Last offseason, the Utah Jazz were somewhat forced to head into a full-blown rebuild. Trading both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert is likely not something the Jazz wanted to do but something that, to an extent, needed to happen. In the end, the Jazz got two great trade packages in exchange for their two all-stars.
Heading into this offseason, the Jazz are in a position where they can start tangibly laying the foundation for the next era in Utah. And that’s something this fanbase can be excited about.
The Utah Jazz will have the means to be active in the trade market this offseason
There’s an argument to be made that the Jazz already have a solid foundation of young players on their roster, but if they wanted, Utah could be active in the trade market this offseason in an attempt to truly cement the foundation of what they want to build around.
With the offseason around the corner, we rank the Jazz’s 10 best trade assets.
10. Kelly Olynyk
Heading into the offseason, Kelly Olynyk will be viewed as an asset simply based on the fact that he’s on an expiring contract for a team looking to shed some salary. What makes Olynyk more appealing as an asset is the fact that he is still a solid role player in the NBA. At only 32 years old, Olynyk is coming off a season in which he averaged 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists per game on 50 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from 3-point range.
If any team is looking for a veteran shooting big, there may not be a better and more affordable option out there than Olynyk. And that’s something that the Jazz could take advantage of either during the offseason or at next year’s NBA Trade Deadline.
9. The sign-and-trade candidates: Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gay, Talen Horton-Tucker
There are three players on the Utah Jazz roster who will have to make decisions about their futures in free agency. Jordan Clarkson, Rudy Gay, and Talen Horton-Tucker each have player options for next season. While they could each return to the team, I find that unlikely. Especially considering that the Jazz is in the very early stages of a rebuild. In the event that any one of these players wanted to play elsewhere, the Jazz could work a sign-and-trade.
While that doesn’t equate to great trade value, it could be worth it for the Jazz if they could add another draft asset (which is generally the case when it comes to sign-and-trade deals in the NBA). The big, or main, trade asset here for the Jazz is Clarkson. If he wants to play for a contender that may not have cap space, a sign-and-trade is probably the best way to get a deal done.
And that’s where Utah can take advantage. Again, the Jazz isn’t likely to clean up with any sign-and-trade deal, but even adding a second-round pick or two for a player that was probably leaving anyway is a huge win.
8. 28th overall pick (via Philadelphia 76ers) in the 2023 NBA Draft
Heading into the 2023 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz have three first-round picks. The least favorable of the three is via the Philadelphia 76ers, which will be the 28th overall pick in the Draft. If the Jazz wanted to make a small move at the NBA Draft, they could theoretically trade the 28th overall pick for a handful of second-rounders or even a future first. Because this pick is so far down in the first round, this is essentially a high second-round pick. Or at least that’s how it’ll be valued around the league.
All that said, at the end of the day, it’s still a first-round pick. And if the Jazz wanted to make a big move at the NBA Draft, perhaps they could package this pick with another asset or two to get something done. At the very least, this pick would give the Jazz theoretical flexibility.
The most likely return that this pick would likely garner is a future pick. If there’s a team out there that wants to jump back in at the end of the first round, this is one of the target teams to trade with. Especially considering this is their third first-round pick of this year’s NBA Draft.
7. Ochai Agbaji
Ochai Agbaji was the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers and then traded to the Utah Jazz as part of the blockbuster deal for Donovan Mitchell during the offseason. During his rookie season, Agbaji played in 59 games for the Jazz. He started 22 of them. He concluded his rookie season by averaging eight points per game on 43 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent shooting from 3-point range. Even though he’s already 23 years old, he does hold value in the trade market.
If there’s a team that’s looking for a 3-and-D rotation player, Agbaji would be an intriguing target. Considering he’s just heading into his second season, his ceiling is also so much higher than that. At the same time, he does have a floor high enough that it would be worth the risk for intriguing teams.
It would be somewhat shocking if the Jazz traded Agbaji before they got to see his full potential, but if the right offer comes around (perhaps a future first-round pick), that would likely be something difficult for the Jazz to refuse.
6. 16th overall pick (via Minnesota Timberwolves) in the 2023 NBA Draft
The Utah Jazz’s second first-round pick (which was part of the Rudy Gobert blockbuster trade during the offseason) could end up being one of the biggest pick targets on NBA Draft night. It’s just outside the lottery and could be a great spot for a team that is looking to trade up for a prospect that might’ve fallen out of the lottery. If there’s a player that the Jazz like at No. 16, then it would be shocking if they traded him out. But in what appears to be a top-heavy draft, it wouldn’t be surprising if they did.
Or, the Jazz could even package the No. 16 and No. 28 picks to potentially move back into the late lottery for a player they really like. Either way, the No. 16 pick does hold strong value in the league. And if the Jazz wanted to move this pick for whatever reason, they could get decent value for it.
