With the 2017 NBA trade deadline looming, here’s a look at which player on each NBA squad would make the most sense in a deal with the Utah Jazz.
While the All-Star break and its related activities are all entertaining and highly anticipated events, I don’t believe it’s a stretch to say that for many diehard NBA fans, the most exciting part of the break is actually the trade deadline.
Teams have until 3:00 pm ET on February 23rd to finalize moves that could potentially change and shape their destinies for the end of the season and beyond. So much speculation and a seemingly endless amount of rumors seem to float around in the weeks and months leading up to the deadline and it’s always exhilarating to see what becomes of them.
The Utah Jazz are no exception as they like most other teams have been tied in on some of those rumors as well. First it was reported by ESPN’s Marc Stein that the Cleveland Cavaliers were interested in Shelvin Mack. Then Keith Smith of RealGM and FanRag Sports announced that Utah was looking to bolster its roster in order to make a playoff push.
Since then, there have been several other less-founded rumors roaming the web and social media such as speculation about Derrick Favors and mentions of a possible connection tying Utah to Kevin Love, for example.
Beyond that, our own Ryan Aston was quick to share his thoughts about the need for Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey to make a move and I agree with his sentiments.
Of course it’s often hard to separate fact from fiction when dealing with trade rumors and nothing is for certain until the transaction is actually completed. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s exciting to dream, speculate and predict.
Therefore, with rumors following every team in some shape or form, I thought it would be fun to take a look at which player on each NBA squad would be the most likely and fitting target for our beloved Utah Jazz. To be honest, not every team has a player that would be all that compatible, while other teams may have one or two.
Bear in mind that while compiling this list, I’ve put heavy prominence on selecting players that are reportedly on the trading block or that have a high likelihood of being moved for one reason or another. For example, of course LeBron James would be an ideal target for any team, but there’s no way that Cleveland would trade him so including him on this list would be futile.
So without further ado, given the quite realistic possibility that the Jazz will do some serious exploration around the league to look for options to better themselves for the final stretch of the season, here’s a look at the top trade option they could pursue in a deal with every team.