NBA Trade Deal Proposals for the Utah Jazz

What Should Utah do at the Trade Deadline?

The answer is hopefully nothing. The obvious exception is a long-term injury to one of the core pieces, but even in that case this early run of injuries (72 games missed) has proven the system is capable of adjusting to different players’ strengths.

Here is the one interesting point that could lead the Jazz to the phone lines in February. Let’s imagine that Ingles continues this incredible shooting which provides the Jazz with unique roster flexibility. As we covered before his ability to defend three positions allows for Utah to switch on defense and maintain offensive fire power when Hayward, Hood, and Hill are off the floor.

While all that is going on Alec Burks is going to come back and hopefully soon. For those of you that don’t remember, Burks was averaging 14 points per game with a 40-38-82 split. But those numbers were with him as the 3rd banana after Hayward and Favors. Now he would find himself somewhere after Hayward, Hill, Hood, and Favors.

Utah has invested heavily in Burks and believes he still has a place on this team. He will probably step in and take over the Joe Johnson and back up PG minutes but Ingles has taken over the role he presumably would have filled. It isn’t hard to foresee a time where Burks’ biggest asset is his trade value.

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Big wings (Alec is 6’6″ remember) who can score in this league will always have a market. If Burks puts together several weeks of solid play where he establishes his athleticism and that he is still the player he was before all of his lost time to injury, he could easily draw a first round pick from a playoff bound team. That is a trade this Utah team could make.

But for now, more than likely, we can expect the usual from this Dennis Lindsey-led organization. A slow and steady burn.