Utah Jazz: 5 Stars to pair with Don if he can’t forgive Rudy

The Chicago Deal

Last week I dreamt of Zach LaVine in a Jazz uniform, but for now let’s ponder on what else the Bulls could give us. They have Lauri Markkanen, a young big with a game similar to Dirk Nowitzki. They have Wendell Carter Jr, a more defensive minded big with some good physical tools.

They are slated to pick seventh in this year’s draft. Albeit a weak draft, the Jazz could have interest on picking there. They could also have interest in Otto Porter Jr, who has a big contract and hasn’t lived up to it because of injury issues.

A healthy Porter would be great for the Jazz’s future, since he is only 26 years old and a good 3-and-D option on the wing.

Porter can opt in to a final year of his contract and make over 28 million dollars next season. In that case, the Jazz would have to include more players in the trade to match the incoming salaries of Porter with Markkanen and/or Carter.

There are several options on the table here, and this could instantly launch the Bulls to the top tier of the Eastern Conference while the Jazz would get several young pieces to experiment with and see what pans out.

For me personally, I like the idea of acquiring both Carter and Markkanen, with Thaddeus Young to make the salaries match. The Bulls could even throw in their draft pick this year to sweeten the pot, and all of a sudden Utah may have four good players in return for the great Rudy Gobert.

More than anything though, I would just like for Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert to work out their differences and get back to being teammates and co-workers. They don’t have to be best friends to win games, they just need to work together on the court without causing drama in the locker room.

For what it’s worth, Joe Ingles tweeted out a “LOL” statement a little after The Athletic published their most recent article on Rudy and Don’s beef. Maybe this all is being blown out of proportion. I certainly hope so.