Collins arrived via the franchise who has done the most trade business with the Utah Jazz. (David Banks via The Salt Lake Tribune)
When you’re engaged in a down-to-the-studs redesign of an NBA franchise, it’s bound to be a busy couple of years on the trade front. The Utah Jazz have acquired or transferred the rights to players 32 times in 10 separate trades just since the start of 2022 — and that’s not even accounting for all the draft capital that changed hands. They are likely not done, either.
But some teams consummate trade business with Utah more than others. One franchise has dealt with the Jazz nine times since the franchise moved to the Beehive State, while three others have only conducted a single transaction.
Here’s a look at the teams that must have the Jazz’s front office on speed dial… and who might want to check their rolodex for a wrong number. OK, in reality NBA front office turnover is such that this list proves nothing like that. But it’s still a fun way to peruse Jazz trade history during a hot, quiet August.
And by the way, props to Jazz Twitter’s @sadjazzbear for being the first to guess the team at the top of this list and the three teams that share the bottom.
Most recent: Jazz add John Collins for Rudy Gay and a conditional 2nd (2023).
Most impactful: Trading Dominique Wilkins’ draft rights to Atlanta in 1983 was impactful for a number of reasons, starting with the obvious analysis that the Human Highlight Reel could have done a lot of damage in Salt Lake. But the cash they got in the deal also helped keep the franchise solvent — and in Utah. It also netted the Jazz John Drew, a 2-time All-Star who scored 18.5 per game over three Jazz seasons before substance abuse issues ended his career. Honestly, the Collins trade has a non-zero chance of surpassing the ‘Nique “what if” some day, but for now, that’s the one.
Other trades (in reverse chronological order): Acquired George Hill for a 1st in a 3-teamer; added Shelvin Mack for a 2nd in a 3-teamer; traded into 2nd round for Raul Neto; traded Devin Harris for Marvin Williams; traded Ty Corbin for Adam Keefe; acquired Terry Furlow for a 2nd; sent Ron Lee for two 2nds.
Most recent: Jazz send Damian Jones into a Cavs’ TPE (2023).
Most impactful: The trade that made 3-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell a Cavalier also set the Jazz up quite nicely in their rebuild. They already helped Lauri Markkanen realize his All-Star potential, and they also added Collin Sexton on a reasonable deal, Ochai Agbaji on a rookie deal, and multiple first-round draft assets. There have also been a lot of really important bench trades with the Cavs, including the Jordan Clarkson deal.
Other trades: Sent Rayjon Tucker for a 2nd; Dante Exum and two 2nds for Clarkson; Alec Burks and 2nds for Kyle Korver; acquired Jae Crowder for Rodney Hood and Joe Johnson in a 3-team deal; absorbed Carrick Felix for a 2nd; traded Dell Curry and Kent Benson for Darryl Dawkins and Mel Turpin.
Most recent: Jazz trade up from #24 to #13 (using Trey Lyles) and draft Mitchell (2017).
Most impactful: Let’s call this one a tie: the Mitchell move-up and acquiring Rudy Gobert for cash and a mid second-round pick will both go down as massively important moments in franchise history. If anything, this is a tie that will be broken only as we see the full impact of the assets acquired when the Jazz ultimately moved on from each guy in 2022.
Other trades: Facilitated Andre Iguodala to GSW by absorbing salary for two 1sts and three 2nds; deferred 2000 1st (ulimately use that pick to acquire Donyell Marshall); traded Danny Schayes for Rich Kelley; traded Billy McKinney for Carl Nicks; acquired Tom Boswell for a 2nd; acquired Robert Smith for a 2nd and a 3rd round pick.
Most recent: Jazz acquire a lightly protected LAL 1st for veterans in a 3-team deal (2023).
Most impactful: Last summer’s Gobert trade wins this category easily. The veterans Minnesota used to match Gobert’s salary weren’t Utah’s real targets, but even that allowed Utah to parlay some value toward a Lakers 1st in the subsequent Minny-LAL deal. The real prize in that trade was the draft capital, including recent first-round selection Walker Kessler who already looks like a defensive stud after year one.
Other trades: Jazz acquire Ricky Rubio for a 1st; move up in the draft (#14 + #21 for #9) to take Trey Burke; acquire Al Jefferson for two 1sts and Kosta Koufos; acquire Felton Spencer for Mike Brown; traded Thurl Bailey for Ty Corbin.
Most recent: Jazz send Bojan Bogdanovic for Kelly Olynyk and Saben Lee (2022).
Most impactful: Dealing Adrian Dantley to Detroit in 1986 was the other kind of impactful: Utah lost a 6-time All-Star who was coming off a 7-year Jazz career where he averaged 29.6 points per game and banked two scoring titles. In exchange, they got Kelly Tripucka, whose 20-ppg average dropped to 10 overnight with the Jazz, and Kent Benson, who didn’t really work out. The AD trade, however, did open the door for a certain legendary forward, who would average over 20 himself the next season, on his way to being the third most productive scorer in NBA history.
