Trade Deadline Writer Huddle: Fontecchio Dealt, Ideal Olynyk Package & More

One of these Jazzman was just dealt for second-round draft capital; another a constant fixture in trade rumors. (Trent Nelson, The Salt Lake Tribune)

As the hours tick away on NBA trade season, a panel of Salt City Hoops writers got together to talk about expected returns, emotional attachments, and even react to the trade news that broke late morning on Wednesday.

If Kelly Olynyk is indeed traded, do you prefer a package built around multiple seconds, or a younger rotation player?

David J. Smith: Whatever happens, Olynyk has been a terrific veteran and leader for the Jazz. He played a major, complementary role helping Lauri Markkanen emerge the way he has. If he’s indeed traded, a packaged involving multiple seconds makes a lot of sense, given how the Jazz’s cupboard of those picks is relatively bare. You never know when a second-round pick can help a bigger trade go through. Obviously if someone offers a late first-round pick, that is a no-brainer. Matching salary would have to come to Utah, but I think the Jazz would seek expiring contracts in return. If they got someone who intrigued them, that’d be the cherry of top.

Mark Russell Pereira: Multiple 2nds. I have been convinced that having a bucket of 2nds is valuable to open up protecting first round picks in bigger trades, facilitating smaller deals to build around a star, etc. Not every trade can be a slam dunk for a star involving multiple first round picks; to build a complete team, you need to find multiple ways to add decent non-star rotation players. And, weirdly, until Utah added a 2024 in the trade we’ll discuss next, they didn’t own a second round pick until 2029. (I still think giving the 2nds to Minnesota in the Mike Conley deal last year was unnecessary). The Jazz need to add some 2nds to diversify what kind of trades they can make down the road. The fact that a young rotation player exists means that his contract is already tolling. And we’ve seen time and time again that known flaws just don’t magically solve themselves with ‘development.’ Of course, flaws come in all shapes and sizes, and so do second round picks. There are good 2nds, perfunctory joke 2nds (top-55 protected), unknown 2nds that convey eleven thousand years from now… the list goes on.

Riley Gisseman: We love to pair hypotheticals in vague this-or-that wording, but so much of what is important surrounding trade deadlines like this is the specifics of the hypothetical. I see a number of scenarios where I would prefer a pick to a player, but a number of others where I’d prefer the player over the pick. To answer the question more directly, I’d prefer the Jazz retain cap space so if value was equal, I’d lead toward the picks.

Zarin Ficklin: The Jazz are well stocked with first-round picks, but lacking seconds. Having a few lower-value assets can be nice to grease the wheels on future deals that just aren’t quite balanced. It depends on how many veterans end up getting moved, but if Olynyk were the only player traded, Taylor Hendricks could be a minutes recipient.

Is the trade return for Simone Fontecchio in line with what you expected?

Mark: The Simone trade wildly exceeded my expectations. The pick they acquired — guaranteed to be an early 2nd — is arguably more useful than a late 1st, given that a team can be much more creative with contracts for early second round picks. And the quality of players between, say, 25 and 35 isn’t all that different. Contenders were probably offering real 2024 or 2025 2nd round picks, which as I describe above are useful and a fair return. Tech has played so well that he actually might have priced himself out of Utah’s plans for the future with his new contract coming due this summer at a time when the Jazz want a cleaner cap sheet. So Utah gets a legitimately solid asset for a player that might’ve left in 5 months anyway. Simone’s RFA rights aren’t all that useful for an older, decent rotation player who doesn’t have blue chip potential.

Zarin: I’m fine with the Fontecchio return. I would have liked to see the Jazz try to retain him, but I’m glad they received a quality pick in return. A pair of late second-rounders would have been disappointing, but instead they’ll get a pick that currently factors to be 32nd overall. In some ways an early second-rounder can be preferable to a late 1st due to the contract structure, especially now that the league and Player’s Union created a second-round pick exception. Added context is that perhaps Utah didn’t want to shell out whatever Fontecchio’s next contract could have been, and now a path is opened up for Hendricks to find more playing time.

