Trade Rankings: Most Likely To Be Moved

Collins’ name has come up in the rumor mill ahead of the trade deadline. (Rick Egan, The Salt Lake Tribune)

Trade season is upon us, with less than 48 hours left before the trade deadline. The Jazz have already participated in three separate transactions, and the league has provided more significant fireworks with the moves of All-NBA and All-Star players in Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox, and Zach LaVine.

As I read Tony Jones’ review of Utah’s completed deals and looked for hints about what might be coming in the next two days, I found myself mentally adjusting my rankings of which current Jazzmen might become former Jazzmen by the week’s end. As the Pacers-Jazz game started, I found myself tearing a sheet of paper into fifteen pieces, adding a Jazz player’s name to each, and moving them around in an attempt to make my mental ranking into something more tangible.

Behind the scenes of my low-tech ranking system.

By the end of the game, my ranking had mostly solidified.

TIER ONE – Keep Following the Playbook

This won’t be the sexiest grouping of players, and you won’t salivate over the potential returns, but the Jazz showed us over the weekend that they’re willing to use funds below the luxury tax threshold to collect future draft capital. I’m weighting my rankings in favor of more of the same types of deals, because Utah still has $16.7M of potential room, and because these transactions can be easier than getting value for players who are contributing at an NBA rotation level.

1. Svi Mykhailiuk – The Ukraine Maker has played sparingly for the Jazz since signing in the offseason, appearing in only 18 of 48 games. When his name has been called, he has been good for 36% three-point shooting, right in line with his career average. After seeing Utah trade fellow offseason signees Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills, and knowing how important shooting and spacing are in this league, I have Svi at the top of my rankings.

Svi’s $3.5M salary could net a player or players making up to $7.25M in return, reducing a trade partner’s tax base by the difference while also providing them with a fringe rotation player.

2. P.J. Tucker – With the highest salary in this group, a taxpaying team could jettison up to $19 million in unwanted salary and take back Tucker’s $11.5 million, saving up to $7.5 million. In addition, if there are any contending teams who are believers, Tucker may still be able to contribute fifteen to twenty minutes as an undersized big man who has historically been considered a tough defender. One example of would be trading Tucker for much-maligned Suns center Jusuf Nurkic, although the Jazz would have to be OK with taking on the Nurkic contract for this year and next, which is a big ask.

If Tucker isn’t moved in a trade, he definitely ranks as the most likely player to be elsewhere by the end of February. If there are no trade takers, Tucker will almost certainly be bought out or simply waived.

3. Jalen Hood-Schifino – I originally assumed that Hood-Schifino would remain on the Jazz roster, based on rumors that the Jazz were relatively high on him in the 2023 draft. Utah ended up passing on him twice, selecting Taylor Hendricks and Keyonte George, the latter just one pick before the Lakers nabbed JHS. When Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune reported that coach Will Hardy hadn’t yet spoken to the newly acquired player, it gave me pause. The team later welcomed Hood-Schifino on social media, and while he was added to the team’s Game Notes for Wednesday’s game, he has not been assigned a number. His status for Wednesday’s game is listed as Not With Team, so I think his stay on the roster being a temporary one, or at the very least his status is up in the air.

Jalen-Hood Schifino has been added to the Jazz Game Notes packet, but has not been assigned a jersey number and is not with the team.

Hood-Schifino has struggled shooting in the NBA game, with 23.9%/13.3%/63.6% splits in games with the Lakers, but he has performed much better in the G-League. It wasn’t enough to impress the Lakers, who declined the option to guarantee the third year of his contract. This almost never happens. Teams almost always guaranteed the third year, and usually the fourth. That move by the Lakers will make him an unrestricted free agent this summer, which also makes him an expiring contract. With a similar salary to Mykhailiuk’s, JHS could bring back $8 million in salary. Alternatively, he could be additional matching salary, if needed, in some larger deal.

TIER TWO – All Around Me are Familiar Faces

Three Jazzmen have been most prominent in deadline rumors, although I recently moved one of the three down in the rankings, so for now this group consists of two names.

4. John Collins – No stranger to trade rumors, Collins has experienced an on-court resurgence that has changed the tenor of the rumors he’s associated with. Where it was once assumed that Utah would have to include an asset to move off the Collins contract, his improved play have the Jazz flirting with getting assets for the 6’9” forward.

The difficulty comes in the form of his $26.6 million salary, with an equal amount next year if he chooses to opt in. At this point in the season, it’s often difficult for a contending team to cobble together matching salary and send the assets the Jazz really want. Sacramento was reportedly ready to do just that, sending Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles, a protected first round pick, and a second round pick, but that deal is no longer possible after the Kings traded Huerter elsewhere in the Fox-LaVine deal. It’s unlikely that John becomes a King, but I still view him as the fourth most likely Jazzman to move.

5. Jordan Clarkson – I thought Jordan Clarkson would be traded long ago, and so did he. Nevertheless, he’s still on the Jazz roster, and while I believe his abilities could be better used on a good team, I also get the feeling that his market is tepid at this deadline. That could be partly due to his signature inefficiency, his recent struggles with plantar fasciitis, or both. His $14.1 million salary is much easier for a trade partner to match than Collins’, but it feels like the demand isn’t as strong. JC will earn $14.3 million in the final season of his deal, whether that’s with Utah or elsewhere.

TIER THREE – Youth Movement?

