The Utah Jazz can claim Rudy Gobert as their best defensive player, but probably not for much longer. The disgruntled star no longer wants to play in Salt Lake City or with Donovan Mitchell. While losing a perennial Defensive Player of the Year is never a blow a team wants to take, keeping Gobert happy should not be the Jazz’s main defensive priority this summer.
BREAKING: Rudy Gobert is reportedly at the “him or me” stage, and will demand that one of them be traded from Utah soon, reports @realOCsports. pic.twitter.com/xKY00Q1BgH
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 2, 2022
Both Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson are below-average defenders according to FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR projection. While both players are excellent scorers and playmakers, the Jazz needs to shore up their defensive efforts in the backcourt. Having an All-NBA center means a lot less when players can meet him in the paint whenever they want because perimeter players can’t hold their own, and that’s exactly the pitfalls the Utah Jazz have found themselves in.
Finding a trade partner to help improve the defensive side of the ball does not need to be difficult. The Jazz have assets ranging from veteran leaders, sharpshooters, and All-Stars, so the return Utah might get back varies. Finding a team that wants to make a deal when the Jazz might not want to give up any draft picks might be difficult, but with only one obstacle in the way, I’m sure the front office can make it work.
If the Spurs Make Moves, They Could be a Partner
The San Antonio Spurs are rumored to be after Deandre Ayton and John Collins, and with a defensive power forward draft pick with Jeramy Sochan, the Spurs might be looking to relocate some talent to make some room. If the Spurs trade Dejounte Murray away, they might make a second trade to find a new backcourt scoring threat. It could look something like this.
Yes, the Jazz would have to give up Jordan Clarkson, but they would receive Tre Jones, one of the best pure young defenders in the league. While he struggles to score from deep, he is a great ball-handler and would allow Donovan Mitchell to play off-ball a lot more. The Spurs would also include Jakob Poeltl, who is one tier below bigs like Gobert, Jokic, and Embiid. While it’s a downgrade at the center, Poeltl could help keep the Jazz in contention as he locks down the paint.
With Gobert gone and not adding any major scoring threats, this would clearly be Mitchell’s team, and he would have the green light and keys to the offense. On the other side of the ball, the downgrade at the center is not actually a huge hit, and adding Jones would be a nightmare for opposing guards.
The Jazz Could Make Magic Happen in Orlando
By moving young pieces around, the Jazz could make a productive deal for both teams. Yes, Utah would have to give up two project players in Jared Butler and Nickeil Alexander-Walker and take on the absurd Markelle Fultz contract, but Jordan Clarkson is worth letting go if it means adding a young and defensive-minded guard in Cole Anthony.
The Magic would be amenable to this trade because it means they can pair second-year shooting guard Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero with a tried-and-true point guard in Clarkson, and they could finally compete for a playoff spot in the East.
With some amount of luck, Fultz could bounce back, and despite his poor shooting numbers over his career, he is a pass-first guard who could help Utah’s woeful playmaking and feed the ball to Mitchell.
Of course, this trade doesn’t solve the problem of finding Gobert’s replacement, but Utah gets to hold onto their players above six foot eight, meaning they could develop a player or find a way to keep Gobert happy. It seems that one of his main gripes is not getting the ball enough, so adding two true point guards might give him some piece of mind and the Jazz could bounce back.
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?