At times, it's been fun to see the Utah Jazz exceed expectations. Sadly though, for two straight years, they've been too good to get a lottery pick and bad enough that they're not making the playoffs. The absolute epitome of no-man's land.
So, the Jazz must decide what route to take going forward. The one choice they cannot make is making a trade that doesn't really move the needle much at all. While getting, say, a star would be nice, it would depend on how much the star would truly help. That brings us to Brandon Ingram.
If there's a time to get Ingram, it's now. His expiring contract would make him cheaper to acquire than he normally would, he's only now starting to enter his prime, and his skillset is rare enough in the modern NBA, it'd be hard to pass him up when given the chance. However, that doesn't mean each and every team should go after him. Particularly the Jazz.
With that out in the open, ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel outlined a trade in which the Jazz would acquire Ingram, Dyson Daniels, and the 21st overall pick in exchange for John Collins, Collin Sexton, the 29th and 32nd overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, 2025 Timberwolves pick, and 2027 Laker pick. Siegel explained why Ingram would interest the Jazz.
"Pairing Ingram with Lauri Markkanen and a young backcourt duo of (Keyonte) George and (Rob) Dillingham (who Siegel predicts the Jazz will take with the No. 11 pick) certainly creates a dynamic offensive team."
Why this trade pitch means well for the Utah Jazz
Well first things first, it gives the Jazz an All-Star talent in Ingram, who has made an All-Star roster. One can also argue that he should have made more had he not suffered untimely injuries. Throughout his time with Utah, Markkanen has never been armed with another star by his side. Perhaps Ingram could bring out even more of Markkanen at the top of his game.
Ingram also provides potential matchup problems since he's proven that he's more of a point forward than a classic wing. The Jazz could potentially be tough to beat for any team who crosses paths with them. It puts them in the playoff race, though far from sure thing
And that's not all. Because of his albatross contract, Jazz fans love to read any trade pitches involving Collins. Getting him off the roster is a must. The Jazz would get more bang for their buck with Ingram, and his expiring contract would give them cap flexibility.
But why it's precisely what the Utah Jazz don't need
Ingram is a talent upgrade for the Jazz, but how much is the problem. He's proven that he's a star but has failed to prove that he's a franchise player. There's definitely a difference, and the window to prove that he is the latter is closing. New Orleans has only made the playoffs twice with him onboard. There's no telling if he would guide the Jazz even further.
Because there are justified doubts about how much he would raise Utah's ceiling, one can't help but wonder, does he make the Jazz better than they've been for the last two seasons? It's been a fun ride at times for the Jazz, but they are not making progress. Because of how they've performed, they're not getting high lottery picks, and they're not making the postseason.
Getting Ingram would put the Jazz in the playoff conversation at best, but that's not what they need. Becoming slightly better when the team is too good to be bad and too bad to be good does not accomplish anything. No one's against acquiring a needle-mover, but Ingram puts the Jazz squarely in the same no-man's land they've been occupying since 2022 and should be trying to avoid at all costs going forward.
In short, the only way a trade like this is acceptable is if the Jazz get an actual win-now franchise player to play beside Markkanen and Ingram. Hence, the Jazz's response to this trade pitch would be "Thanks, but no thanks, and never ask again."