Utah Jazz: Eight potential trade targets (and how realistic they truly are)

George Hill

Now here’s a well-known name! Jazz fans are all too familiar with point guard George Hill who declined Utah’s extension offers last season only to go on to sign a mediocre deal with a dismal Sacramento Kings team. Man, hindsight can be painful sometimes, especially considering that, regardless of your opinion on George Hill following the contract and injury aftermath of last season, there’s no denying that both he and the Jazz would be better off had he stayed.

And recent comments from Hill make it appear that he’s well aware of that and is in fact kicking himself for turning down the extension in the first place (maybe that’s how he suffered the toe injury in last year’s playoffs?!). This George Hill quote below from the following Sacramento Bee piece pretty much sums things up.

And this is far from the first time that Hill has expressed dissatisfaction in Sacramento, which has led to Hill already becoming a frequent mention in early trade rumors. Despite a disappointing season thus far with the Kings, he’s still shooting exceptionally well from deep at a career-high 46.9 percent and, as he proved last season, could absolutely thrive in the appropriate system and situation.

As unlikely as it is to happen, I believe the Utah Jazz still have such a system. I may be in the minority here, but I would take George Hill back on the Jazz in a heartbeat. If Utah could somehow bamboozle the Kings into taking Rubio in order to get Hill back, I’d do it without hesitation. Not only was Hill extremely effective in Utah aside from his somewhat freak injuries, but his highly criticized contract really isn’t that bad, especially when considering that the third year has only a tiny portion that’s guaranteed.

For better or for worse, though, I think there’s plenty of reasons why the Jazz won’t go after Hill even though he’s almost certainly on the trade block. First of all, I think that much to the chagrin of several Jazz fans, the organization is committed to Rubio for at least the duration of his current contract. Furthermore, it appears that Hill may have very well burned some bridges both with the front office and the players by turning down the extension offers then failing to play in the final three games of Utah’s second round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors.

Beyond that, although his contract isn’t all that bad, as I mentioned, he’s still a 31-year-old set to make $19 million next year. And, especially given that he would no longer fit into Utah’s long-term plans, I don’t see the Jazz wanting to pay that extra amount even for one year when they could potentially use that money more effectively elsewhere.

Therefore, while I personally miss George Hill and what he brought to the team immensely and wouldn’t mind having him back for the here and now, it’s not a move that’s likely to be made. In many ways, Hill only has himself (and I suppose his since-fired former agent) to blame. He had all the chances in the world to stay in a place where he could have thrived for a comparable amount of money. Instead he let it pass him by.

George Hill may very well be moved from Sacramento by the trade deadline, but I find it very unlikely that the Utah Jazz take much more than a passing glance at him.

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So while there may be several potential trade options in the works, as you can see from this list here, very few will likely fit what the Jazz and/or the players’ current teams are looking for. As much as we’d probably all like to see the Jazz make some major moves in the coming weeks, putting together a trade that makes a significant impact will likely be easier said than done.

Nevertheless, I’m more than certain that Dennis Lindsey and the rest of Jazz brass have plenty of irons in the fire and no shortage of tricks up their sleeve. You can rest assured that if the right opportunities present themselves, the Jazz will make a move.

As we draw nearer and nearer to that February 8th trade deadline, be sure to stay pinned to TheJNotes.com for the latest trade rumors, news and insights.