Utah Jazz: The case for and against trading for Terrence Ross

Why the Utah Jazz should trade for Terrence Ross

The first reason why the Jazz should take a long, hard look at Ross is a simple one: he’s a quality NBA player, and he’s available.

Ross is a born scorer, as the 19.2 points per game he scored per 36 minutes last season will attest to. He could also be a compliment to Quin Snyder’s bevy of ball-dominant guards, as 87.3% of his career three-pointers made have been assisted on. While his career 36.7% accuracy from three-point range isn’t elite, it is solid, and it doesn’t account for the difficulty of his shots. Ross is the type of three-point shooter who is utterly indifferent to defensive coverage: he launches, and there are decent odds it’s going in no matter who was checking it.

Previously, we’ve alluded to the possibility that the Utah Jazz could stand to bolster their guard depth. Three games into the 2021-22 NBA season, it does appear that Quin Snyder may have some reservations about relying on rookie Jared Butler or sophomore Trent Forrest. They’ve played 4.3 and 7.0 minutes per contest so far, respectively.

While both of the Jazz’s prospects are point guards, and Ross is a shooting guard whose secondary position is small forward, it may not matter given how much of an upgrade the veteran could be over the two young Jazzmen. Furthermore, while not necessarily a stout defender (more on that later), at 6’6, Ross does bring some size to a Utah Jazz backcourt that features Mike Conley (6’1) Donovan Mitchell (6’1) and Jordan Clarkson (a thin 6’4) on a regular basis.

Another attractive reason for the Jazz to trade for Ross is the likely insignificance of the package they’d have to part with in the process. The Magic have no incentive to hang on to the 30-year-old veteran. The Jazz could offer one of Udoka Azubuike, Miye Oni or Trent Forrest and a second-round pick, and the Magic would probably bite.

Ross is a flame-thrower of a three-point shooter, as well as a low usage offensive weapon who should complement the embarrassment of ball-handling riches already featured on the Jazz. He adds a dimension of size to Quin Snyder’s backcourt rotation, and he should be available at a discount.

What could go wrong?