Deals Coming? What Will the Trade Deadline Bring the Jazz?

Will Jordan Clarkson’s Jazz make a move in the next week and a half?
(Chris Samuels, The Salt Lake Tribune)

Ten days remain until the NBA’s trade deadline, and Jazz fans have questions. I collected a batch of inquiries last week, and spent part of my weekend clacking away at my keyboard to provide you with my answers.

Without further adieu¹, your queries and my responses, divided into three main categories: Assets, Needs, and Targets.

Assets

What is our best bargaining chip? Feels like we have very little to offer from a value standpoint to a rebuilding team.

@keithlofton17

Because beauty is in the eye of the other 29 beholders, it’s a little hard to say, but I’d nominate Jordan Clarkson for this particular title. Why the hot-and-cold JC? Because the reigning Sixth Man of the Year is still capable of scoring in bunches, albeit often inefficiently, and there’s always a GM somewhere who’s a sucker for a guy who can put the ball through the hoop. See Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford, each a three-time Sixth Man of the Year who keep/kept shooting into their mid/late 30s.

There are probably those who would contend that Joe Ingles was the best shot at  improving the roster. I would have disagreed even before Sunday night; because of his age and expiring contract, he probably only had real appeal to teams in a couple very specific scenarios. After Ingles went down during the second quarter of Sunday’s loss to Minnesota, he certainly is not the most valuable trade piece now. More importantly, wishing 

Why do you think we never hear Clarkson’s name in trade rumors? Joe Ingles has constantly been in rumors² since the offseason and even Bojan Bogdanovic has been in a few but Clarkson’s name hasn’t been in a single one.

@dozer5001

Two possible answers: (1) no proposed Clarkson deals have enough traction to warrant rumors, or (2) any Clarkson deals with traction are with teams who, like the Jazz, keep trade negotiations close to the vest. After naming Clarkson as the Jazz’s best bargaining chip, it would be hard for me to imagine that Clarkson’s name isn’t being discussed. My guess is he is, but we just haven’t heard about it.

Is anyone on the Jazz truly untradeable? In seasons past having untradeable players was almost guaranteed but this season feels different.

@IceolationBergy

I think it mostly feels different because the team is mired in a 2-11 stretch, the result of a heavy travel, tougher opponents, players not traveling into Canada, COVID protocols, two concussions, a calf strain, other miscellaneous ailments, and now the gut punch of seeing a franchise favorite collapse with a knee injury in Minnesota on Sunday.

Despite the harrowing month that was January, I’d be shocked if Jazz brass spent any time discussing trading Rudy Gobert or Donovan Mitchell. Mike Conley might have been discussed, and I assume they have gauged his value, but I also think he’s unlikely to be moved.

Since the Jazz don’t have control of a lot of their draft capital (from the Conley trade, plus trading out seconds to ship out backup bigs), how big of a deal will that end up being in making a move?

@CleverlyJacob

The Jazz currently own five first round picks and five second round picks over the next seven years, but many are conditionally tied up in other deals. Here’s what is tradeable by February 10:

• Up to two first round picks between 2026 and 2028, if they can agree to some pretty tricky terms with a trade partner on conditions for multiple selections. More likely they will just trade one pick in that range.
• 2022 Memphis 2nd
• 2026 Memphis 2nd, if it falls between #31 and #42; otherwise, Golden State gets it
• The least favorable 2027 2nd round pick from these four teams: Indiana, Houston, Miami, Oklahoma City
• Even their own 2025 and 2026 2nd round picks can only be promised after the Memphis pick conveys as a 1st (because otherwise the Jazz owe those two 2nds to satisfy that debt)

That gives the team some ability to send out draft picks, but I’ve used the word “impaired” to describe everything on that list, for one reason or another. The first round picks are at least four years out, and maybe as much as six years from conveying³. This year’s Memphis pick might have had some value earlier in the season, but now looks to be #55 or later⁴. The 2026 Memphis 2nd is less than half a chance at a pick, and the 2027 selection could come late in the draft.

