A Not-Brief Introduction to Some Basketball Players Utah Might Trade For

Barnes and the Kings sneak past the Jazz for their first win of the season (via espn.com)

You may have heard that the esteemed Utah Jazz are looking to make a trade by this Thursday’s deadline. If you haven’t heard that, allow me to be the first to tell you: the esteemed Utah Jazz are looking to make a trade by this Thursday’s deadline. A lot of names of ostensibly professional basketball athletes have been rumored to be of interest to the Jazz’s brain trust to help the team win its first championship.

Here is a short summary of who some of these guys are, whether or not they’re good enough to help the Jazz, and how likely a deal is.

Jerami Grant, F, Detroit Pistons

Who is he?

Originally a Process-era Philadelphia 76er, Grant played sparingly as a high-flying weak side defender. Like any good Process Sixer not named Joel Embiid, Grant was summarily shipped to OKC for a first round pick to fill the bench defender role. He improved every year in OKC, eventually becoming a starter in 2018 with a limited, but capable, offensive skillset. Denver then traded a first round pick to OKC for his services, where he fit perfectly alongside primary operators Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

Seeking a much-expanded role, he signed with a terrible Detroit team in the 2020 offseason to be their alpha scorer. Among other things, Grant went from scoring 12 points per game in Denver to over 22 in Detroit, which nobody really expected despite his increased role.

Is he good?

Yeah, he’s solid. He’s an NBA starter. But he seems best suited for a 3rd/4th-banana role. He impressed as a 1st banana because nobody really thought he had any capability to be the lead guy, and he did okay there. Eventually he plateaued and is now generally thought of as a reliable starter who can handle some primary responsibilities if needed.

Should the Jazz trade for him?

Eh, Detroit will be asking for a ton for him, and other teams have better “stuff” to offer. Even though Grant might be the best player confirmed to be on the trade market, depending on how you feel about Myles Turner, Ben Simmons and the just-traded Domantas Sabonis, he’s not a star that will cause tremors in the championship race. (Yeah I said it, Grant is better than Simmons, fight me.)

Will the Jazz trade for him?

Probably not. Tony Jones of The Athletic reported Monday that the Jazz don’t “want to bring” in a “volume scoring forward” who would “take shots and usage and touches away from Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, and Bojan Bogdanovic.”

Grant might not be a primo-level scorer, but he has earned, and expects, a significant offensive role that he wouldn’t have in Utah.

Thanks for wasting my time, then.

You’re welcome! Let me continue on that path.

Harrison Barnes, F, Sacramento Kings

Who is he?

Barnes is a tweener forward originally drafted by the Golden State Warriors after the Warriors pulled off an unbelievably brazen tank job to delay trading their 2012 first round pick to… the Utah Jazz. After a quinary role on some Warriors title winners, he signed a huge money deal in Dallas in 2016, where he turned into an uninspiring, inefficient 19 points-per-game scorer. Barnes’ defensive chops also plummeted in Dallas, and the Mavericks later dumped his salary onto Sacramento in order to rework their team around Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.

After surprisingly re-signing in Sacramento, Barnes developed a much more efficient offensive game (he’s much better at getting to the free throw line, for one), and defends much better than in his Dallas stint.

He’s like a better offense, worse defense version of Jerami Grant.

Is he good?

Pretty much. Another solid starter who has learned a bit more about how to be a better basketball player every year.

Should the Jazz trade for him?

He’d be a fabulous fit with the current Jazz, but, like Grant, will cost an arm and a leg to acquire, and right now the Jazz need their arms and legs.

Will the Jazz trade for him?

It was rumored that the Kings were interested in Joe Ingles before he got hurt, since they are simultaneously, inexplicably, trying to make a playoff (read: play-in tournament 10th seed) run while trading their good players for assets. With Barnes’ cost likely too high without an ambulatory Ingles, the Jazz are probably out of the Barnes trade contest.

This blog post is pretty useless so far.

I know!

Marcus Smart, G, Boston Celtics

Who is he?

Drafted as a potential star point guard out of Oklahoma State, the 27-year-old Smart hasn’t (and won’t) meet that ceiling, but instead fills a number of guard responsibilities for Boston. He is most known for his defensive acumen, including an ability to guard bigger players despite being 6’3″ himself.

