Utah Jazz: Doomsday mock trade for the end of the offseason
So far during the 2022 NBA offseason, there have been three long withstanding storylines. First, Deandre Ayton and the Suns had some uncertainty. That has since been resolved. The second is how the Utah Jazz will approach Donovan Mitchell. Will they stay competitive or move on, embracing the rebuild? Finally is the Nets saga. Durant and Irving might not be able to coexist, and the former has requested a trade.
Without any prompting, I have devised a trade that almost gets the Jazz their reported asking price of six picks while allowing the Nets and Lakers to settle whatever self-inflicted woes they may have. Admittedly, it keeps Durant in Brooklyn, but at this point keeping him happy is the least of my concerns.
Utah Jazz: Trying to solve all the offseason drama at once
The Lakers, led by LeBron James, seem to have some interest in Kyrie Irving. The only issue with that is Russell Westbrook. The former MVP has since hit a brick wall so to speak and is clearly in the decline. The Lakers would need to move him, and the Nets wish to remain competitive, so they do not want to add Westbrook to the fold. On top of that, if the Nets keep Durant there is absolutely no way he will play alongside Westbrook, even though the rest of the league would love to see that reunion.
Enter the Utah Jazz. If the Jazz are fully committed to tanking and rebuilding, they probably have other options. The Miami Heat have shown interest in the superstar shooting guard, as have the Sixers and the New York Knicks, who seem the favorite to land him.
If the Heat, Sixers, and Knicks all fail to offer an agreeable deal to the Jazz, the franchise might go in a different direction, bite the bullet, and face a long and arduous rebuild. In order to do so, they need picks. The Nets and Lakers don’t have a lot of near-future picks thanks to trading for James Harden and Anthony Davis, but there is some capital there. My proposed deal looks like this:
The Jazz eat Westbrook’s contract for a season and get five guaranteed picks, all unprotected. The 2023 pick is dependent on the Pelicans not opting to swap with the Lakers, but given that Zion is returning and New Orleans had a better record than the Lakers in 2022, it seems like a safe bet.
dark. Next. The Nets could be an ideal trade partner for the Utah Jazz
Utah ends the offseason clearly heading down to the bottom of the standings, but with enough capital to turn it around eventually. The Lakers and Nets can continue to mortgage their future to remain comparative, as big-market teams tend to do. Is it the perfect trade for Utah fans? No, but it might be the best option depending on what happens.