The Utah Jazz have had a topsy turvy 2021-22 season. Their 30-17 lands them fourth in the Western Conference. It’s hard to call them a disappointment to-date, but you couldn’t call them a rousing success either.
Their most recent stretch of play has been particularly uninspiring. The Jazz have dropped 7 of their last 9 contests, with several of those losses coming at the hand of lottery-bound teams. Granted, they’ve struggled with injuries. That’s not enough to explain losses to the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets.
It appears that the Utah Jazz need some help. Here at the J-Notes, we’ve mostly proposed scenarios that have the Jazz landing solid, role playing veterans. Here, we’re angling for a slightly bigger fish.
Utah Jazz land deadline’s most prized target
Jerami Grant has emerged as the biggest name who’s likely to change postal codes leading into this year’s trade deadline. Daryl Morey continues to play high stakes chicken with Ben Simmons, while Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal have not given any public indications of a clear desire to leave their current squads.
This should be a marriage of convenience for both the Jazz and Grant. It’s no secret that the Jazz are in need of a defensive upgrade on the wings. Grant qualifies. His D-LEBRON rating (a metric designed to measure defensive impact per 100 possessions) of 0.45 suggests distinctly positive value on that end.
Meanwhile, he’s a qualified second offensive option. Grant is currently leading the Pistons at 21.7 points per game. In all likelihood, that number decreases on the Jazz, but he may well be the second option on this team.
That matters, since reports have circulated suggesting that Grant desires to be a primary offensive weapon. In Salt Lake City, he’d have that opportunity on a team that, with his addition, would have a shot at the NBA championship.
Utah Jazz send Clarkson back to Cleveland
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers don’t need any help on defense. Their 107.08 Defensive Rating place them third in the National Basketball Association. With injuries to reserve guards Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio (more on them later), they could use help in the shot creation department.
That’s where Clarkson comes in. In all likelihood, Clarkson would continue as a sixth man with the Cavs. They currently field a jumbo lineup that sees the 6’5, 225 pound Isaac Okoro start at the shooting guard spot. They’ve had enough success with that identity that it’s hard to imagine them moving away from it.
Furthermore, they have no need to take the ball out of Darius Garland’s hands. He’s been spectacular with it. They’d be better served to have Clarkson run the second unit, as he’s done for years.
This feels like a no-brainer for the Cavs. It does not appear that Sexton is in their future plans with the emergence of Garland. Meanwhile, Rubio is injured until his contract expires. He’ll probably never suit up for the again regardless. They’re also adding a first-round pick for the simple reason that a guard as young as Sexton probably has more trade value than just Clarkson in a vacuum.
Landing an impactful veteran at a position of need and draft capital for two players who may not factor into your future is an undeniable win.
The question is, would the Pistons budge?
Pistons add promising young guard + Utah Jazz prospects
The answer depends on how the Pistons view Sexton.
He’s already established himself as a big time scorer in this league, averaging 24.3 points per game in 2020-21. He’s shelved for the remainder of this season, so the Pistons would have to feel confident that his skill set would complement rookie sensation Cade Cunningham’s in the future.
That’s not a given. Both players thrive with the ball in their hands. At the same time, there is an interesting balance between Sexton’s score-first mentality and Cunningham’s point guard instincts.
The Pistons also get to take a flier on 2 young Jazz players in Azubuike and Hughes. The former fills a need for them as a pure 5, while the latter has shown flashes of potential when he’s been given the opportunity.
If the Pistons don’t like Sexton, this deal doesn’t work. If they do, the Utah Jazz should be putting in overtime hours on the phones.
The Utah Jazz don’t need to make this big of a splash to improve their team. On the other hand, if they could make a swing for Grant, it could make for a huge change to their fortunes.