Insider Floats Trio of Jazz Vets as 'Prime Candidate' Trade Targets

More rumors for the rebuilding Utah Jazz.

Mar 6, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) and guard Collin Sexton (2) speak during a second quarter break in action against the Chicago Bulls at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Another day and another rumor surrounding the rebuilding Utah Jazz. The latest comes from NBA correspondent  Marc Stein, who claims the Jazz are open for business regarding a trade involving John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, and Collin Sexton.

“The league wide presumption about the Jazz nonetheless persists that Collins — like fellow veterans Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton — is a prime candidate to be dealt between now and the Feb. 6 trade deadline by Jazz CEO Danny Ainge. Collins, though, learned how to cope with such chatter and uncertainty through numerous transactional cycles after landing his Atlanta deal and, to his credit, has been a source of consistency (and efficiency) for a team that is known to be prioritizing draft position above all this season as Utah plots its course to build out a sustainable core around star forward Lauri Markkanen.”

What a Sunday in the NBA ...

16-3 Boston at 17-3 Cleveland.

15-4 Oklahoma City at 14-6 Houston.

And a fresh batch of my around-the-league Sunday NBA notes for you: https://t.co/amClQFogTi pic.twitter.com/kzzeiTMMtF

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 1, 2024

This should surprise nobody. There’s been speculation about this trio of Jazz veterans for some time. However, the Jazz can afford to be patient with how the season has been shaping up.

In the two previous years of their rebuild, the Jazz were trending for a chance to make the play-in tournament. Stacking up wins before the deadline hurt Utah’s lottery odds, and it showed up at the draft. 

Utah’s highest pick was No. 9, which was used for Taylor Hendricks. One has to wonder what would've happened if the Jazz had unloaded Mike Conley, Malik Beasley, Kelly Olynyk, and Simonc Fontecchio in December rather than February. 

However, in the third year of their rebuild, the Jazz’s hot start to the season appears to be a thing of the past. Heading into Tuesday night’s game, Utah has only won four games in 20 attempts. At this pace, the Jazz would have the third-best lottery odds based on the 2023-24 final standings.

It’s a recipe in which Utah can be patient. The Jazz don’t have to trade anyone this season, provided they can lose 70% of their games with the current roster. That said, there’s still enough veteran talent for the current players to flip the script during the season.

Utah hasn’t been good, but they also haven’t played many bottom dwellers of the league yet. Games against the Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, and New Orleans Pelicans will be crucial for Utah’s lottery odds moving forward. 

We’ll see what happens, but if Utah gets hot, expect a sense of urgency for the Jazz to deplete their roster sooner rather than later. Jazz fans can expect all the veterans not named Lauri Markkanen to be up for bid.

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