David: I openly admit to being wrong about Fontecchio, one of the best Jazz-related stories this season. He has stepped up as a solid 3-and-D guy who does little things to help a team succeed. Danny Ainge and Justin Zanik could choose to sell while his value is high, and thus preemptively guard against potentially pricey offer sheets. I expected multiple second-round picks; the Jazz wound up with one really good second-rounder plus the draft rights to a recent second-round selection.

Riley: When the Jazz decided against moving Conley and Jordan Clarkson and instead traded Bojan Bogdanovic for Olynyk, they signaled clearly that they would be attempting to “build from the middle.” What’s unique about that framework is that you’re constantly attempting to grow value through short-term plays, then hold onto that value growth when it occurs. That means stacking your team with players who can grow quickly, like Fontecchio and fellow starter Kris Dunn, and then converting on that value. Developing talent like this can provide as much value as (if not more value than) what is gained by losing a few extra games to improve your draft position. Simone is the type of signal-piece that Aron Baynes was during Ainge’s Celtics tenure. Baynes was a minimum-salary signing before adding value for a couple of years and then being traded for the pick that ultimately was used to select Desmond Bane. Boston moved that pick in the interim, but the point is that Fontecchio is a fantastic example of developing someone into a real asset. Now the Jazz can attempt this process with a new player, including potentially the two second-round pieces they acquired in this deal (Gabriele Procida and the 2024 selection).

If Jordan Clarkson is dealt this week, what will Jazz fans miss the most about #00?

Riley: Personally, I’ll miss Jordan’s heart above all else. Jordan brings something unique to the team in his love for life. It’s easy top think through his tenure and come up with 5-10 different moments where you realize, “Man, I just love this guy.” A few that come to mind are his interview where he played Tears for Fears for the reporters in response to Utah’s #1 seeding, an on-the-street interview where he was unrecognized and told the reporter in stride that he goes to “a lot” of Jazz games, or the number of interviews where he brought his daughter out. He’ is just an awesome person and it would leave a big hole in the heart of the Jazz organization to see him gone.

David: When the Jazz traded Dante Exum for Clarkson in December 2019, I felt lukewarm about his prospects. Up to that point, he was a marginal player whose playing style was not my favorite. But he quickly won me — and the rest of Jazz nation — over with his fearless play, his charisma and his innate ability to score. Clarkson injected the second unit with life and brought a scorer this team needed. He made big shots, embraced Utah, chose to re-sign here, and garnered Sixth Man of the Year honor. He also evolved into a good facilitator for this more recent version of the team. Whatever happens this week or potentially in the offseason, Clarkson will remain an all-time fan favorite for Jazz faithful.

Mark: I have expressed my annoyance with Jordan Clarkson’s game a lot, but here’s another fact: Clarkson has been my laptop desktop background ever since Donovan Mitchell got traded, and this is still my phone lock screen photo. Yes, that’s from last season and is showing the schedule from November 2022. I don’t care. The photo is quintessential Jordan Clarkson cool vibes in dribble form while the best jersey the Jazz have ever had. The spirit he brought to this team would be forever missed. In general, players as worldly and interesting as Clarkson don’t choose to come to Utah. Clarkson did, twice, with his two extensions. I don’t think we appreciate how rare that is.

Zarin: Perhaps the word most associated with Clarkson’s Jazz tenure is “vibes.” This manifested in his fashion choices, his casual “Yeah, a lot” response to a reporter, and the “It’s Jordan Clarkson time” meme that sums up his smooth confidence. Both on and off the court, Clarkson has a signature swagger that ingratiated him to fans.

Who’s an under-discussed, non-star trade target you think would be a good addition?

Zarin: Jalen McDaniels had rumored interest from the Jazz in the past. He’s only playing 9 minutes per game and posting career-low numbers in several categories for the in-flux 76ers. He could be a buy-low candidate. I’ve also been a fan of Delon Wright for quite some time. While Dunn and Keyonte George have shored up the point guard position, should a Jazz guard be moved, Wright would be nice veteran to have on the roster.