Again, this is an asset that they’ll have to use at the NBA Draft. And that’s either moving it for a future asset or using it on a prospect outside the lottery.
5. 2025 unprotected First-Round pick (via Minnesota Timberwolves)
One of the premier assets from the Rudy Gobert trade was the 2025 unprotected first-round pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves. On the surface, this pick would be great even if it were in the top 5, but the fact that it’s entirely unprotected makes it even better. Because of the uncertainty that remains ahead of the Timberwolves, this is a pick that may only look better by the time 2025 rolls around.
The Gobert pairing with Karl-Anthony Towns hasn’t worked out as well as the Wolves would’ve liked it to at this point in the experiment, and there’s no guarantee that it will get better for the team. Considering the Wolves have effectively traded away their future, there’s at least a strong chance that by the time 2025 comes around, the Wolves will no longer be a playoff team in the West.
And that’s the biggest reason why this pick is so valuable—because it comes with so much mystery and possibility. This is one of those picks that many teams around the league will be looking for in any deal with the Jazz. If Utah wanted to make a marquee move this offseason, this is an asset that almost certainly could make any deal get done.
4. Collin Sexton
A couple of seasons ago, Collin Sexton was considered one of the best young guards in the league. During the 2020–21 NBA season, Sexton averaged 24 points, four assists, and three rebounds on 48 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent shooting from 3-point range. However, during the 2021–22 season, Sexont would only play a handful of games before he went down with a knee injury. He would go on to miss the remainder of the season and then be signed and traded to the Utah Jazz.
During his first season back from injury, Sexton averaged 14 points and three assists on 51 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent shooting from 3-point range for the Jazz. That was also only 23 minutes per game. If he gets a shot at a more expanded role, there’s no question he can get close to that 2020–21 season production again.
Considering that he’s still just 24 years old, there’s no question that he could still be considered one of the best trade assets on this team’s roster. And perhaps one more high-production season from Sexton will get him to that place.
3. Walker Kessler
Walker Kessler was one of the bigger surprises this past season for the Utah Jazz. He was also traded to the Jazz as part of the Rudy Gobert trade during the offseason. On his draft night, his rights were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves from the Memphis Grizzlies. Nevertheless, the Grizzlies’ and Wolves’ loss is the Jazz’s gain. Kessler finished third in NBA Rookie of the Year voting after averaging nine points, eight rebounds, and two blocks per game on 72 percent shooting from the field.
He played 74 games for the Jazz and started 40. He appears to be a key part of the Jazz’s rebuild at the moment. Kessler is likely close to untouchable as Utah currently has on its roster at the moment. But if the Jazz did test the trade waters for the big man, the return could be great. They could easily land a future first-round pick.
The best part about Kessler is that we don’t really know what his ceiling is. Part of his value is the mystery that surrounding how he’ll continue to develop over the next few seasons. And there may not be a better development situation for Kessler than the Jazz.
2. 9th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft (projected)
At least at the moment, because it’s somewhat locked in, the second-best trade asset that the Utah Jazz currently have is their top 10 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. It’s right now slated to be No. 9 overall but could still move up depending on what happens in the NBA Draft Lottery. In what appears to be a top-heavy NBA Draft, the expectation is that the Jazz should be able to get a really good player with this pick.
So if the Jazz wanted to trade this pick, they would be able to get quite the haul from any team looking to jump into the top 10 of this year’s NBA Draft. And if it does move up in the draft lottery, the value of this pick will only get better. At the same rate, I suppose there’s also a small chance that it moves out of the top 10. But that’s quite unlikely.
In fact, you can argue that a top-10 pick in this year’s NBA Draft might be enough to land a disgruntled star such as OG Anunoby. I’m not saying that’s a player the Jazz should target with this pick, but that’s an example of how valuable that pick could theoretically be.
1. Lauri Markkane
Without question, the Utah Jazz’s No. 1 asset on their roster at the moment is Lauri Markkanen. As somewhat of a throw-in as part of the Donovan Mitchell trade, the Jazz got an All-Star caliber player. During the sixth season of his career, Markkanen had a true breakout year. Markkanen finished his first season with the Jazz by averaging 26 points and nine rebounds on 50 percent shooting from the field and 39 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Oh, and perhaps most importantly, he was named an All-Star for the first time in his career. The big question is whether or not Markkanen will be able to replicate this past season’s success moving forward. Quite frankly, that’s a fair question to ask.
But if the Jazz wanted to cash in on Markkanen’s current trade value, that wouldn’t be their problem. And it’ll be interesting to see if that’s what Utah ends up doing this offseason.
If the Jazz have the desire to make a big move this offseason, there will be a path for that. Similarly, if they wanted to continue to sell off some of their veteran assets for more future picks, they could do that too. Utah will have plenty of flexibility heading into the offseason.