Between the upcoming NBA Draft and the Walker Kessler situation, so much is going on for the Utah Jazz right now that it's easy to overlook that they have some available cap space left over this summer. They will want to use that to their advantage, like the non-taxpayers mid-level exception, but must choose wisely.
Someone who would make a lot of sense is Isaiah Joe. Lucky for Utah, Oklahoma City is looking to cut payroll to keep some of their most valuable players while staying under the NBA's tax aprons, which opens the door for a Joe trade to Utah.
The Thunder have already gotten ahead of this, as they traded Aaron Wiggins to the Atlanta Hawks into a trade exception for second-round picks. The Jazz don't have a trade exception, but they could use the aforementioned MLE to absorb Joe's deal. The only catch is that they would be hard-capped at the first tax apron.
That might be worth it though. Joe is an NBA Champion who has been quite a fun individual NBA story. A second-round pick dumped by his first team that evolved into an integral rotation player for an NBA Champion? He's also not that expensive?
The Jazz need to build not just a talented roster to be serious about a playoff run, but they need talent that fits together. For all the pieces they already have assembled, a sharpshooter would make a lot of sense for them.
For the record, Svi Mykhailiuk has actually done quite well in that role to the point that he might even start next season, but Joe might be the upgrade they need to give them their last piece.
But would OKC do Utah any favors?
The Thunder are doing this to save money so they can keep who they consider to be the most integral parts of their core. However, something they may refuse to do is help out a fellow contender in the West. We would be getting ahead of ourselves if we said the Jazz and Thunder are on the same tier.
They're not, as far as we know, but how far away are they? We actually really don't know how good the Jazz will be next season. We've seen the flashes of how good this team could be, both with Kessler before he went down and then with Jaren Jackson Jr. before he went down.
Now they're getting both back, will get a golden prospect from the draft tomorrow, and Joe might be the finishing touch on a team that no Western Conference team will want to face in a playoff series. Oklahoma City may want to save themselves, but may not want to help create new problems while they're at it.
Especially when it comes to a team that stopped them from getting a top-10 pick in a loaded draft. Don't be surprised if Joe gets moved, don't be surprised if Utah inquires, and don't be surprised if the Thunder only entertain it if they've got no better options.
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