Other trades: Tony Bradley salary dump (for a 2nd); moved on from Enes (Kanter) Freedom for a 1st and a 2nd in a 3-team deal; got a 1st for Carlos Arroyo; got cash and 2nds for Dawkins; sent Jeff Judkins for a 3rd round pick.
Most recent: Jazz send a conditional 2nd (that never conveyed) for Eric Paschall (2021).
Most impactful: Honestly, the 2013 salary dump trade is probably the most impactful Jazz-Warriors trade of all time, and it’s value is still active. Part of the trade’s yield was Hood, who turned into Crowder, who helped the Jazz land Mike Conley, who was part of the package Utah assembled to get a 2027 Lakers 1st. So that trade is at least partially responsible for producing 10 years of really good Jazz players, including an All-Star appearance for Conley, as well as an active and potentially premium asset. (Trading an injured Bernard King at low value and watching him be a 4-time All-Star elsewhere isn’t a Wilkins-level “what if,” but it deserves mention here.)
Other trades: Bought into late 2nd round for Miye Oni; traded three expendable young guards for Derek Fisher; acquired Marshall for a 1st in a 4-team trade; acquired Todd Fuller for a 2nd; dealt King for Wayne Cooper and a 2nd.
Most recent: Jazz move Tibor Pleiss’ salary at the cost of two 2nds (2016).
Most impactful: Without a doubt, the most impactful Jazz-Sixers trade is the one that finally gave Karl Malone and John Stockton a third quasi-star to make two straight Finals runs. The Jazz traded Jeff Malone and a 1st for Jeff Hornacek and a 2nd. Hornacek shot nearly 43% from outside as a Jazzman and was the third best player for the franchise’s best stretch.
Other trades: Acquired Korver (the first time) for Gordan Giricek and a 1st; traded up in 2nd round for Kyrylo Fesenko; traded out of 2005 draft and eventually selected Ante Tomic; deferred 1998 pick to eventually select Quincy Lewis.
Most recent: Jazz acquire a lightly protected LAL 1st for veterans in a 3-team deal (2023).
Most impactful: The Jazz originally acquired Dantley from the Lakers, in exchange for Spencer Haywood, whom they had just landed from New York. This was a gutsy move; Haywood had been a 5-time All-Star and averaged 24.0 in the final half season the Jazz spent in New Orleans. Dantley, on the other hand, was an intriguing but mercurial 5-year pro. It worked out, though: only the statues have more All-Star appearances representing the Jazz than AD’s six, and he has the highest scoring average in Jazz history (29.6).
Other trades: Flipped Patrick Beverley for Talen Horton-Tucker; traded up two spots to select Bradley; acquired Ron Boone for a 3rd round pick.
Most recent: Jazz get a guaranteed 1st for Royce O’Neale (2022).
Most impactful: This is so easily the Deron Williams trade. Here’s what that trade yielded: Derrick Favors, top 5 in Jazz seasons and rebounds; Devin Harris, who later netted Marvin Williams; Kanter, who later yielded a bunch of stuff including the pick that got them Rubio; and a pick they’d later use to trade up for Burke.
Other trades: Got $3M for moving back in the 2nd round (Marcus Paige); sent injured Mehmet Okur for a 2nd; traded Kelley for King.
Most recent: Jazz trade back to select Jared Butler, get two extra 2nds (2022).
Most impactful: Whatever misgivings some fans may have about how that particular era ended, the Conley deal was a ridiculously impactful deal for Utah. His presence elevated Utah to a regular season win-producing machine, and might have made them a first-tier contender if they had ever reached the playoffs fully healthy in the Conley era. (Bogdanovic missed the bubble playoffs, Conley was a shell of himself in the 2021 playoffs, and Joe Ingles was hurt and traded before that group’s final postseason salvo in 2022.) The beloved guard became the 15th Jazz All-Star. Korver was effectively a salary dump by that point, so the cost was basically Crowder, Grayson Allen, and two picks, one of which they got back later anyway (Kessler).
Other trades: Deferred a 2nd, eventually taking Joel Bolomboy; traded Ronnie Brewer for a 1st (later used to acquire Jefferson); 5-team trade brought Greg Ostertag back for injured youngsters.
Most recent: Jazz attach a 2nd to remove Oni’s salary (2022).
Most impactful: In recent history, the Thunder have been the front office the Jazz call when they’re ready to move on from a player: Oni, Favors, Matt Harpring… so it’s fitting that the most impactful trade here is the Kanter sell-off, where the Jazz acquired a 1st (became Rubio) and some other stuff in exchange for the disgruntled center.
