Until it's proven otherwise, we will never run out of ways to praise the Utah Jazz for the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade. On today's edition, we examine a mock draft by Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, where he revealed how the JJJ trade benefits the Jazz: they will go for the best player available.
Wasserman basically said as much while projecting the Jazz to take Caleb Wilson with the No. 4 pick in the draft.
"The acquisition of Jaren Jackson Jr. will likely eliminate Utah's desire to draft for needs. At No. 4, they'll take the best player available, which Caleb Wilson is widely believed to be if he's even still available."
That ther underlies the true benefit of being a team already built to make the playoffs that also gets one of the best prospects from a loaded draft class. They really can't go wrong, no matter how the draft lottery turns out, nor who they pick. Alternatively, they could trade it for someone who's ready to win now or could possess a promising talent on a team-friendly deal.
This also isn't the first time Wilson has been floated as the Jazz's guy should Utah get lucky enough to pick in the top-four. They haven't been able to do that since 2011, but as stated above, it doesn't matter whether they do or don't because whoever they pick will get added to a playoff contender.
An added bonus for drafting someone like Wilson
It may seem like overkill to add another big man to what will likely be a pretty loaded frontcourt, but there's always the chance that the Jazz may suffer an injury. Remember how Walker Kessler's season ended prematurely because of his shoulder surgery? You never know when those might just pop up.
JJJ is also coming off a season that was cut short because of a knee injury. There will be some questions about the durability of the Jazz's frontcourt next season, so even if Wilson may be bured in the rotation, he would be some nice insurance in case Utah gets snakebitten by injuries in what should be a pretty promising season.
Of course, no one knows how the lottery will turn out for the Jazz when it's all said and done. They haven't gotten too lucky in the past, but the winds have changed in the past, so they have every reason to be optimistic. Since the Jazz won't primarily depend on the lottery to get them where they want to go next season, they'll be ready for anything!
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