Utah Jazz trade deadline preview


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — With the trade deadline less than two weeks away, the Utah Jazz are actively evaluating trade possibilities to pursue once negotiating really begins after the All-Star game. Here's my evaluation of their current assets and their value on the trade market.

Too good to trade

1. Rudy Gobert

Rudy Gobert earns the top spot due to his incredible defensive impact: he's the best rim protector in the league, according to Nylon Calculus' rim protection stats, and unlike many rim protectors, he also makes a big impact on pick and roll defense. He's incredibly cheap for the next two seasons, after which the Jazz have the right to match any offer for a new contract for Gobert.

2. Derrick Favors

Derrick Favors, despite his better all-around game, just barely loses out to Gobert because of his higher salary now and that he'll be an unrestricted free agent sooner than Gobert. But not that soon: the Jazz have Favors locked up until 2018. They won't be trading him.

3. Gordon Hayward

Hayward has been the Jazz's most important player this season, as injuries to the previous two players have put a huge share of the offensive load on him. He's stepped up to match the situation presented. But Hayward has the opportunity to opt out of his contract in the summer of 2017, making things a little bit more uncertain for the Jazz or an acquiring team. But still note: the Jazz aren't going to trade Hayward unless an incredibly special offer comes along.

4. Dante Exum

Exum hasn't shown the level of the players above, yet. But the Jazz believe in the fifth pick to an incredible degree, and think he can become a special player once he returns from his ACL injury next year. The Jazz value Exum more highly than other teams do, because they've seen his output in practice and workouts. He won't be moved.

5. Rodney Hood

The Jazz have received many phone calls about Rodney Hood in recent weeks, and it's not hard to understand why: the second-year player has averaged over 20 points per game since the middle of January. But the Jazz love him too, and see him as the long-term solution as the starting shooting guard for the franchise.

Could be moved in the right deal

6. Trey Lyles

Trey Lyles is not a better player than Alec Burks right now, but his status as a rookie, and the cheap team control that goes with it, means that he's a more valuable asset in a trade. Lyles impressed league observers in his time in the starting lineup while the Jazz were without Favors and Gobert, and his fluid, versatile game makes it easy to imagine a spot for him on most rosters as he puts it together. The Jazz would need a lot in return to trade Lyles, but he hasn't earned "too good" status, not yet.

7. Alec Burks

Alec Burks is one of the NBA's best players at driving to the rim and getting fouled, the skill that forms the foundation of his value. That alone means he's desirable, but despite his "Houdini" highlights, he shoots only an average percentage around the rim, and he's not a terrific outside shooter. He's a solid on-ball defender, but struggles with discipline off the ball. He's locked up until the 2019 season, which is very nice, but the Jazz might move on if they feel they can get an impactful player out of the bargain.

8. The Jazz's own first-round picks

The Jazz are reluctant to move their own first-round picks, especially their future ones. Remember: Dennis Lindsey and Quin Snyder worked for the Spurs, and while they weren't around at the time, they saw firsthand how valuable your own pick can be in a season ruined by injury when they worked with Tim Duncan. The Jazz's picks represent an insurance policy in case something goes wrong, one the team would be pretty reluctant to give up.

9. Oklahoma City's 2018 first-round pick

This pick, acquired in the Enes Kanter trade, is lottery-protected for three drafts: 2018, 2019, and 2020. If the Thunder didn't make the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, the Jazz would receive two second-round picks. That limits the upside of this selection, but odds are that it will still turn into a first-round pick, meaning it has significant value in a trade negotiation.

10. Golden State's 2017 first round pick

The Jazz never imagined, when acquiring Golden State's 2017 unprotected first round pick in the summer of 2013, that the Warriors would become the juggernaut that they are today. But they seem unstoppable, and this pick looks like it'll end up as the 28th-30th selection in next year's draft. Even end-of-draft first round picks have more value than ever before, but this would be more valuable if it came from any other team.

11. Trey Burke

Burke has had a bounce-back season in 2015-16, one that's made his future in the NBA a lot more clear. He's been a terrific mid-range shotoer, and has been capable from the 3-point line. But his passing has declined for the third straight season, and while he's worked on his defense, it doesn't particuarly look like he'll ever be average on that end: he ranks just 81st out of 84 point guards according to ESPN's Real Plus-Minus on that end of the floor. Burke's minutes have decreased in recent weeks, losing out to a combination of Raul Neto's improved play and no-PG lineups. He might be the Jazzman that's most likely to be moved.

12. Jeff Withey

Despite getting minor minutes, Withey's shown his ability to be a game-changing rim protector, with his incredible timing at stopping shots. That's really his only talent, but it's a valuable one, and his minimum salary deal through this season and next means that any team in the NBA could acquire him.

13. Raul Neto

Raul Neto's started to show more confidence in recent weeks, which means that he's been a decent player on the offensive end, not just the defensive one. He's too athletically limited to have high potential, but he could carve out a career as a backup point guard in the NBA. He's under contract very cheaply for the next three seasons.

14. Joe Ingles

Jingles' overall numbers aren't great, but you can imagine him as fairly valuable to a contending team that needed a catch-and-shoot wing who isn't bad at the other stuff. He's under contract for this year and next.

Not very valuable

15. The Jazz's diverse array of second-round picks

The Jazz have seven second-round picks in the 2016 and 2017 NBA drafts, from various trades over the years. Given roster limits and the fact that there are only so many players worth a draft-and-stash, I suspect these second-round picks will be pretty available for teams to acquire in trades.

16. Trevor Booker

Trevor Booker's rebounding is valuable, but his shooting has been pretty yikes-worthy this year, and he's turning the ball over at a career-high rate. Booker's deal ends this summer, and it's hard to imagine a team clamoring to fit two months of Booker into their rotation.

17. Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson's value hasn't really increased over being a replacement-level free pickup last year. But he hustles, which is fun.

18. Tibor Pleiss

Pleiss, as nice as he is, might be the only guy on the Jazz's roster that has negative trade value. His 3-year, $3 million per year contract certainly doesn't break the bank, but he hasn't shown an ability to be an NBA difference maker with that guaranteed money. He's also already 26 years old, so it's hard to see much more development in his future.

Most recent Sports stories

Related topics

SportsUtah Jazz
Andy Larsen

    ARE YOU GAME?

    From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast