The Utah Jazz should be open to more moves if the right trade comes along, but these aren’t them.
The Utah Jazz are among the most trade-happy teams in the league. They rehauled their entire roster last offseason via the trade market and then shipped out Damian Jones and Rudy Gay this offseason. In turn, they got back a promising player in John Collins, and are now looking into possibly landing Tyler Herro via a Damian Lillard to the Miami Heat trade.
If the Utah Jazz are able to land Herro, that would reshape not only how the team plays offense, but would then expand the team’s expectations for the season. Right now most fans are thinking a .500-record, and a play-in spot or maybe a sixth-seed in the Western Conference. But NBA Playoff hopes aside, many fans are in a holding pattern as they see what this team, one full of potential, can actually do this year.
Despite that, the folks at Bleacher Report have the Jazz hopping into any and every trade they can fit them in. And why not? It’s not like the Jazz are a team hesitant to make moves. The only problem is that these trades don’t help the Jazz as much as they help the teams the Jazz are doing deals with.
And if you know anything about CEO Danny Ainge and GM Justin Zanik, you know the Jazz don’t do trades if they end up getting the stick. But we’re going to go through these trades one by one and point out what we like, don’t like, and ultimately if and why we’d pass on the deals presented.
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.
Trade No. 2
I hate this trade and everything that comes with it. Mostly just because of who the Jazz are giving up. In this two-team swap, the Utah Jazz are shipping Lauri Markkanen to the Miami Heat for Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson, and two first-round picks. One in 2026 with a first-overall protection and the other in 2028 with a top-three protection.
"Heat get: Lauri Markkanen Jazz get: Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson, first-round picks in 2024 & 2028"
How does the Jazz get better here? The Heat would likely be playoff contenders next season, so that means that pick will fall in the 20s, and you’re not getting a franchise guy in the 20s (usually). Jaquez is a great hustle guy, but does anyone think he’s turning into an All-Star? If you’re giving up Markkanen, you better be getting back a player of his potential. Then there’s Duncan Robinson, a good role player, but see Jaquez for why it’s a bad move.
Markkanen is the face of the Utah Jazz and a guy the team seemingly really likes, and he seemingly likes the Jazz too. Keeping Markkanen and trying to compete for a playoff spot should be the key going forward, and if a deal came for Markkanen, it better be far better than this paltry offering.
Trade No. 3
Finally, a trade that makes sense. In this trade, the Utah Jazz offer up Collin Sexton and a 2024 first-round pick from Minnesota to get back 24-year-old point guard Anfernee Simons. A trade that makes the Jazz better and gives them an obvious starter for the team. Simons isn’t a perfect point guard, he usually averages just four assists per game at his apex, but may away from Damian Lillard and as a team’s primary ball-handler, he can raise that figure.
Simmons’ near 39% shooting from three-point is also a huge bonus, as the league relies more and more on the deep ball, the Jazz have to keep up, and getting a shooter like Simmons will help. There’s just one problem.
"Jazz get: Anfernee Simons Trail Blazers get: Collin Sexton (2024 first-round pick via MIN)"
The Trail Blazers won’t make this move. They’re not going to trade away a potential All-Star for Sexton and a potential late-first-round draft pick next season. Simmons is a viable 20-point-per-game scorer and giving him up for relatively little isn’t exactly a great thing.
Sure, Sexton fits better next to Scott Henderson offensively, but it’s not like he’s Klay Thompson, a large-body shooting guard with great defense. They’re both 6’2 and have a similar style of scoring the ball. The big difference however is that Sexton can play off-ball and seems to do just fine with that. Simmons is a pure point guard and plays better as the team’s point guard.
If the Blazers are down, let’s do it.