Right from this section’s opening tip, let’s get one thing straight: I don’t think the Jazz are actively trying to trade any of these players. That said, with nine players from the last three rookie classes, the roster is crowded with youngsters, and it’s inevitable that eventually some of them will be playing for another team. I’d be surprised if all six recent draftees are still playing Mountain Basketball next October, but I’m not yet sure that any of them will be traded by Thursday. I do know that if someone calls offering good value for one of these players, the Jazz brain trust will listen and evaluate whether good value is good enough.

6. Keyonte George – The most promising of the Jazz’s 2023 class during their rookie seasons, George’s efficiency and defensive effort continue to be questioned. He was recently replaced in the starting lineup, although it remains to be seen if that’s a permanent change or Will Hardy trying out alternative lineups, and there was a minor courtside dustup earlier this week.

As of today, two days before the deadline, George strikes me as a player who could be creating some doubt in the organization, but who still has believers in other front offices. Of the youth I don’t think Utah is shopping, Keyonte ranks as the most likely to attract an offer the Jazz can’t refuse.

7. Brice Sensabaugh – This is more of the same story, although with less efficiency issues and no lineup demotion in the recent past. Sensabaugh’s defensive effort and results are frequently questioned, so this is another instance where another team might read the crowded room and tender an offer that makes the Jazz blink, Ochai Agbaji style.

8. Johnny Juzang – An outlier in this group because he wasn’t drafted by Utah, he still fits in the youth category at age 23. I view Juzang as a player more likely to be included in a deal for salary purposes, but guys who are 6’7” and shoot 40% from three-point range are in demand, so it’s possible someone calls about him specifically to fill a deep bench role with a contender. If someone offers good value, it may be hard for the front office to say no. It’s hard to turn down an asset for a guy who originally joined the team as an undrafted free agent.

9. Kyle Filipowski – When Flip first hit the floor, he looked like a candidate for steal of the draft, but after an injury and the league’s scouting reports catching up with him, his play has come down to earth a bit. Still, he’s somewhere on the Olynyk-Sabonis spectrum with his ability to dribble and pass the ball, and hopefully his shot (30.6% from three) will improve over time. Defense is another opportunity for improvement, but I feel confident enough about his game at this stage and his team-friendly contract that I doubt he’d get moved unless it were for a real upgrade. He still fits in Tier Three, but near the bottom.

10. Cody Williams – The season hasn’t gone as planned for Cody. Originally slated for a backup role, he was pressed into starting after Taylor Hendricks’ injury and struggled. Like Hendricks last season, he needs an offseason of physical growth and an infusion of confidence and aggressiveness. Because he has been out with an injury for a while, I feel like he’s not frequently discussed, but if the team had lost faith, I think we’d hear rumblings of trade availability We haven’t, so I think he’s likely to stick around in the 801. I waffled between putting him here or in Tier Four, but opted to put him last in Tier Three in case a clear upgrade becomes available, which would certainly be part of a larger deal.

TIER FOUR – Most Likely to Stay Put

11. Collin Sexton – The Young Bull is the player that started me mulling over my mental ranking, tipping off the process that eventually led to this list. A week or two ago I thought he belonged in Tier Two with Collins and Clarkson, but recently I’ve had a change of heart. Due to my observations over the last couple of weeks and Tony Jones’ comments in Monday’s article on The Athletic, I’m moving Sexton to Tier Four.

That doesn’t mean it’s inconceivable to imagine him being moved. A generous package with a young player of interest and draft capital might make the Jazz budge, but we haven’t seen that type of package circulating this year, even for All-NBA and All-Star players. There’s also a chance of aftershock trades following the Doncic earthquake, with significant salary moving around the league. If that happened, a Sexton deal could materialize, but for now, I expect Collin to finish his third season in Utah.

12. Taylor Hendricks – After his gruesome injury, there’s still a possibility that Hendricks could be included in a larger deal for salary purposes, but I think it’s a pretty slim chance. The team reportedly remains high on his potential, although that now comes with an unforeseen delay, and at this point it’s hard to imagine him having enough value to another team that an offer could pry him away from Utah.

13. Isaiah Collier – The 29^th pick in the 2024 draft has been impressive lately, averaging 10.3 points, 8.1 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game since January 5, when he moved into the starting lineup. Shooting remains a work in progress, but 43.4%/28.6% splits are a step up from where he started the season, and the offense runs more smoothly when he’s on the floor. At the very least, the Jazz have found a long-term backup point guard, and if the shot ever comes around, look out. I’d be surprised to see him moved.

14. Walker Kessler – The Utah Jazz do not want to trade Walker Kessler. We’ve been told the front office refused an offer of two first round picks last year, although I assumed those were fake first rounders owned by the Knicks. More recently rumors have suggested that the Lakers might offer two first rounders, but that’s not possible now. Still, the NBA machine continues to feed us stories of teams calling (and being rebuffed), perpetuating the idea that he is available. Smart people, including those close to the team and some farther away, acknowledge that Kessler is very likely to stay in the mountain west. If he was ever on the trade block, I don’t think he is now. Sorry, Lakers fans.

15. Lauri Markkanen – This is the easiest call of all. When Lauri signed his extension on August 7, he became ineligible to be traded until February 7, one day after this season’s deadline. The earliest Markkanen could be dealt is after Utah’s season concludes in April.

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As the hours before the trade deadline keep slipping by, keep and eye on your media feeds and turn on your notifications, if that’s your thing. I’m happy to talk trades, rankings, and hoops at @k_clayt on Twitter or @loudclap.bsky.social on BlueSky.