If the Jazz get into a bidding war involving draft capital, they will likely lose. However, often draft assets, particularly those in the second round, are added to trades to compensate for talent imbalances; they are frequently seen as sweeteners or currency used to grease the wheels. As such, it’s possible that the impaired nature of these picks won’t prevent a deal, if a trade partner is otherwise happy with the talent portion of the deal.

Needs

What effort is being made to upgrade wing defense?  That is an apparent need and current players don’t seem to be responding to the challenge.

@Grrr22

I don’t have any special insight into the Jazz brain trust’s thinking, but I have to think the answer is: every effort.

We’ve heard the Jazz have been seeking a wing defender since before the season, and I doubt that the results thus far in the season have forced a change of direction. We’ll cover more specifics later, but Utah absolutely has a need for a player (or players) who stay in front of their man, not just rely on the human eraser who is often, but not always, prowling the paint behind them. When Gobert rests, is in foul trouble, or is simply schemed away from the rim, the Jazz must get better at protecting the lane.

What type of player fits the Jazz’s needs on defense best? A big versatile wing defender (Jerami Grant, Cam Reddish type), or a guard like Marcus Smart who excels at guarding the type of guards who have torched us in the past (Reggie Jackson and Jamal Murray come to mind)?

@jazzgasm40

Why not both?

The Jazz could clearly use more and better defense at the point of attack, which is clearly in Smart’s wheelhouse, but as a notoriously small team, they must also covet more length. The presumed permanent addition of Danuel House, who I expect will sign for the rest of the season sometime between February 7 and February 11 , may have alleviated some of the need for a longer defender. House was playing great defense – check out this thread from Dan Clayton – but has now been sidelined by the league’s health and safety protocols.

If the front office makes a deal for a Smart-like defender (read: 6’3”), look for them to trade guard for guard. It’s difficult to imagine keeping Mitchell, Conley, Clarkson and Smart all happy with playing time without getting even smaller (all are 6’4″ or smaller), plus dealing a player like Bogdanovic or Ingles for Smart would be dangerous, unless there was another deal in place that would add length.

Targets

Who should be the number one target and why is it Derrick White?

@JabroniKnutson

White might be a good fit… let’s take a look. Because size matters, and because White is 6’4”, I’m assuming the Jazz would trade Clarkson for White, although I do worry how long Clarkson would survive playing for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

White immediately gives you another ball handler, which would help in any minutes when you don’t have two of Conley, Mitchell or (the now-injured) Ingles on the court. He’s a much more willing passer, more than doubling up Clarkson’s assists per 36 minutes, which sounds like a dream. White would not be the ball stopper that Clarkson is, and is a plus defender, based on net rating when he’s on the court as well as a positive D-LEBRON rating.

The bad news is shooting. While he boasts a higher TS% than Clarkson, he’s a poorer three point shooter, hitting 29.8% from long range this season vs. Clarkson’s 32.6%. White shot 35.7% for his career before this year, so clearly the Jazz would be hoping for a return to form. If that didn’t happen, the negative differential, coupled with White’s fewer attempts, could have a negative effect on spacing, although his improved ball movement could help compensate.

White’s contract lasts three more years at $16.4M, $17.6M and $18.8M, which gives the team good control as long as White remains a positive asset. Ultimately I question why the Spurs would make this deal for Clarkson, or honestly almost anyone else on the Jazz roster, but maybe a future pick could sway them.

Would they be interested in Paul Millsap?

@newbymiles89

A former fan favorite in Utah, Millsap’s time appears over in Brooklyn, where he’s been languishing on the bench, sitting out 16 of the last 17 contests. I could see the Jazz having theoretical interest in Millsap, but not in a larger role than he currently has. If he landed in Utah, he’d probably be in Eric Paschall’s role if Paschall were gone, or even behind Paschall in the depth chart if both players are still calling Salt Lake home.

