The NBA Trade Deadline is less than a month away, and that’s relevant for the Utah Jazz, but not because of who on their team can be traded, but because of who among their fellow tankers can trade. It’s possible they make a move or two, but pending any surprises, seismic changes like the Lauri Markkanen trade are highly unlikely. Furthermore, all signs point to Utah remaining as is when the deadline passes.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton confirmed this when we discussed where the Jazz are at the trade deadline.
“Utah’s deadline will likely be relatively quiet unless there is a trade involving All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen. Nurkic is Utah’s only starter headed to unrestricted free agency, and his $19.4 million salary makes him a tough player for contending teams to acquire via trade,” Pelton wrote.
The Jazz could be acquired at the deadline, but they currently sit sixth in the tank race, currently giving them a better than 96% chance of keeping their pick away from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Judging by the way they’ve been “resting” their starters on and off, it’s likely they want to at least keep it that way, as they likely want to shore up those odds as well.
So Utah probably won’t do anything major. This is a contrast from last year, when many wondered what they would do with Collin Sexton, John Collins and Jordan Clarkson. The Jazz got involved in a number of deals, and while those deals themselves were big (Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler), neither changed the Jazz’s fortunes much.
Nurkic, Kyle Anderson or Kevin Love could be traded, but it’s not like teams are eager to get one. Also, Utah won’t exactly play hard if anyone asks.
The Jazz haven’t been deadline buyers in a while
The last time the Jazz got involved in a trade that drastically changed their prospects was the first Russell Westbrook trade in 2023. That was mainly to bolster their tanking prospects, as they traded Mike Conley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley mainly to make themselves worse and capitalize on what they thought would be the Lakers’ demise in 2027.
Since then, all their transactions have been aimed at increasing their tanking chances or simply making the contracts work in other deals. The last time the Jazz made a deadline deal in hopes of winning was in 2018, when they made the vaunted Jae Crowder deal.
It was a brilliant deal because it didn’t cost them much, and it made a surprisingly great year all the more amazing. Considering how the last few years have gone, it’s hard not to be nostalgic for that era. The good news for Jazz fans is that this is the last year that Utah does nothing or makes itself worse.
At least, it should be that way for a while.
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