Other trades: Spent a 1st to move Favors’ salary; attached rookie Eric Maynor to dump injured Harpring’s salary; 5-team trade brought Ostertag back for injured youngsters.
Most recent: Jazz reacquire Mo Williams in a 4-team deal using just draft rights (2012).
Most impactful: The Jazz dealt their 2004 pick to Dallas to defer by a year, which became important when they used the resulting 2005 pick (Linas Kleiza) to trade up for Deron Williams. (Honestly, the Marshall acquisition was a more direct hit in terms of franchise impact, but I’m listing that elsewhere since the Mavs were barely involved.)
Other trades: Acquired Marshall for a 1st, Howard Eisley; swapped Allan Bristow and Wayne Cooper for Bill Robinzine; used 2nds to add Bill McKinney.
Most recent: Jazz get Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Juancho Hernangomez in a 3-team deal for injured Ingles (2022).
Most impactful: Not a ton of choices here, but Boris Diaw’s one-season stint in Utah was memorable enough that acquiring him for just Olivier Hanlan make this a fun one. The Ingles trade was objectively a more foundation-rocking event, but really after his injury it was kind of a foregone conclusion that the Jazz had to move him for math reasons.
Other trades: Swapped Jeff Wilkins for Marc Iavaroni; sent a 2nd to add Fred Roberts.
Most recent: 5-team trade brings Ostertag back for injured youngsters (2005).
Most impactful: This is where we’ll finally give the 4-team Marshall deal its full shine. Boston is the team that got the Jazz 1st in that deal, which made them comfortable sending Danny Fortson to Golden State so that the Warriors would be okay sending Marshall to Utah. Donyell didn’t quite extend the Jazz’s title window as folks had hoped, but he did average 17 and 9 over two seasons working alongside the Mailman.
Other trades: Traded Jay Humphries and a 2nd for Blue Edwards (2nd stint); got a 3rd round pick for Roberts.
Most recent: Jazz get Alexander-Walker and Hernangomez in a 3-team deal for injured Ingles (2022).
Most impactful: The initial trade-up deal to add 2-time Jazz all-leaguer Deron Williams was with Portland. Utah combined the #6 pick (Martell Webster) with #27 (Kleiza) and a future first to select a guard who would eventually get them back to the conference finals and who would land in the top 10 for Jazz win shares.
Other trades: Got cash for the #54 pick in 2015.
Most recent: Jazz trade a 2nd for Matt Thomas (2021).
Most impactful: The Jazz got Diante Garrett for Steve Novak and a 2nd, and we’ll go with that one as the most impactful Raptor swap since Garrett’s 71 total Jazz games eclipsed both Thomas (19) and Rafael Araujo (28).
Other trades: Jazz swap Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley for Araujo.
Most recent: Jazz get cash for the #54 pick (2018).
Most impactful: When the Jazz absorbed Glen Rice’s salary in 2003, they got a 1st (which they’d parlay into an extra asset for the DW trade later) and two 2nds. That beats out the only other real contender in terms of Jazz-Rockets deals that mattered: the reacquisition of Mo Williams that only barely involved Houston, and that only served to make the 2012-13 slightly more competitive as they delayed an inevitable rebuild.
Other trades: Reacquired Williams for draft rights to international player.
Most recent: 3-team deal lands Crowder in Utah (for Hood, Joe Johnson) (2018).
Most impactful: I made the silly rule for myself that the same trade can’t count as the “most impactful” in two teams’ sections, so I’m choosing the Crowder deal here so that I can save the Jeff Malone acquisition for another trade partner. Crowder gave the Jazz some toughness on the wing they needed early on in Mitchell’s career, before they eventually decided to trade in some defense for offense.
Other trades: Acquired Keon Clark for virtually free; got Jeff Malone for a 1st and two rotational guys.
Most recent: 3-team deal lands Utah Shelvin Mack for a 2nd (2016).
Most impactful: For the price of a 2nd round pick, Chicago cooperated to give Utah a trade exception when Carlos Boozer left as a free agent. That was meaningful because they’d use that same exception later in the offseason to acquire Jefferson, who would average 18.5 over three Jazz seasons.
Other trades: Traded Rickey Williams for Wilbur Holland.
Most recent: Jazz trade DeShawn Stevenson and a 2nd for Gordan Giricek (2004).
Most impactful: Somehow, the Jazz got a 1st round pick in exchange for 18-mpg center Felton Spencer in a 1996 trade with Orlando. That pick became the #24 selection in 1999, a fellow by the name of Andrei Kirilenko. AK remains top five in franchise minutes, steals, blocks, value over replacement, win shares, all-defense selections, Russian novels read, and goofy smiles.
Other trades: Traded up one spot to select Curtis Borchardt.
Most recent: Jazz acquire #39 Elijah Hughes on draft night for cash and a future 2nd (2020).
