Trading season officially started when the Brooklyn Nets traded Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors. Since then, we've seen a few others, and it will likely only continue to heat up. Because the Utah Jazz are well-known to be sellers, many wonder where some of their tradable players will go.
Since trading season has started, the usual suspects on the Jazz have been mentioned as available - Jordan Clarkson, John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Walker Kessler. It goes without saying that Drew Eubanks will likely be available too.
And yet, with trading season having started a few weeks ago, the following Jazz-related intel has been confirmed:
-The Nuggets have looked into Jordan Clarkson
-The Kings have looked into John Collins
-The Jazz want second-round pick compensation for Clarkson
Even though it's clear as day that the Jazz are very much willing to sell off some of their players, they still remain with the team anyway. There are a few reasons for why they've stuck around.
1. There are better players potentially available
All of the players who the Jazz have made available aren't overpaid. That's right, even Collins is proving he's worth the money he's making this season. They can raise any playoff contender's ceiling and don't make too much to do so. The only problem is that teams interested in trades want established stars because of how much higher they can raise their ceiling.
Players like De'Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine could find a new team before the February 8 deadline. No matter how anyone feels about their contracts, they are noticeably better than what Utah can offer in a trade.
So teams may try to get one of those players first before they turn to who the Jazz have to offer simply because they want the bigger fish first.
2. Teams may not want to commit to long-term salary
If tax aprons weren't a thing in the current NBA, it's very possible that all of the available Jazz players would have new homes by now. The problem is, because teams want to avoid the restrictions implemented from those tax aprons.
One reason (likely not the primary reason) why the Warriors went after Schroder instead of, say, Clarkson is because the former's contract is expiring. Acquiring Schroder instead of Clarkson keeps the Warriors flexible for the upcoming offseason.
A lot of the Jazz's players still have another year on their current contract. In an environment where teams are trying to avoid aprons, they may be hesitant to take some of the Jazz's players no matter how good they've been.
3. It's not easy to negotiate trades with Danny Ainge
Ainge is one of the best front office minds in the NBA. He's handled this Jazz rebuild pretty darn well, all things considered. Because he has a long history of making pretty lopsided deals in his favor, teams are a little hesitant to trade with him.
He definitely drives a hard bargain in trades. In fact, a lot of the time, he makes trades thinking about the bigger picture, which means that he often makes trades that fans don't understand at first that pay off big time in the end. In case it hasn't been clear, the Celtics owe a lot of last season's success to Ainge's efforts when he called the shots there.
Because he has a reputation, he may be a little stingy in deals. The one thing Ainge refuses to do is be ripped off, so while he may be eager to sell off some of these assets, he won't do it just because.