Which Players Could the Utah Jazz Most Afford to Trade?

Alec Burks

Honestly, when Rodney Hood and Joe Ingles are playing well, and upon considering the tough financial decisions the Jazz will have to make in the near future regarding their young core, it makes a lot of sense to look at options for moving Alec Burks.

There’s no denying he’s a good player who’s capable of electrifying the offense, but he’s also been so injury-prone that he’s literally had no impact on Utah’s success this season. That isn’t a knock against him as a player, but it’s just become quite evident that while perhaps it would be nice insurance to have a healthy Alec Burks, the Jazz don’t need him in order to be a threat in the West.

Maybe that will change in the upcoming month or so if Burks is able to get healthy and become an integral part of the bench, but to this point he’s definitely not a crucial piece to Utah’s solid play, particularly with several capable wings on the Jazz roster playing well.

However, the tricky thing is that while Burks certainly had the potential to be a coveted trade prize when he signed his four-year extension with the Jazz in 2014, his inability to stay healthy has dropped that value immensely. Unless Burks can show some promising glimmer of his former self in coming weeks, it’s not likely at all that the Jazz will be able to get much value for him.

Nevertheless, hypothetically speaking, if some team was willing to bite on Burks, the Jazz would do well to move him for someone who could make an instant impact (even if it was just short-term) all the while alleviating their pay roll significantly so they can focus on extending the likes of Derrick Favors and George Hill.