Most impactful: The Jazz could have cut Favors with non-guaranteed money in 2019, but decided to do right by the longtime Jazz big and find a team that wanted him. They got two 2nds for doing so; one of them they later used to acquire the fairly inconsequential Matt Thomas, but the other one was part of the asset grease they applied to turn Exum into Clarkson.
Other trades: n/a
Most recent: Jazz attach two 2nds to get off of Ed Davis’ contract (2020).
Most impactful: Almost by default, we’ll go with the 2020 draft trade where Utah moved back from #23 to #27 to select Udoka Azubuike, and got a decent 2nd in the process. They’d use the extra second later to get out from under Tony Bradley. Honestly the Davis contract dump might be as impactful, because it enabled the Jazz to sign Favors in the 2020 offseason — and later they’d need to spend a first to move that salary, too. So apparently this is the “salary-dumping centers” portion of the column.
Other trades: n/a
Most recent: Jazz trade into the late 2nd round to draft Jarrell Brantley (2019).
Most impactful: The Jazz acquired George Hill in a 3-team trade in an attempt to give Hayward some support in his final season heading into free agency. Hill had a positive on-court impact, but he sparked a hundred or so hours of talk radio “what is leadership” debate when he called Gobert out publicly for, well, calling people out publicly. He also he missed a lot of big games. Ultimately, Hill’s tenure lasted exactly one season and didn’t do much to persuade Hayward to stick around.
Other trades: n/a
Most recent: Jazz get a 2nd for Burke (2016).
Most impactful: This is where we’ll recognize the Jeff Malone acquisition, since he came by way of the then-Bullets. The Jazz got the 2-time All-Star for career 7.5-ppg scorer (up to that point) Bob Hansen, low-minute reserve Eric Leckner, a bad 1st and two bad 2nds, and Malone instantly came in and gave the Jazz some scoring zip. He also later turned into Hornacek, a wildly important part of the Jazz’s core during the Finals years.
Other trades: n/a
Most recent: Jazz bring back Williams for nothing but draft rights (2012).
Most impactful: The Mo deal is both the most recent and most meaningful Jazz-Clipper trade ever. Williams’ return to the club that drafted him didn’t dramatically alter the course of franchise history; he was only back for a 46-game season during the lockout year, and the Jazz weren’t super relevant at the time. But the alternative was even less impactful…
Other trades: Traded Jason Hart for Brevin Knight.
Most recent: Jazz reacquire Ostertag in a 5-team trade (2005).
Most impactful: The Jazz threw the Clayton brothers for a loop in 1996 when they announced to the draft-night arena crowd (we were in it) that they were drafting Martin Muursep. Turns out they were deferring that pick and would eventually draft 13-year pro DeShawn Stevenson in 2000. That’s impactful enough (D-Stev appeared in 222 Jazz games), but also he later turned into Giricek, who (along with a pick) turned into Korver. A full decade of Jazz shooting guards from that one transaction.
Other trades: n/a
Most recent: Jazz get two firsts for absorbing Tom Gugliotta (2004).
Most impactful: The above is the most consequential Jazz-Suns trade ever, both by default and because one of those picks turned into NBA All-Star and 9th leading franchise scorer Gordon Hayward. Meanwhile, neither of the players the Jazz sent in that deal ever played another NBA game.
Other trades: n/a
Most recent: Jazz acquire Jay Humphries and Larry Krystkowiak for Blue Edwards, Eric Murdock and a 1st (1992).
Most impactful: In Humphries, the Jazz acquired a high-quality backup point guard who sometimes playing alongside Hall of Famer John Stockton at the two. They also later traded him to bring Edwards back, this time from Boston. Krystkowiak had less of an impact on the Jazz’s trajectory, but did later become the coach at nearby University of Utah.
Other trades: n/a
Most recent: Jazz trade Kelly Tripucka for Mike Brown (1988).
Most impactful: The Hornets have the distinction of having gone the longest without a trade involving Utah: since June 1988. Tripucka was coming off two down years so the most Utah could get for him was a low-minute backup center. But Brown eventually turned into Felton Spencer, who was later traded for the pick that became Kirilenko. So this was fairly eventful, keeping an asset from the Dantley trade (Tripucka) active all the way to 2011 when AK moved on.
Other trades: n/a
One more fun note about this Charlotte trade: technically the franchise that made that 1988 deal with Utah was the one that moved to New Orleans in 2002. So you could technically argue that the Jazz have never traded with the present-day Charlotte team, except that the NBA officially reassigned the 1988-2002 history of the Hornets back to the 2004 expansion team when Charlotte rejoined the Association. Clear as mud? Bottom line: while the team that send Brown to Utah eventually morphed into the present-day Pelicans, in league history this counts as having traded with Charlotte.
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