The NBA Trade Deadline is less than a month away, and that's relevant to the Utah Jazz, but not because of who on their team could be traded, but who among their fellow tankers may trade. It's possible they make a move or two, but pending any surprises, any seismic changes like trading Lauri Markkanen are highly unlikely. Adding to that, all signs point to Utah staying as is when the deadline passes.
ESPN's Kevin Pelton confirmed this when discussing where the Jazz are at with the trade deadline.
"Utah's deadline will likely be relatively quiet, unless it considers a trade involving All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen. Nurkic is the lone Utah starter headed to unrestricted free agency, and his $19.4 million salary makes him a tough fit for contending teams via trade," Pelton wrote.
The Jazz could buy at the deadline, but they are No. 6 in the tanking race right now, which currently give them over 96% chance at keeping their pick away from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Judging by how they've been "resting" their starters on and off, it's likely they want to keep it that way at the very least, as they also likely want to strengthen those odds.
So Utah likely won't do anything major. This is a contrast from last year, when many wondered what they would do with Collin Sexton, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson. The Jazz got involved in a couple of deals, and while those deals themselves were major (Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler), neither changed the Jazz's fortunes much.
Nurkic, Kyle Anderson, or Kevin Love could be traded, but it's not like teams are chomping at the bit to grab one of them. Nor will Utah really play hardball if anyone inquires about them.
The Jazz haven't been deadline buyers in some time
The last time the Jazz got involved in a swap that drastically altered their outlook was the first Russell Westbrook trade in 2023. That was primarily to strengthen their tanking odds, as they traded Mike Conley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley primarily to make themselves worse and capitalize on what they thought would be the Lakers' downfall in 2027.
Since then, all of their trades have been about helping their tanking odds or just helping make the contracts work in other deals. The last time the Jazz made a deadline deal in their hopes to win was 2018, when they made the vaunted Jae Crowder deal.
It was a brilliant deal, as it didn't cost them a whole lot, and it made a surprisingly awesome year all the more awesome. With how these past few years have gone, it's hard not to be nostalgic for those days. The good news for Jazz fans is that this will be the last year Utah either does nothing or makes themselves worse.
At least, it should be for a while.