Jaren Jackson Jr. bares hardly any of the responsibility for why this season has gone so badly for the Utah Jazz, if none at all. However, the early results before his untimely injury suggested that, most optimistically, his fit with the team would take some time.
There's no doubt that on paper, Jackson and Lauri Markkanen make for a rare pairing that could pay massive dividends. The only problem is that the rebounding flaws between the two would get in the way of them (and by extension, the team) reaching its potential.
Utah has time to think about what their next move is, despite their awful start to the season. Once JJJ come back, and should things not improve, the best option may be to trade him to the Miami Heat for Bam Adebayo. The Heat haven't had nearly as bad of a start as the Jazz have, but they have rivaled them in terms of disappointment.
They acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo in hopes of turning into a contender. They haven't started out as badly as Utah has, but just barely avoiding blowing a 22-point lead to the heavily undermanned Jazz not too far back is pretty solid proof that they aren't title contenders.
Much of that is because Giannis and Bam Adebayo aren't the most pleasant fit either. Adebayo is not a floor spacer. He's a defensive wizard who is menace on rebounds, but he doesn't create his own
Why a deal makes sense
Besides the fact that Adebayo and JJJ make the same amount of money, Adebayo fits better with what Utah needs than Jackson does. He can score, but he's not really much of a shot creator, meaning he should be able to open up more scoring opportunities for Markkanen, Keyonte George, and the evolving Darryn Peterson.
For Miami though, everyone knows that Giannis does better when paired with a floor-spacing big man, as he did with Brook Lopez in Milwaukee. Jackson does that while providing some excellent defense by himself. Sure, he isn't the best fit at the five, but he and Giannis can be interchangeable, as he takes pressure off Giannis on the defensive end, and Antetokounmpo would help him on the boards.
A trade like this is definitely drastic, but it's easy to see why it would help both sides. At full strength, Utah needs defense and rebounding more than they do shot creation. At full strength, Miami needs more spacing and shot creation than star power. Neither side has to consider this for some time, but this is one of those deals that could very well be a home run for both sides if it all works out.
The real obstacle might not even be who would be more or less willing to part ways with their player, but whether Pat Riley and Danny Ainge would truly be willing to help each other out.
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