The Utah Jazz are once again participants in a blockbuster deal before the trade deadline, making the math work in the Jimmy Butler to the Warriors trade. The Jazz didn't make a huge splash themselves, but did they improve their situation entering the final hours of the trade deadline?
A closer look will be telling.
Jazz Outgoing: PJ Tucker
Jazz Incoming: Dennis Schroder, 2031 second-round pick swap, the most favorable of the Heat or the Pacers
Good or Bad Dennis Schroder
Schroder has had a wild season, beginning in Brooklyn and having a very strong showing, averaging 18.4 points and 6.6 assists per game on 45/39/89 shooting splits. Upon being acquired by Golden State, Schroder's production dropped significantly. He only averaged 10.6 points and 4.4 assists on 38/32/74 shooting splits in the Bay.
He could be worth the risk of keeping him through the end of the season, since he's on an expiring deal and has proven that he can thrive in the right situation. If Schroder is a fit with the Jazz, he could be another piece to the puzzle the Jazz are assembling.
Schroder could also be used in another trade at the deadline, but the Jazz already have an excess of players they want to deal, so adding another player feels a little weird, but Danny Ainge has found ways to continually assemble capital, so he may have a plan for Schroder.
Another Second Round Pick
This brings the tally to three second-round picks acquired in the last week for the Jazz. Second-round picks do seem like lower-quality capital to hold, but just remember, the Thunder were able to turn five second-round picks into a first-rounder in the last draft.
The Jazz may be able to do a similar deal with the amount of second-rounders they are beginning to assemble, or they could sweeten some deals involving John Collins or Jordan Clarkson to get a first-rounder in return.
Grade: C+
The Jazz did nothing necessarily wrong in this deal, but the trade by itself doesn't make much sense for the Jazz. The biggest issue is more of what the Jazz didn't do. In a multi-team trade, the Jazz had a chance to try and offload one or more of their veterans, but they couldn't do so.
The Jazz were able to turn Tucker into a 2nd-round pick, which isn't too bad on their part, but Schroder makes the trade a bit harder to swallow.
If the Jazz plan to waive Schroder, retaining Tucker and waiving him instead would have made more sense, as it is the cheaper option. They could try to trade Schroder, but there is no guarantee of a trade moving forward. Schroder likely doesn't help the Jazz lose more games in the "Capture the Flagg" sweepstakes; in fact, the Jazz added a win to their record in the trade after beating the Warriors last night.
With only hours remaining until the trade deadline, the Jazz don't have much more time to make a deal, but this grade could improve if they can use Schroder or the pick before the deadline.