2 way-too-early trades Jazz must pull off in 2023-24 NBA season
09/18/2023 12:35 PM
The Utah Jazz have to enter the 2023-24 NBA season feeling pretty good about themselves. The franchise is coming off a surprising season in which it nearly earned a playoff spot despite trading away cornerstones Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Lauri Markkanen earned the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award while averaging 25.6 points per game, while Jordan Clarkson averaged a career-high 20.8 points per game.
With a young core of exciting players, Utah will be a dangerous team this upcoming season. Here are a pair of trades that can make this team even better this year:
Moving on from Collin Sexton
Utah Jazz get: Bobby Portis, Grayson Allen, 2024 second-round pick, 2027 second-round pick,
Milwaukee Bucks get: Collin Sexton
While the Utah Jazz are centered around the play of their big men, they still get a large chunk of their scoring from the backcourt. Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton were the second and third-leading scorers on the team last season, combining for more than 35 PPG. The trouble is, neither functions as a true point guard. Sexton and Clarkson both function as scorers first rather than passers and have weak assist-to-turnover ratios. Putting Clarkson at shooting guard works, but Collin Sexton only averaged 2.9 APG last season in 48 games at point guard for Utah.
The Jazz already have a pair of 20 PPG scorers in Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson, plus another high-usage player in Colin Sexton. With so many scorers, the Jazz need a facilitator for others. Clarkson and Sexton were also liabilities defensively. Both had Defensive Ratings of 120, putting them in the bottom 10 percent of all NBA players. The Jazz ranked 23rd out of 30 NBA teams in 2022-23 in defensive rating. Utah needs a point guard who can distribute and hold their own defensively. Kris Dunn can provide that off the bench, but is he worthy of 30 minutes nightly for a playoff contender? That is what this trade idea by NBA Analysis Network suggests, as the Jazz get Bobby Portis, Grayson Allen, and a pair of second-round picks from the Bucks
Yes, the Jazz already have Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, Walker Kessler, and Kelly Olynyk, but Portis solidifies the frontcourt depth by providing versatile scoring, leadership, and significant playoff experience. As for Allen, he improves a Jazz team that ranked 19th out of 30 teams in three-point percentage a season ago while providing similar veteran know-how. This trade is a great haul for a player who does not really fit into this current Jazz squad.
Utah Jazz Receive: Kyle Lowry, 2028 First-Round Pick
Miami Heat Receive: Collin Sexton, Kelly Olynyk
In this trade idea also proposed by NBA Analysis Network, the Jazz use their frontcourt depth to acquire a veteran point guard. The Jazz already have three-point big men Lauri Markkanen and John Collins, so having a third tall floor-spacer in Kelly Olynyk is a bit redundant. Utah should be using Olynyk as trade bait alongside Sexton to acquire a point guard who more seamlessly fits into Utah’s system.
Kyle Lowry is a bit of a risk considering he is 37 years old and has played just under 70% of regular season games over the last three seasons. He is also someone who averaged 6.7 assists per contest during that period while hitting 37% of his three-point attempts. Plus, the Jazz also get a future first-round pick in return. Like the previous deal, this trade gives Utah a solid veteran player with playoff experience who can help take this team to the next level.
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