In one of the most surprising twists of the young season, the Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks have the exact same record at 1-6. For the Jazz, this isn't surprising and could certainly be seen as the ideal scenario. For the Bucks, it's the opposite.
Following a very disappointing season that was overshadowed by Giannis Antetokounmpo's ill-timed season-ending injury, the Bucks have somehow only taken another step back this season. They've been so bad that the Giannis trade rumblings are being revived.
Now Giannis trade rumors popped up even before the season started from the horse's mouth, and now, it's starting to gain some actual steam. If it gets to a point where he truly is available, there's no reason for the 29 other NBA teams to inquire about him. Yes, that includes the Jazz.
Giannis is Giannis. He's one of the NBA's very best players both of the modern day and all-time, Lauri Markkanen would be the perfect No. 2 for him, and it would allow the Jazz to pick a clear as day direction when many have wondered where they would go.
The Jazz would have assets to entice the Bucks, but several obstacles would have to be overcome for a trade to be possible.
1. The timing isn't good for blockbuster trade
Now, everyone will point to being 1-6 when the notion of timing is mentioned. The season is still young for everyone, and while the Jazz have started the season in a hole, that's not the reason why timing is being mentioned.
To make a trade work while also keeping the core around Giannis hypothetically playoff-caliber, the Jazz would have to trade a lot of players. They wouldn't trade Markkanen for obvious reasons, but John Collins matches a little more than half of Giannnis' current salary.
To fill up the rest and send them youth, they would have to include Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Taylor Hendricks, and Cody Williams. That's giving them youth while matching salary, but that's a ton of roster spots they would leave empty just for Giannis alone.
If this were the offseason, it would be more palatable, but during the regular season, these scenarios from a financial standpoint for the Jazz.
2. The Jazz lack a *quality* asset
The Jazz have oodles of intriguing young talent, but until further notice, they have not proven that they have the potential to be franchise players. That could be different in the coming future, but for now, there's nothing indicating that the Jazz have the future of the franchise on the team.
The draft pick situation also isn't that great. The Jazz inarguably have plenty of them to offer, but none of them project to be a golden asset. Much like the Jazz's young talent, it could be, but they don't project to be as such until further notice.
It would be a rare enough spectacle if Giannis is available, and in terms of the quantity of young players and draft assets to offer, they can compete with anyone. As far as quality goes, it's not that appealing currently.
3. Giannis probably wouldn't want to play for Utah
Many may think this is about Utah's reputation as a place where players don't willingly want to play. It wouldn't surprise anyone if he wouldn't want to go there, but even if the Jazz weren't located in Utah, their situation wouldn't be great for him anyway.
Pairing Giannis with Markkanen, along with Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton, that's not a bad foundation for a winning roster. It's not good enough to win a title, but it's a good start. The problem is, he's 30, so he has no time to waste at this point.
If the Jazz had a surefire-contending team surrounding him following a trade, maybe he would be down, but they would only have the start of a winning team. One can question how much better that core is than the one Giannis has now.
He would probably prefer a team that has all the makings of a contender immediately. If Giannis was a couple years younger, maybe he would give the Jazz the time to form themselves into a contender, but at 30, no one knows how much longer he'll be in his prime.