Trade season is upon us and the Utah Jazz could be one of the more active teams across the NBA. Here’s my look at the team’s best trades over the years.
What a difference a year makes.
Heading into the 2017 NBA trade deadline, the Utah Jazz were in a pretty sweet spot. The team was 10-plus games above .500, Gordon Hayward was set to represent Utah in the All-Star Game and GM Dennis Lindsey was looking at deals to bolster the roster for a playoff push. Just one year later, the Jazz are on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Lindsey figures to be more active this time around, but a postseason appearance this season may not be the end-game. Instead, collecting assets, building for next year (and the year after that) and seeking a return for free agents-to-be Derrick Favors and Joe Johnson could be the goals.
And yet, Utah may just be a timely trade, a Rudy Gobert return and a solid 10-15 game run from getting back into the mix for the eighth seed.
NBA basketball is bananas, man.
Whatever happens come deadline day on February 8, there’s no questioning the fact that the Jazz have been able to turn tides in the past with some savvy deal-making. The team has never had the reputation as a wheeler-dealer organization, but they’ve hit more than one home run on the trade market.
Here are the seven best trades in Jazz history, as evaluated by yours truly…
Next: The 'Other' Malone