Trading season is starting to heat up, so plenty of eyes are on the Utah Jazz. Reports have already come out that they are looking into trading Collin Sexton. It remains to be seen how serious they are about trading him, but it's something to keep an eye on.
There are plenty of reasons for teams to trade for Sexton. The guy can score, he's only 25, he's improved as an all-around player in Utah, and his contract is more than affordable for a team that's trying to win. Those positives make it pretty ambiguous as to whether Utah will actually trade him because it wouldn't be too shocking if they didn't.
If they do, Sports Illustrated's Anthony Pasciolla proposed a trade that would Sexton to the Heat. He proposed the following swap between the two sides.
Heat receive: Sexton
Jazz receive: Terry Rozier, draft capital
Pasciolla did not elaborate on why the Jazz would agree to a trade like this but believes that Rozier (who has a team option on the last year of his deal in 2025) and the draft capital should be enough to get the Jazz on board.
But no further details were added regarding what kind of draft capital, and that's what's key here. Here's a fun fact: Rozier was originally drafted by Danny Ainge in 2015, back when he was with the Celtics. That may sound irrelevant, but since coming to Utah, Ainge has traded for players he originally drafted back when he was with Boston.
The specific draft capital is what would matter to the Jazz
The Jazz may trade Sexton, but it wouldn't be just to get rid of him. They may be selling him and some of his teammates to the highest bidder, but they don't have much to lose by keeping him or the rest of them. They're not really getting in the way of the Jazz's plans.
So, if they agree to a Sexton trade, it will be because they got the most value out of him that they thought they could. The Heat are an appealing trade partner because they haven't been nearly as dominant as they have been. If the Jazz get a lightly protected pick for Sexton, that might be enough for the Jazz to approve.
The Jazz likely wouldn't play Rozier at all. In fact, they would probably try to re-route him if they acquired him for Sexton. He has not had a good tenure with Miami, and his value might be low enough for the Jazz to waive him. The irony is that there's a fair argument that Rozier is just an older version of Sexton.
Because it's not specific what the Jazz would get back from Miami, it's hard to give this an honest grade. If it's for a protected first-round pick, that's not good enough. If it's a somewhat lottery-protected pick, then we're talking.
Grade: C+