Utah Jazz trade deadline prediction #2: The team will trade a first-round pick
This prediction goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. Joe Ingles’ expiring deal holds some intrinsic value for a rebuilding team on its own. It’s just unlikely to be enough to get anything significant done.
The Jazz could go the route of dangling one of their young players in an offer instead. They have a number of them that could be appealing.
Udoka Azubuike has been impressive lately. The big man is averaging 8.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks over his last three games. Injuries have forced the sophomore into a temporary starting role, and he’s risen to the challenge.
Jared Butler is another young Jazzmen some rebuilding teams could be attracted to. Realistically, he was a first-round talent in the 2021 draft who seems to have slipped due to medical concerns. Those concerns do not appear to be substantial enough to scare off potential suitors.
Elijah Hughes and Trent Forrest may both hold some appeal as well. They’ve both managed to find opportunities to impress with the Jazzmen routinely playing shorthanded lately.
None of those players are likely to hold the same value as a future first-round pick.
After all, the Jazz are a veteran team firmly in win-now mode. It’s hard to anticipate where this club will be in 2024, ’25 or ’26. That’s exactly the type of mystery box that rebuilding clubs covet. All of the young players we named have potential, but any rebuilding team is going to prefer an asset that gives them any potential to be drafting in the lottery.
Meanwhile, the Jazz need to make a move. They’ll be targeting impactful veterans on rebuilding teams. Expect whoever they trade with to require a first-round pick before they even get to the bargaining table.