The Utah Jazz are one of the few teams with obvious assets to try and acquire Luka Doncic, should he want a trade.
Will Luka Doncic want out of Dallas anytime soon? Who knows, we certainly don’t. It’s unlikely that Doncic even knows. At least at the moment, after all the Dallas Mavericks had a surprisingly good offseason, but they’re playing with a lot of unknown variables heading into the season; namely the two rookies they drafted, and Grant Williams. Especially Williams.
Can he be more than he was in Boston? Who knows. That’s why the NBA plays the games. Assuming the Mavs struggle and Doncic wants out, it’s very possible, if not likely that the Jazz try to go all in on him. They’ve been monitoring the Mavs and Doncic since May of 2023 at least, so it’s not surprising at all to think the team may pounce on Doncic should he become available.
So what happens should Doncic hit the trade market? What would a trade to acquire him look like? Well, it’d be the richest haul in NBA history, that’s for sure. Doncic is currently 24 years old and is heading into the second of a five-year deal. So assuming the Jazz were to swing a trade for him before the trade deadline; what would that deal look like?
Well, firstly, you would need money. The Jazz is at the limit cap-wise, so you’d need to add some money to the deal before we even get to the goodies. Right off the top, you’re going to ship over Kelly Olynyk and Talen Horton-Tucker. Both men are on expiring deals, so they could clear cap space really fast.
Secondly, the prospects. Everyone under 22 except Walker Kessler is on the table. All three rookies from the 2023 draft are involved; Taylor Hendricks, Brice Sensabaugh, and Keyonte George are going over. If we can do the trade without losing Hendricks, awesome, but that doesn’t seem likely.
Another pup that’s going over is now the twice-traded Ochai Agbaji. As with Hendricks, if the Jazz can keep him, all the better, but that doesn’t seem likely.
Lastly the draft picks. Basically, the Jazz are sending over six, count ’em six draft picks. Not draft swaps, just picks. The Mavs would get the Jazz’s picks in ’25, ’26, and ’30, and Cleveland’s picks (who the Jazz have the rights to) in ’27 and ’28. Though ’28 will be a top-10 protected. And lastly, the Jazz would then send over Minnesota’s pick in 2029 (top-5 protected).
The Jazz can add to the offering if needed.
Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler are untouchable in this scenario, and ideally, you’d want to try and keep Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton for scoring depth. Kris Dunn would have to get a big new role in this post-Doncic trade, and John Collins will get a pass-first point guard to play with as well.
If a trade were to go through, this is what it would look like we think.