Unsurprisingly, Collin Sexton will be among the Utah Jazz players who will hit the trade market this offseason. It's too soon to predict whether he will get traded, but Hardwood Houdini's Sam LaFrance proposed a trade between the Jazz and Celtics involving Sexton that would solve what could be a problem for the Jazz: a roster crunch.
LaFrance proposed a trade between the Jazz and Celtics in which the following would happen.
Celtics get: Sexton, Svi Mykhailiuk
Jazz get: Kristaps Porzingis
The Celtics' rationale for this trade is quite simple. Making a trade like this saves them $8.1 million, which helps them inch closer to getting below the NBA's second tax apron. For the Jazz, they could do much worse than acquiring Porzingis with no assets attached.
This isn't the first time the Celtics' champion has been floated as a Jazz trade target. Beyond that, this isn't even the first time a trade scenario has been laid out that would send Porzingis to Utah. The potential positives of having Porzingis become a Jazzman were laid out there, so in the Jazz's case, he truly is a trade target that would make them ask, "Why not?"
If Porzingis were to work out for Utah, awesome! But if he doesn't, his contract will expire, and they have nothing to lose long-term. The bigger headline for the Jazz from this trade is that it could assist them in stopping a roster crunch next season.
Why the Jazz may want to open up some spots
Utah has four draft picks in 2025, two of which are first-rounders and two of which are second-rounders. The Jazz may use those second-round picks on guys they can draft and stash, but if they're impressive enough that they're worth bringing in right away, that could be a problem, but that's a bridge they'll cross when they come to it.
A trade like this could help the Jazz trim down the roster enough to make room for four rookies next season. It wouldn't completely solve that problem, but it would be a start. Now, the Jazz could alternatively waive Mykhailiuk, KJ Martin, Johnny Juzang, and Jaden Springer to solve the problem.
However, one, where's the fun in that? Two, this will be a crazy offseason. There will be a lot of trades this offseason because now, two years after the NBA introduced the concept of tax aprons, the teams that spent recklessly even after that will experience the whiplash of that.
Because Utah has multiple non-guaranteed contracts, teams like Boston will want to trade. Utah can take advantage of that by squeezing assets or getting hypothetical upgrades like Porzingis (he's coming off a disastrous postseason)
Even crazier, in Boston's case, the Celtics would probably prefer Jordan Clarkson over Sexton despite the latter being younger and better at what Clarkson does. The key difference is that Clarkson makes a few million less than Sexton does, and that's what Boston will want more than anything.
So, the Jazz can confront this potential roster crunch, and they could improve their standing somewhat. No, it's not a home run, but at least it's a sign that the Jazz are trying to make some worthwhile changes.