Is he good?

We’ve already reached the “it depends” portion of this broadcast. Smart is a bad shooter, but he will always hoist them up which serves to keep defenses honest and he can get hot from time to time to break games open. Smart can dribble and pass pretty well, but can get tunnel vision if he hasn’t “gotten his” as much as he thinks he deserves.

But Smart’s bread will be buttered on defense. Smart is a rugged, physical, athletic, and strong defender who can guard quick ballhandlers and most forwards. He can get too aggressive and commit dumb fouls, but to this point he’s been way more positive than negative.

He also will attempt to draw charges at an alarmingly reckless rate and incessantly complain to officials. Whether that is good or not is in the eye of the beholder. I, personally, do not care for such bullshit. His general playstyle and attitude is a classic case of the “hate him when you play against him, love him on your team” trope. I find his reckless garbage to be infuriating and bad for basketball, and he is a constant injury risk to others on the court.

Should the Jazz trade for him?

Smart would certainly help the Jazz’s biggest issue right now, that’s for sure. There are a few challenges Smart would pose for Utah, though. He’s a guard-sized player, which is only partially mitigated by his ability to guard up a position—it may pose interesting challenges to have Mitchell, Conley, and Smart all on the court together. Since Smart is a roughly starter-level player, plugging him in as s sixth man could piss him off as he plays out the rest of the contract.

Which leads me to the other drawback for Utah in a Smart trade—Smart’s contract is long and expensive, and the balance sheet looks really, really rough in a couple years if Smart ends up a Jazzman.

For the right price, he’d be a net positive and help the Jazz. I don’t have to like it, though.

Will the Jazz trade for him?

Maybe! Boston might hold onto Smart if the offers are just too low, but Utah will certainly ask about him.

Now we’re getting somewhere!

Don’t get your hopes up.

Josh Richardson, SG/SF, Boston Celtics

Who is he?

Let’s stay in Beantown and look a player on a cheaper contract who has more of the defensive style Utah is looking for. A second round pick by Miami in 2015, Richardson quickly turned into a utility wing who could do a little bit of everything, and, most importantly, could defend multiple positions. In 2018, he took on a ballooned offensive role as Miami’s starting point guard Goran Dragic was injured, and Dwyane Wade was coming off the bench as he concluded the twilight of his career. The results were mixed, but the fact that he could be repurposed that way at all was promising.

Richardson was then shipped to Philly as part of the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade, and then traded to Dallas after one season. In both Philly and Dallas, Richardson was still kind of okay but never reached a higher level of play, often struggled as a primary contributor, and saw his three point shooting crater.

Richardson was just salary dumped to Celtics after his one year Dallas stint, where Richardson has settled into a much more comfortable role as a bench defender with an outside shot that has returned to a very good level.

Is he good?

Yeah, but he definitely has a ceiling on what you can ask of him. That said, it means you can comfortably slot him in the second unit without ruffling feathers, and he can close games as a primary defender in lieu of, say, Bogdanovic, in certain matchups.

Utah would be trading for Richardson to provide lots of defensive improvement, and he’ll provide that. He’ll shoot well enough on catch-and-shoot threes to not frustrate Jazz fans. Richardson can dribble and pass just enough to extend possessions if necessary— like a tier above Royce O’Neale, I would say.

I think it would be exciting to see what his defensive acumen would look like with Rudy Gobert behind him. And, ideally, he would have a small rapport with Whiteside from their Miami days to establish good defensive communication from day one.

Should the Jazz trade for him?

I think he’s the most realistic player Utah should try very hard to get, given their needs, assets available to trade, and Richardson’s contract. Acquiring Richardson would require sending away something that will make Jazz fans sad (like, say, Jordan Clarkson), but will be fair.

Will the Jazz trade for him?

Probably the most likely player Utah could acquire, I think. He was the only player mentioned by name in Tony Jones’ article, which means there is some smoke.

Okay! This sounds interesting!

I didn’t plan on writing 3,000 words just to kill everyone’s hope, after all.

Josh Hart, G/F, New Orleans Pelicans Portland Trail Blazers

Who is he?

