Over the past few weeks, all the talk has been about the Utah Jazz and their potential trade of their remaining superstar, Donovan Mitchell, but if the team is to trade away their second All-Star of the off-season, then it’s likely the rest of the teams valuable pieces are on the way out too. If the rumoured Mitchell to New York deal eventually gets done, it will signal that the Jazz are moving into a full on rebuild, and if so, their desire to trade other players will likely come with the intention of stockpiling as many picks as they possibly can.
That idea was kept in mind while Bleacher Report posted an article with ‘5 Risky NBA trades‘ recently, one which involves the Utah Jazz, and stockpiling more young picks, as well as a promising young player.
This trade would see the Jazz get off the final two years of Mike Conley’s deal, while also sending Bojan Bogdanovic and Malik Beasley to the Los Angeles Lakers, for their 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks, as well as the talented Talen Horton-Tucker and Russell Westbrook (presumably with the intention of a buyout). On the surface, it seems like a win for both teams, but if the Jazz can indeed move Mitchell for the reported Knicks package, it becomes even better for the future of this team.
If the Jazz can buyout Westbrook and get away from Conley’s deal, they will have plenty of money to spend, as well as an extra 10+ picks, and some young players, highlighted by Horton-Tucker, who has been touted by Lakers fans as a future star in the NBA for the past 2-3 years now. Los Angeles has certainly been hesitant to deal THT in previous deals, but the team can’t go into 2022/23 with Russell Westbrook as their starting point guard, so in order to help their starting lineup, they’ll need to include him in a deal.
Like the title describes, this is a risky trade for the Lakers, but if they came to the Jazz with this, Danny Ainge would add two more draft picks to his impressive haul (whether Mitchell is traded or not, but it becomes much more impressive if he is), as well as a 21-year old with NBA experience and plenty of potential. It’s unlikely, but Utah would be smart to save money, as well as adding valuable assets to speed up this potential rebuild.
So what do you think? Should Utah jump on this deal if the Lakers want to make it happen? Do you think it’s enough of a return? Would you like to keep Malik Beasley or any of the three players in the deal? What do you think of Talen Horton-Tuckers potential in Utah? As always, let us know all your thoughts in the comments!