The NBA’s trade deadline is still almost six weeks away, which means the conversation around the league in this vein will persist through January and the early days of February.
That being said, if there are eyes on any number of specific teams in the league, the Utah Jazz are certainly one of those teams. Not only because of the knowledge that the current roster is expected to change as time passes. Not only because the Jazz have a number of high-quality veterans who would help a number of teams looking to contend. But, also because the Jazz, as a result of trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell this past offseason, have as many or more assets than any team in the league. When you have assets, and you have players you aren’t averse to moving, you become a part of a lot of conversations.
On Wednesday night, the Jazz suffered a 112-107 defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. They are now 19-18 on the season, and in the ninth spot in the Western Conference. They are 9-15 after a 10-3 start, although the context for that is that they haven’t had a full roster for most of those 24 games.
Utah’s spot in the standings has begged the question of whether the Jazz aim to be a buyer or a seller by the deadline. A chunk of Jazz fans want the team to bottom out in order to obtain a higher draft pick. But, the Jazz falling into that kind of contention seems very unlikely. The roster is too good, even if there were any hypothetical trades. Will Hardy has proven to be too good a coach. Lauri Markkanen is playing at an All-Star level, which means it’s unlikely that the Jazz fall into the realm of the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, or Charlotte Hornets.
Conversely, the Jazz aren’t likely to ascend to the top of the Western Conference, either. At their current rate, they are likely a play-in team. If they have a good second half to the season — the Jazz are almost at the halfway point of their schedule — they could even challenge for a top-six spot, which would make them an automatic playoff team. But it’s difficult to see them advancing in the playoffs. At least not without making a move that impacts the roster in a winning direction. And that’s what the teardown of the offseason was all about. The goal is to make this a team capable of contending for a championship.
Warriors forward Draymond Green blocks a shot attempt by Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen on Wednesday in San Francisco. (John Hefti/USA Today)
There’s nothing imminent, and the expectation is that this will be a slow-developing trade deadline around the league. The reason for this? The parity around the league, especially in the Western Conference, where every team in the top 10 has at least a .500 record. There’s no dominant team out west, either, where the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans are at the top of the conference at 22-12. Below the top 10 out west, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers want to and expect to make the postseason, in some form. And the Oklahoma City Thunder are a lot like the Jazz in that they have so many assets they can move in any direction on the chessboard.
So, teams haven’t really picked a way to go, which means the trade market is in a bit of gridlock as of Wednesday night. The Jazz have been mentioned as a team that’s had talks with the Atlanta Hawks about John Collins, but nothing appears imminent on that front.
What is accurate to say of Utah over the coming weeks is this: The Jazz expect to hold conversations around the league, just by the nature of how many assets they have. And the Jazz will make a trade, but only if that trade best serves them now and in the future. It would be the best deal, no matter which way that deal sends Utah for the remainder of the season.
To this point of the season, Jazz management feels that the team has performed above expectations. More importantly, there is data on players emerging as pieces that the franchise feels capable of building around. Obviously, Markkanen is someone the Jazz want with the franchise long term. He’s in the midst of having the best season of his career. He should be deep in the conversation for a berth in the upcoming All-Star game. Rookie center Walker Kessler has also been terrific this season.
Utah’s players and coaching staff should be commended for playing this well and doing so under difficult circumstances. On Saturday night, the Jazz will play the Miami Heat at Vivint Arena. That will be their 10th back-to-back this season, which will lead the league. The Jazz have played more on the road than they have at home, and they have played the most difficult manner of road schedule there is, meaning they play a few on the road and a few at home, which makes it feel like they are constantly living out of a suitcase. Despite that, the Jazz have won 19 games with the makeshift roster the front office put together after tearing down the Mitchell/Gobert team. They have been competitive on most nights, and they have been one of the most resilient teams in the league.
But the business of the NBA is what it is, and that’s something that the players also realize as well. What the Jazz actually end up doing over the next six weeks is still uncertain. But what they certainly plan to do is listen and take part in the conversations that will be had around the league.
Let the games begin off the court, so to speak.
(Photo of Jazz guard Collin Sexton on Wednesday in San Francisco: John Hefti / USA Today)
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