

Get out of the tax while addressing bench needs

There’s another option I reference in a passing, parenthetical manner in my last column, but it deserves at least some exploration as a thought exercise: what if the Jazz could improve their rotation AND get out of the tax altogether?

If nothing else has panned out that requires Ingles’ contract by 12:59 next Thurday, there’s a salary dump option that is actually a win-win for the Jazz and the Thunder.

Teams whose on-paper salary adds up to less than the league-mandated minimum team salary of $101 million will have to cut a check to their players in the amount of the shortfall. OKC’s cap sheet is around $78 million, meaning they are currently slated to write a $23 million check at the end of the season. If the Jazz were to send them Ingles’ contract, enough cash to pay the balance owed, and a mutually agreed-upon asset, then Ingles’ cap number would could towards their salary floor obligation even though they wouldn’t have paid him a single nickel. It would be a straight savings of $13 million for the Thunder’s ownership at season’s end, and would save the Jazz (based on today’s payroll) $25 million in tax payments. Win-win.

Now let’s get wacky for a second: once the Jazz do that, they’re only barely over the tax. It’s feasible that they could find trades involving Gay/Clarkson/whoever that would actually represent good rotation upgrades involving cheaper players, and avoid paying tax at all.

They’d have to message it carefully. This isn’t the time to start looking cheap, so they’d have to make sure that Donovan Mitchell and others understood that they were adding guys who could address real basketball needs, not just counting pennies. That said, there are real advantages to getting under the tax:

• Dodging the tax doesn’t just mean you don’t pay it — it also means you qualify to receive your share of the luxury taxes paid by other teams. This year, that amount is likely to be in the $10 million-plus range.
• Avoiding the tax this year would also delay the “repeater tax” penalties. Right now, the Jazz are on track to pay “repeater” rates as early as the 2023-24 season, which could really complicate roster decisions since it makes financial penalties even more onerous. Getting under this season’s tax would mean that the earliest Utah could pay repeater rates would be 2024-25, and their roster could look very different by then. (Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are the only players under contract through 2024-25, so Utah has some options between now and then.)
• You’d do it because you believe in the Jazz’s existing core, and believe that they can compete with a few rotation adjustments, rather than needing a marquee name. Remember: the Jazz’s starting five is elite.
• And simply put, the other reason to do it is because there are good players out there in those lower price ranges.

The Jazz add defense and shooting to their bench, but also save tens of millions and delay the repeater tax.

The simplest version of this deal is to try to extract Williams when you ship Ingles to OKC, and then trade Clarkson separately for a cheaper, defense-minded guard. They’d have to sweeten whatever asset they were sending OKC in the salary dump if they wanted to get Williams too, but he’s a 6’6″ combo forward who hustles and hits outside shots.

For the guard, I like someone like Delon Wright. He is 6’5″, but slight of build, so he wouldn’t really feel like a size upgrade — and that’s OK if the Jazz also got Kenny Hustle. Wright shoots the ball really well (38% the past three seasons combined, including 41% this year) and he is a scrappy defender with good numbers in most on-ball settings.

(De’Anthony Melton is another defense-minded guard in the same price range, but it’s harder to imagine red hot Memphis being motivated to deal with a conference competitor. Jazz fans will say, “Why not Lu Dort?” but that’s unrealistic here. Dort has blossomed into a promising young piece, exactly the type of player a rebuilding team doesn’t just give away.)

Wright is under contract for just the next few months and plays a small role, so I imagine he would be expendable. Atlanta may not have a need for Clarkson specifically, but they have lacked some zip in the minutes without Trae Young. Otherwise, a third team (Washington? New Orleans? Orlando?) might value Clarkson and send something to Atlanta that meets a need for the 15-18 nightly minutes Wright was playing.

A Williams-Wright combo in place of Clarkson and an injured Ingles arguably makes the Jazz better, and also puts them far enough under the tax that they could secure Danuel House Jr. for the rest of the season. Include Udoka Azubuike or Hassan Whiteside in either of the deals and the Jazz would also have enough money under the tax to sign a couple of buyout players. Thaddeus Young is rumored to be a buyout candidate. Some wonder if Robin Lopez may become available, and he’s someone with whom the Jazz apparently had some level of dialogue before Orlando swooped in with a bigger offer.

A Wright-House-Williams-Gay-RoLo bench is, to these eyes, a big upgrade, especially on defense.

Adds athleticism and defense while saving tens of millions and delaying repeater penalties.

Another version that gets Utah out of the tax involves PJ Washington. He’s a good, young, physical wing whom Charlotte may dangle in search of a center. Utah doesn’t have a starting-caliber center available, but a team like Washington does, and they could have interest in a scoring guard for their bench. The Wizards have two centers who have been starters — Montrezl Harrell and Thomas Bryant. They are in the same price range, both on expiring deals, and the Wiz likely won’t retain both anyway. If they like Clarkson, a 3-way construction isn’t hard to imagine here. (Another option is Indiana, if their decision-makers are interested in Clarkson as part of a package that gets Myles Turner to Charlotte.)

The Jazz would save enough money swapping Clarkson for PJ that they could easily take a player like Cory Joseph (or Sterling Brown, or Josh Okogie, or…) into the resulting trade exception and still be under the tax. CoJo’s 3-point shooting has improved since he was rumored to be a Jazz target a few seasons ago, and he can run pick-and-roll offense if Mitchell or Mike Conley ever need a night off. He’s solid defensively — not as good as Wright, but a bit more capable on offense. Detroit would have to be OK sending him, but they’re non-competitive this season so they’d do it for the right asset. I’d first try to tempt them with their choice of Hughes/Butler/Azubuike, but they might press for a low-value second instead. 

I’ve made my love for PJ Washington known; he’d instantly be Utah’s most athletic wing, and he can shoot and guard multiple positions. CoJo, while not as dynamic as Clarkson, would be a decent improvement over JC both as a shooter and defender.

If these felt like roster downgrades, I wouldn’t even suggest them. The Jazz are on the cusp of real contention, and now is not the time to make deals purely to save money.

But Utah might just be able to have its cake and eat it too. A Williams-Wright or Washington-CoJo combo CoJo duo could actually really address some things that are lacking in Utah’s second unit.

These are just frameworks to explore, and they only work if the Jazz find GMs who are interested in the specific pieces Utah has to offer. Clarkson’s value in particular is going to be very “eye of the beholder,” because there are teams that need bench scoring, but there’s probably also a broad awareness of some of his flaws in terms of efficiency and defense.

But the point here is that the Jazz should have some options in multiple tiers. Whether they go big with a name like Barnes, add a high-level role player like Smart/Richardson/Nance, or address bench needs while saving money, there are just too many paths for the Jazz to not make *some* kind of change by next Thursday afternoon.