Three Mock Trades to Improve Utah’s Defense

A Blockbuster Trade Wrecks the Balance

You knew the last one had to be a little crazy, right? You’ve read lists like this, and you know there had to be one wild one on here, right? Well, as long as the Milwaulkee Bucks have Giannis, they will do whatever they can to surround the best player in the league with as much talent as possible.

Adding a 2028 first-round pick to the haul the Jazz would get is not an issue for Milwaukee. By pairing Gobert with Giannis, the Bucks will be title contenders for the next several years, so mortgaging the long-term future for immediate, almost guaranteed success, would be worth it.

In return, the Jazz gets a much-needed future pick, an elite defensive point guard to pair with Donovan Mitchell, and a center to space the floor in ways Utah has never seen before.

Would a Mitchell and Jrue Holiday backcourt be the best in the league? You could make that case. Would pairing Mitchell with Bogdanovic, Clarkson, and  Brook Lopez mean a barrage of threes every single night? Yup. ESPN suggests the Jazz would lose 11 games due to this trade. I think that’s not true at all. Is Gobert alone worth 11 extra wins? Maybe, but when you get a return of two good (not even decent, good) players, I reckon Utah can win just as many games in the regular season and make more noise in the playoffs than usual.

What do you think? Should Utah make a big move, a small move, or try and keep the course? Is there enough faith that Gobert and Mitchell can coexist, or is it time for Utah to find a new identity?