Josh Hart is a wing who started his career for the Lakers in 2017 and was traded to the Pelicans as part of the Anthony Davis trade in 2019.

He was just traded to Portland as part of the CJ McCollum trade, but it’s possible that Portland flips him to another team.

Is he good?

Kind of, yeah. His best skill is rebounding at a super high rate for his size (6’5”, 215lb), and he’s a pretty versatile defender. His three point shooting is bad, but his overall efficiency is super good because he’s very canny around the rim and has also improved his free throw rate.

There’s not a ton to write home about—he’s toiled away in New Orleans on bad teams and is kind of an interesting fit on every team. His contract is fine — eight figures, but non-guaranteed the next two seasons.

Should the Jazz trade for him?

Sure. Like Richardson, he’s kind of an unsexy player who will make some great hustle plays here and there, add some stout perimeter defense, and provide just enough offense to not be a liability. His rebounding will be most helpful on a team struggling in that department (Gobert obviously excluded).

He’s a smaller guy who can play up a position, giving the Jazz lineup flexibility. His contract is longer than Richardson’s, but that’s not necessarily a problem since the amount isn’t obscene, and the next two years are non-guaranteed until certain trigger dates.

Will the Jazz trade for him?

Hart was sent to Portland on Tuesday, but it’s possible he could be rerouted. Portland already ducked the luxury tax in their Robert Covington/Norman Powell dump to the Clippers, so their motivation in any Hart deal would be tied to a good asset Hart would generate. Utah will probably sniff around a bit.

This sounds pretty boring.

Sometimes it do be like that, though.

Eric Gordon, G, Houston Rockets

Who is he?

Eric Gordon is an older guy (33) who has contributed to teams right away since the Clippers drafted him in 2008. Primarily a scoring guard, Gordon has slowly improved his defense to be quite helpful on that end. His main skill, though, is still being able to shoot the heck out of the ball. He’s reached his apex form in recent years for the trigger-happy Rockets teams. He fit seamlessly well alongside James Harden, and is now just playing out the string on bad Houston teams, hoping that his play will get attention from good teams looking to improve at his position.

Gordon has massively struggled with all sorts of injuries his entire career; he’ll make a lot of money next year, so whatever team that picks him up will have to assume the risk he won’t get hurt while he finishes his deal.

Is he good?

Yeah but he’s on his last legs of his career, really. Still, though, Houston is trying to get a first round pick for him because he will definitely contribute to winning playoff games.

As mentioned, his main drawbacks are age and injury history. It’s a rough combination when paired with another $20 million+ year on his contract.

Should the Jazz trade for him?

All depends on how you feel about the injury history/contract combination, really. He presents kind of the same issues as Marcus Smart from a size perspective (6’3”), but can’t really defend super tall players the way Smart can get away with. However, Utah can plausibly bring him off the bench, so Quin Snyder won’t necessarily have to try shoehorning all of Gordon, Mitchell and Conley into a closing lineup.

Gordon would be a fun acquisition, and since I am not responsible for Ryan Smith’s luxury tax bill, the risk seems worth it to me.

Will the Jazz trade for him?

I don’t think Utah will trade the first round pick Houston wants for Gordon, especially with the effects it’ll have on the Jazz tax situation. But they’ll definitely keep tabs with Houston about the price, and Houston is keen to trade him. If Houston isn’t getting the first round pick they seek, Utah might just have the best offer available to them.

Well, it isn’t my money, either.

And I certainly don’t want it to ever be.

Kenrich Williams, F, Oklahoma City Thunder

Who is he?

Nicknamed “Kenny Hustle” because of his throwback hairstyle and his… hustle, Williams is a fourth-year guy out of TCU who contributed immediately as a rotation bit player for New Orleans, and was traded two years later to Oklahoma City as part of the complicated Jrue Holiday-led trade.

He’s never had anywhere close to a primary role on a team, but he’s consistently a part of positive lineups, even on really bad teams.

Is he good?

Not particularly, but he’s useful and would play rotation minutes on most teams. Williams has defensive acumen and smarts that never translates to raw numbers. He’s mostly a guy who is going to play team defense okay, shoot some threes okay, and rebound okay. He’s…okay. He’s an older guy (27) for only being in his fourth year, and probably doesn’t have any upside past what he’s doing now.

