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Staff Debate: The Utah Jazz won the trade with the Lakers

By Nathan Smith

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: Talen Horton-Tucker #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass the ball against Royce O'Neale #23 of the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena on February 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: Talen Horton-Tucker #5 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass the ball against Royce O'Neale #23 of the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena on February 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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Given where the Utah Jazz off-season began by trading Rudy Gobert, conventional wisdom tells us that a Patrick Beverley trade was inevitable, and on Thursday, Utah finalized a trade to send him to Los Angeles for Stanley Johnson and the promising young Talen Horton-Tucker. Given that Horton-Tucker is just 21-years of age, this would signal part of a rebuild for the Utah Jazz, and while that could mean more big trades coming, today, we are going to focus on the newest member of the Jazz, and why THT helped the Jazz win this latest trade.

If the Jazz intend on keeping Donovan Mitchell, this trade is an odd one, as the Jazz swapped out a guard ready to compete in 2022 for a younger guard that will ultimately ride the bench behind Spida, but if we operate under the idea that this is part of a rebuild, the Jazz certainly won the trade. First off, Horton-Tucker is young, and whether he develops quickly or not, it helps Utah. If he becomes a star in 2022, he could be used to acquire more draft picks in the future, but if he slowly develops with the other young names on the team like Walker Kessler, Johnny Juzang and others (potentially Quentin Grimes, Obi Toppin too), then the Jazz have a nice core to build around.

If the Jazz do want to build around Donovan Mitchell however, this gives them a decent piece for the bench, as well as helps clear out some of the point guard mess that the team had developed, as we are now back to just Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson, as opposed to a huge pileup of point guards on this roster. Sure, THT now joins Donovan Mitchell, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Malik Beasley, but if the team does move Mitchell and other veteran players, this will help fill out a lineup nicely. Although the Jazz wouldn’t be able to compete with THT, NAW and Beasley playing big minutes, but it would be a fun lineup to watch that could grow together and compete with all the new drafted players that come into the franchise.

Ultimately, this trade signalled that a rebuild is on, and getting a potential future All-Star for a player that was a throw-in with the Rudy Gobert deal that didn’t have a spot on this team anyway was nothing but a win for this Jazz team.

So what do you think? Could the Jazz have gotten more for Beverley? Is this the start of a rebuild that will include moving Conley, Mitchell, Clarkson and others? Where do you see Talen Horton-Tuckers ceiling in Utah? As always, let us know all your thoughts in the comments below.

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