Mark: This is such a hard question because the possibilities are endless. But I think Markelle Fultz is an interesting name to watch for Utah. Orlando needs perimeter scoring, and I could see Clarkson being swapped for Fultz and a small sweetener (this could, amazingly, involve the return of Joe Ingles). Fultz’s contract is expiring, but he could probably be re-signed at a fair price. He is also far removed from his total bottoming out as an offensive scoring option. He’s still not good at putting the ball in the bucket, but he’s not awful. He had a nice, season-long improvement to his efficiency last year (he has regressed a bit this year but also hasn’t played very many games). Fultz would be a great fit alongside players like Markkanen and Walker Kessler, who depend a lot on quality passing for efficient baskets, and Collin Sexton, who benefits greatly from playing alongside a facilitator type that can also take more difficult defensive assignments. 

Riley: Otto Porter Jr. is interesting to me. He’s fallen out of the rotation in Toronto, but he’s only 30, younger than both Clarkson and Olynyk. He’s essentially risk-free with an expiring contract. If Toronto would like to take a shot on a younger guy like Talen Horton-Tucker, I’d be interested.

David: PJ Washington is a versatile guy with upside on both ends of the floor, and his contract is relatively modest. Could he be had? Utah has been connected with Quentin Grimes before. He’s the type of guard I could see the Jazz making a play for. Deni Avdija is another who might benefit from a change in scenery. He’s had himself a nice season, but perhaps Will Hardy could bring even more in him. And is Jalen Green truly available? What about the Spurs’ Keldon Johnson? Others on my mind include De’Andre Hunter, Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, Josh Green, Moses Moody, Caleb Martin and Kenrich Williams.

Which Jazz player currently out of the rotation are you most excited to see benefit from potentially available minutes if the Jazz deal away some rotation guys?

David: When Taylor Hendricks started to earn playing time earlier this season, it was rocky at first. But it was extremely encouraging how quickly he acclimated as time went on. He’s the versatile defender Utah desperately needs. The fact that he also has a beautiful jumper only enhances that. Hendricks needs to work on a lot: namely his ball handling, passing, and consistent rebounding effort. Freeing up time for him ought to be a major consideration as Utah navigates this trade deadline.

Riley: Is there really a valid answer besides Taylor Hendricks? His short rotation sting in December wasn’t only exciting, it was impactful. The Jazz harbored a miserable 123 defensive rating in the seven games from 12/2 to 12/16, but Hendricks’ 147 minutes tallied the lowest defensive rating on the team at 111.7 (versus 128.2 when he wasn’t playing). Something to look out for: the Jazz played 64% of their defensive possessions in zone in the last three games with Hendricks, and it’s primarily been the safety valve since then. Hendricks and Kessler had obvious chemistry within the zone, and I’m excited to see the string between them again. Beyond the defensive end, Hendricks has quickly risen to being one of the most important players to the SLC Stars’ offense, too. Their offensive rating soars by nearly 10 points with him on the court. He’s been shooing 36% on guarded threes and 40% on unguarded ones in the G League.

Zarin: Hendricks. With the Jazz in the play-in mix, and Hendricks’ developing skills, I’m not surprised he’s been outside the rotation thus far. It’s not dissimilar to Ochai Agbaji last season, who played more in the G League until after the trade deadline. We know Hardy won’t just gift minutes to a young player because of their draft position, so let’s hope that Hendricks is ready for a role should trades leave an opening.

Mark: Everyone’s answer is rightfully Hendricks, but I’m almost scared that he’ll get on the floor and still look very far away. Just to add another name to think about, I’m intrigued about Jason Preston, who Utah signed to a two-way contract last month. The former Mid-American Conference superstar stat-filler had a very rocky road with the Clippers at the start of his career, littered with injuries and an impossible path to playing time. He was quickly scooped up for a G League assignment in Memphis last summer, and returned to his box score-stuffing ways. He’s a lead-ish guard who also does a lot of the little things that back-rotation guys need to stick in the NBA. I’d like to see him on an NBA floor if Utah’s backcourt thins out.