But his contract is a (relatively) dirt-cheap and team friendly: $2 million this year, and another $2 million next year, but non-guaranteed until the fall. He has real asset value to a team with lots of cost concerns elsewhere.

Should the Jazz trade for him?

If the Jazz can’t work out an acceptable deal for better players like Richardson, Williams makes a lot of sense to improve the perimeter defense a little with a guy who does not care about offensive touches. His contract is fabulous for a team as expensive as the Jazz. Further, Oklahoma City is the league’s premier salary dump destination, so Utah could work out a deal to get Ingles on the Thunder’s salary spreadsheet and acquire Williams simultaneously.

Will the Jazz trade for him?

Oklahoma City is going to try to pry a first from a team for Williams, particularly if it is coupled with some garbage salary that OKC can assume. If that’s the asking price, Utah won’t do it, but I don’t think any team is willing to pay that much. So long as OKC doesn’t just decide to keep Williams and try trading him next year, Williams is definitely a guy who makes sense as a Jazzman.

We could use some of that hustle!

I agree! Williams doesn’t provide a ton of other stuff but he’ll fit well in any lineup off the bench.

Gary Harris, G, Orlando Magic

Who is he?

In Denver, Gary Harris blossomed into a 17-ppg, multi-level scorer with fabulous defensive instincts, and was rewarded with a huge new contract before the 2018 season. Then, suddenly, his production and performance immediately cratered. Perhaps caused by several nagging injuries, Harris totally lost his shooting touch and couldn’t keep up defensively with the league’s very best offensive scorers.

After failing to regain his touch in 2019, Harris was traded at last year’s deadline in the move that brought Aaron Gordon back to the Nuggets. This year, he has started to return to form a little bit as he contributes to a young Magic team.

Is he good?

He certainly used to be! Nobody trading for Harris is expecting to get him back to realizing his former potential, but he’s also shown signs of life in Orlando after really just being a total husk for a couple years. He’s shooting okay, defending okay, and is still only 27.

Importantly, his fat contract expires this year, so any acquiring team can wash him off their books this summer or re-sign him to a much more reasonable deal if the fit works out.

Should the Jazz trade for him?

If the Jazz miss out on Josh Richardson, it makes a lot of sense to call up Orlando for Harris. Harris is a smaller, worse version of a guy like Richardson, but would still probably improve the perimeter defense more than the Jazz’s current roster situation. I don’t think you’d ever expect Harris to close games or play alongside Mitchell and Conley, but he’d fit well in most lineup constructs. As a contract-expiring, pseudo-reclamation project I also don’t think the price would be that high to acquire him.

Will the Jazz trade for him?

Trade rumors have been really quiet regarding Harris across the league, but he’s an obvious target for anyone looking to make a small improvement to their bench for a small price. Orlando is virtually certain to not re-sign him in the offseason, so it would behoove them to get any sort of small return in a deal. Some team is going to not get their preferred target(s) and will happily settle for Harris, and that could definitely be Utah.

Well, making a trade for your seventh trade target is better than no deal at all.

I always like to remind people that some teams maybe just prefer to keep their guys who don’t get traded. So if the Jazz don’t make a deal by the deadline, it’s possible that the asking prices just weren’t worth it.

But if Harris is still on the Magic and the Jazz haven’t made a trade after Thursday, I will consider that to be an unnecessary lack of action on Danny Ainge’s part.

Ben Simmons, PG-esque, Philadelphia 76ers

Who is he?

Seriously? He’s uh, the former All-Star point guard for the Sixers who is also really tall. He can’t shoot, and doesn’t want to try. I like to call him “Tall Rondo”.

After playing like ass in the playoffs last year, he has pouted his way off the team and refuses to report to team activities.

Is he good?

Maybe. He passes well, defends well, and is fast. But he’s as useful as a hoop stanchion if he doesn’t have the basketball. He’s also a massive pain in the ass.

Should the Jazz trade for him?

No.

Didn’t you say he was an All-Star? Why shouldn’t the Jazz want a good player?

Get the hell out of my blog post!