The Utah Jazz are looking to find instant-impact players this summer.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the Jazz are expected to explore trading the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NBA draft and some of their future first-round picks for “star talent.” The movement is reportedly at the behest of Jazz owner Ryan Smith, who wants the team to start competing.
A win-now trade would be a bit of an about-face for the Jazz, who traded Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell two summers ago to undergo a full-scale rebuild. Utah surprised many with a 37-45 record in 2022-23 but regressed to a 31-51 record this season.
The roster remains a bit of a hodgepodge of middling veterans and young talent surrounding All-Star Lauri Markkanen. Last summer’s acquisition of John Collins already looks like a bust, and Collin Sexton has largely stagnated as a player. With the Collins-Sexton pairing taking up nearly $45 million in cap space, it’s not an easy avenue to build around Markkanen.
The Jazz have a slew of future first-round picks and pick swaps left over from the Mitchell and Gobert trades they can offer teams as part of any blockbuster. However, they have next to nothing in terms of tradeable young assets. Walker Kessler stagnated after a promising rookie season, and Taylor Hendricks did not flash much beyond role-player potential in his first NBA campaign.
There is also the question of whether trading assets is smart given Utah is not a premier location. Smaller markets like Oklahoma City and San Antonio have built their rosters through the draft first and strategic trading second.
With a promising pool of talent in next year’s NBA draft, it might behoove the Jazz to be patient this summer before striking next.
