These five players could help the Utah Jazz.
The Utah Jazz may need some help this season. If the goal is the playoffs, as it should be, the Jazz may need to upgrade their roster some. The team would do well going after some guys like Dejounte Murray or Malcolm Brogdon, but they’ve been mentioned a lot. Both men are likely to be on the move this year, but as they’re constantly being mentioned, we thought we’d look at a few other names that could realistically land in Salt Lake City.
The Jazz are a team that needs guard help. That seems odd, considering the depth of the team, but keep in mind that the Jazz have a lot of good guards, but no great guards. Everyone they have on the team is within a hair of one another talent-wise, and many of them have similar styles to one another.
So the focus, obviously, would be to improve the guard play on the team. That’s why names like Murray and Brogdon make sense, as they would come in, solidify the point guard spot, and give you a great (or good) two-way option.
So that being said, it’s important to note what the team needs and doesn’t need. The team doesn’t need someone like Pascal Siakam, who despite being very good, would take minutes away from John Collins or Lauri Markkanen. Now, if the idea is to trade, says Collins, to get Siakam, ok, let’s have that talk.
But just trading for him and forcing Collins to the bench or trying to fit him in at shooting guard just isn’t going to work.
That’s why the five names we have aren’t Siakam or really any forwards and centers for that matter.
Chris Paul
This may seem like a reach right now, but the Utah Jazz landing Chris Paul isn’t the wildest thing out there. His arrival in Golden State with the Warriors is a mixed bag. Sure, he’s an upgrade for the team over Jordan Poole, but Paul does have his fair of issues; namely with his new teammates.
There are genuine issues with Paul and his new buddies Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Now, Paul is not the most beloved player in NBA history – shocker – and has had his fair share of issues with past teammates before – shocker again, but he’s also a professional. So it’s likely that he’s going to work well with the team and fit in seamlessly.
It’s also possible that the Warriors end up not gelling well with Curry and Paul on the court at the same time and things come to a head. If that happens, they won’t think twice about moving on from Paul to salvage their season. Whether that means outright releasing the future Hall of Famer or finding a trade partner for him.
The Utah Jazz would be the one team, depending on playoff aspirations at the time of the potential Paul-Warriors separation, that would and could need him. If the team is questing for the playoffs, and are in the sixth seed or higher, they would and should pursue a recently available Paul.
Terry Rozier
The Utah Jazz don’t need another ball-handler and scorer at point guard; they need a distributor and a defender. So someone like Terry Rozier doesn’t make a ton of sense, at least at first glance. Rozier doesn’t fit the current makeup of the Utah Jazz as it is currently designed. But what happens if the team makes any major trades?
The players most likely to be dealt are all guards; Kris Dunn, Collin Sexton, and Talen Horton-Tucker. If the Jazz trade one, or all three, then there’s going to be a need for someone like Rozier to come in and take some of the shot creation off the shoulders of Jordan Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen.
Now, if the aforementioned Jazz players are traded, and the team isn’t doing well (hence the trades), then there’s no reason to go after Rozier. But if any combination of them were traded for an upgrade elsewhere, then the Jazz should consider someone like Rozier. He can provide an instant punch of offense, but he only makes sense if you deal with someone like Sexton or even Clarkson.
But to be clear, this shouldn’t be a back-breaking trade. There should be no first-round picks involved (save for swaps, swapping picks is okay), and the only players going over are on expiring deals. No long-term options like Keyonte George.
Alex Caruso
Aside from Dejounte Murray, Alex Caruso is the guy the Utah Jazz should be laser-focused on. The 29-year-old is currently a vital piece for the Chicago Bulls and has shown an ability to shoot threes at a decent enough clip to warrant bringing him in as a starter. His defense is also another selling point for the guard, as he would raise the level of the team’s defense exponentially.
Pairing him with Kris Dunn and Walker Kessler would give the Jazz the best defensive lineup in the league. And with the coaches in Chicago helping him focus more on creating and making three-point shots, Caruso may become a dynamic shooter; at least a more dynamic one than he currently is.
Caruso is likely to be available at some point this season, as the Bulls are not going to be very good. At least on paper. They spent loads of money to get guys like Caruso, Lonzo Ball, and others, and it all blew up in their faces. They still have talent on the roster, but the pieces don’t fit that well so it stands to reason that the team may in fact be broken up and sold off to the highest bidder.
Caruso would be a long-term addition to the team if he were to land in Salt Lake, but much like everyone else on this list, a trade only makes sense if the Jazz are clearly competing for the playoffs.
DeMar DeRozan
The Utah Jazz may not need DeMar DeRozan now, but the guard/forward could be an interesting addition. DeRozan, much like Alex Caruso, was one of the big acquisitions by the Chicago Bulls a few years back. He’s a stable scorer with some decent defense and a mid-range shot that seemingly never misses.
He’s not a three-point threat, however. That said, the six-time All-Star doesn’t need a three-point shot. He’s not a number one, and you won’t win with him if he is, but on the Utah Jazz, DeRozan could slide into the two-spot and pair perfectly with Lauri Markkanen and John Collins. Now, you’ll need someone who can shoot threes at point guard, so maybe Jordan Clarkson, but you’ll also need someone who can play stellar defense.
That’s because DeRozan’s a solid defender but needs talent around him to raise his game. His arrival would only happen if the Utah Jazz made some big shakeups. Namely, trading away Collin Sexton or Jordan Clarkson. The team’s defense can’t afford to start both men next to one another, and they’ll need a reliable mid-range scorer if Sexton’s shot doesn’t start falling soon.
You can do a deal with Sexton and some other assets (Talen Horton-Tucker) to get DeRozan without really affecting the team’s lineups. It may be worth considering.
Tyus Jones
If we’re looking at the best fit outside of Dejounte Murray, it may end up being Tyus Jones. He’s around the same age as Lauri Markkanen and John Collins, he’s a decent outside scorer (36%), and he’s shown to have a 5 assist for every 1 turnover ratio, and that’s pretty impressive. Jones isn’t the best player but he may be the best fit due to those above mentions.
And with him on the Washington Wizards, Jones may be able to finally show the NBA what he’s capable of doing as the team’s true point-man. The Wizards are a rebuilding team and if Jones can come out, play well, and prove he’s worth the starting job on a good team, the Wizards are likely to put him on the block, and the Jazz should jump at this.
If he has a good enough year, the Jazz shouldn’t just consider Jones if they’re chasing the playoffs, but just in general. He makes the team better with his two-way play and while we’re not looking at him as a Steve Nash-type player, who becomes an MVP at the peak of his prime, Jones could become an All-Star caliber player with the right lineup around him.