Options For The Utah Jazz With Dante Exum Out

Apr 4, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Miami Heat guard Mario Chalmers (15) drives to

the basket against Detroit Pistons forward Anthony Tolliver (43) during the first quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Making a Trade

If the Jazz make a trade, it is not going to be for a high-level starter like Mike Conley. They will likely look for a cheap veteran point who could play minutes this year and be good bench depth next year when Exum is back.

Garrett Temple

As Jody reported, the Jazz are interested in Garrett Temple. The Wizards guard makes a lot of sense on this Jazz team for many reasons. Quin Snyder was on the Spurs staff when Garrett was there in 2009-2010. If Quin knows him and wants to bring him back in, that should be a good sign.

Temple is a six-foot-six guard who is a versatile defender. He would be able to fit the defensive schemes of the Jazz nicely. Garrett does not have a good handle, so he would leave most of that up to the wings he plays with.

As Locke points out, Garrett uses a majority of his possessions to shoot threes or get the the free throw line. At 32.5 percent from behind the arc in his career, Garrett is essentially a three-and-D guy who is very ‘blah’ from three. If the Jazz bring in Temple it is because of his defense.

Mario Chalmers

Another option could be Mario Chalmers. Now, before you yell at me, let me explain. Chalmers is locked up for just $4.3 million next year. The Heat have Dragic and seem to be looking to move Chalmers. If the Jazz got him for a decent price, he makes sense.

Mario had a down year last year. He shot 29.4 percent from three, which was way below his career average. LeBron clearly made Chalmers better while he was there. I believe part of the reason is the system. Mario got a lot of open spot-up opportunities when LeBron was in Miami.

With Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood playing at the three in Utah, they could help create some shots for him like Lebron did, albeit to a much lesser extent.

Chalmers is a good shooter and decent passer. Chalmers is also an underrated defender. Yes, he gambles way too much. However, in 2014 Chalmers was eighth in defensive real plus-minus and he was 15th last year. Chalmers has also played in 99 playoff games. The entire Jazz roster has 21 combined career playoff games. So Chalmers could help some of the players know what they are in for.

No, trading for Chalmers would not be a ‘sexy’ deal. He is what he is at this point, as a 29-year-old. However, he would be a great guard to fill in this year. If the Jazz like what they see he could also be good insurance for when Trey Burke hits free agency.

Neither of these two trade targets are amazing, game-changing players. They both have warts, which is why they are second or third guards. However, the Jazz could look to pursue a player of this ilk if they want to increase their PG talent.

Next: Getting Clever with the Rotation