Millsap is presumably looking for a place where he can log some minutes, which might mean a transition into a veteran role for a young team, winning be damned. I don’t think he’s a fit for the Jazz.

With all the unrest in Brooklyn and their crazy tax burden, wouldn’t it make sense to explore a trade centered on a Kyrie Irving for Conley swap? Or would that be crazy?

@kcsm1

@kcsm1’s trade proposal

Irving is a gifted basketball player, but also one who can be a bit of a distraction, and I question whether he’d want to play in Utah. If the front office (and Irving) feel differently, I’m sure Justin Zanik has the Nets’ phone number.

Addressing this proposed deal, I’d be shocked if two teams who consider themselves contenders – although both are struggling at the moment – were willing to trade three rotation players each at this point in the season⁵. That’s a huge change this late in the season, so I don’t think this deal has legs, and neither do most deals like this, even if they work on the trade machine.

(See deal below)

@parkerjrichey

@parkerjrichey’s proposed deal

This deal works better for the Jazz, who send Clarkson, Rudy Gay and Elijah Hughes, along with two first round draft picks, for Grant and Semi Ojeleye. But why does Detroit make this deal? Isn’t Grant worth more than Donte DiVincenzo, an expiring guy who won’t play again this season, and two distant first round picks? I think he is.

Furthermore, and I’m not picking on @parkerjrichey here, but on deals in general, I don’t think I’ve seen a trade machine proposal yet this season where the advanced stats didn’t project the deal would cost the Jazz a few wins.

Who are your top ‘under-the-radar’ trade targets?

@shumekot

I’ll share two names here that I haven’t seen tossed around in rumor posts and/or Jazz Twitter: Josh Richardson and Evan Fournier.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Richardson, whose name has been mentioned a little, but usually as part of a larger Marcus Smart deal. In fact, when he signed with Dallas last season, I raised a huge eyebrow, and when he didn’t work out there, I felt pretty smart⁶. But if there were no better options on the table – let’s call them ‘above-the-radar’ targets – and one hour left before the deadline, I’d pull a Clarkson-for-Richardson in a heartbeat.

A few weeks ago I messed around with replacing Clarkson’s 14 shots per game with Richardson’s eight shots, then spreading the other six attempts around to existing Jazz players, some of whom would probably appreciate an extra shot each game. This resulted in a projection of two extra points per game on the offensive end alone, just by shifting essentially 100% of those shots to players with higher TS%. If there was an impact on the defensive end as well, which I’d expect, this sort of small deal could yield huge dividends for the remainder of the season.

Fournier is a similar case. I haven’t heard his name connected with the Jazz, but I’ve heard some speculation that New York might be willing to deal him. Enter the Jazz, the team of close friend Gobert. Fournier is considerably more expensive than Richardson, with two years left on his deal at $18-19M, plus a team option on 2024-25 at $19M. The luxury tax implications of an extra $5M in salary might be enough to prevent the Jazz from making such a deal, but you asked for ‘under-the-radar,’ so you get what you get.

Miscellaneous

Any Euro players available we can bring in?

@bwfanzzz

I don’t follow European basketball closely enough to have much of an answer to this question, but I do know that most players on European clubs aren’t going to be available in the middle of the season. That said, I know a guy…

Dante Exum’s deal with FC Barcelona, signed in December, only lasts through February 28, which would allow him to join an NBA team for the stretch run of the season. In eight Euroleague outings with Barça, Exum has averaged 4 points and 2 rebounds in less than 15 minutes per game, so he hasn’t exactly been lighting the continent up. In addition, Nick Calathes, the player he was signed to replace, has returned from injury, so he’s not playing less than he was before.

I wouldn’t have even thought of Exum if not for this question, and I think there’s very little chance of a return to Utah, but he is the only player I know of whose contract in Europe expires during the season, so by default, he’s the best answer I can muster. Now that I’ve mentioned him, expect a wave of fluctuations in the Exum Island real estate market.

That’s all for now. Feel free to hit me up on Twitter to talk trades or anything else.