With the trade deadline drawing ever nearer, the Utah Jazz have ample options to consider among the NBA shooting guard ranks.
Earlier this week, my fellow J-Noter Ryan Aston explored potential Utah Jazz trade targets at the point guard position. Today, I’ll be moving down the lineup and looking at shooting guards that could fit the bill for the Utah Jazz. Although the Jazz are in a good spot at the shooting guard position with rising star Donovan Mitchell at that slot, there are a couple very feasible reasons why the Jazz could be targeting that very position.
First of all, while Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum and Raul Neto were all out with injury, Mitchell was slid into the point guard position and he absolutely thrived. It was a reassuring sight to see that Utah’s point guard of the future might be the guy that’s already one of their cornerstones as it is.
Not only that, but the way that the NBA is headed, it’s more and more common for floor general and offense-running duties to be shared between players, so simply pairing another solid guard alongside Mitchell, be it of the point or shooting variety, would almost certainly be of benefit to the Jazz. That flexibility opens up their options significantly.
Then, last of all, if the Jazz are good with Mitchell at the two and perhaps keeping the point guard position as is or addressing it some other way, it’s still reasonable that Utah could be on the lookout for a serviceable backup shooting guard to add an extra edge to this team however needed. As such, I’ve compiled a list of five shooting guard targets (as well as one honorable mention) for the Jazz that fit in at least one of the fashions I’ve alluded to.
So without further ado, let’s dive in and see who the Jazz may want to keep their eyes on with a potentially monumental trade deadline on the horizon.