3 interesting but not great trade proposals for the Utah Jazz
By Chad Porto
Trade No. 1
In our first trade that we’re looking at, the Utah Jazz would do a swap with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers. In this trade, the Jazz ship out a 2026 second-round pick that they have from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Lakers. They also ship John Collins to the Pacers. So what do they get back? D’Angelo Russell and a 2022 second-round pick from Indiana via Miami.
Here’s the full breakdown here.
"Lakers get: Buddy Hield, Daniel Theis, 2026 second-round pick (UTA via MEM) Pacers get: John Collins, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jalen Hood-Schifino Jazz get: D’Angelo Russell, 2025 second-round pick (IND via MIA)"
The Jazz need a point guard, that’s not really a debate. There is no clear guy, and fans everywhere are making cases for Kris Dunn, Collin Sexton, Keyonte George, and others. That’s a strong sign that the team doesn’t have a point guard. Frankly, they would still have the same issue with Russell. Russell isn’t getting dealt because he’s a gem.
He’s getting dealt because he’s not a good starting point guard. Using Collins to land a guy who can fortify that spot is key, but it can’t and shouldn’t be Russell. Change that one piece and this trade may be far more worthwhile.