- Utah Jazz traded Collin Sexton to Charlotte for Jusuf Nurkic and a 2030 pick.
- Sexton averaged over 18 points, but Jazz chose a youthful direction with trade.
- Nurkic fills center need, allowing young guards more opportunities in upcoming season.
SALT LAKE CITY — What could be a busy offseason has started for the Utah Jazz.
And it turns out, Collin Sexton didn't have much trade value.
The young veteran point guard, whom the Jazz have kept around the last three tanking seasons, is finally on the move.
The return? Charlotte big man Jusuf Nurkic. Oh, and the Jazz had to attach a 2030 second-round pick to make the deal work.
Sexton spent three seasons with the Jazz after coming over from Cleveland in the Donovan Mitchell trade. In the last two seasons, he averaged over 18 points and shot around 40% from 3-point range as one of Utah's top offensive players.
Austin Ainge, Utah's new president of basketball operations, was clear that the Jazz would not be resting players or manipulating injury reports this upcoming season to manufacture outcomes.
But this move shows that the Jazz probably aren't trying to win, either.
Nurkic is 30 years old and — like Sexton — is on an expiring contract. He averaged 8.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in 51 games last season between the Phoenix Suns and Hornets. Nurkic has also played for the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers during his career.
At this point in his career, he is simply a reserve center. He's a serviceable player, but not someone who will move the needle when it comes to winning.
What he does is fill a positional need (Walker Kessler was the only true center on the roster before the deal; the Jazz see Kyle Filipowski as more of a four) and the move helps balance out the roster.
The deal opens up more runway for Utah's young guards, and it can be seen as a show of faith in guards Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier and new rookie Walter Clayton Jr.
"Oh, for sure," Clayton said when asked about the increased opportunity after the trade. "But I still think we've got a lot of great guards here. ... So definitely some work to put in."
But the most outstanding player of the 2025 Final Four will now have more of a chance to prove himself.
Sexton was one of a trio of veterans (along with Jordan Clarkson and John Collins) who have been in trade rumors over the last couple of seasons as the Jazz tiptoed between two timelines. By finally pulling the trigger on a trade, the Jazz seem to have finally chosen a lane — and it's the youthful one.
So expect the Jazz to make calls on Collins and Clarkson, as well. But that might be easier said than done. It doesn't seem like Utah's veterans are highly valued around the league. And that led to the apparent lopsided trade on Sunday.
