The Utah Jazz have a fair share of young talent that need to be developed. They also have a fair share of veterans who have no long-term place on the team. Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton are right square in the middle of those two groups.
Both are far from old. They've gotten plenty of NBA basketball left in them. While they're young, they're not too young at this point. They are now approaching their mid-to-late 20s, which is why it's hard to say that the Jazz should trade them, but no one would be surprised if they did since they're rebuilding.
Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz proposed a trade that would put Markkanen and Sexton on a team that would better suit them; plus, it's a team that's on the rise: the Detroit Pistons
Swartz proposed the following swap between the two sides.
Pistons receive: Markkanen and Sexton
Jazz receive: Jaden Ivey, Ron Holland II, Isaiah Stewart, Tobias Harris, 2027 Pistons top-10 protected first-round pick
Swartz briefly explained why Utah would make this deal.
"Now in a full-scale rebuild, the Jazz flip Markkanen (who turns 28 in May) for a pair of high-ceiling prospects, role players and yet another future first-round pick."
Would this be enough for the Jazz?
There was another proposed trade sending Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson to the Heat, with the rationale being that the Jazz could take advantage of a team trying to keep its playoff hopes alive.
The Pistons would be different from the Heat because they have better young talent to offer with Ivey alone. He was in the middle of an excellent season before breaking his leg. Holland and Stewart aren't too bad, and the latter could give the Jazz some personality into their team.
Getting Ivey may be good enough to justify trading veteran talent like Markkanen and Sexton. Adding a draft asset to their arsenal makes it better. There's just one aspect about this deal that's worth pondering.
A trade like this further begs the question of Markkanen's trade value. The Jazz are paying him like a franchise player, but teams may hesitate to trade for him, knowing what he'll make for the next several years and not knowing if his production will translate when playing for a winning team.
However, Markkanen is one of the best scoring big men in the NBA who hasn't quite gotten the chance to showcase what he can for a winning team. If there's a team that would give him an adequate shot to prove himself, it's the Pistons.
Those same questions apply to Sexton because, much like Markkanen, he's never played for a playoff team. However, he's still young and has shown that he is efficient at what he does. Playing for a team that is showing real growth could be the opportunity to demonstrate that he can put up good stats for a bad team.
The Jazz might ask for more, and the Pistons might want to give up less, but this trade feels solid for both teams involved.
Grade: B+