Bleacher Report Floats Possible Jazz-Timberwolves Trade Idea

The Utah Jazz could use some help defensively, but it would come at a price.

Mar 18, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) dribbles / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

After Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge spoke last week on the possibility of being buyers this summer, the rumors of an offseason upgrade to the current roster are starting to trickle in. The latest comes from NBA writer Dan Favale of The Bleacher Report, who floated the idea of the Jazz trading for Minnesota Timberwolves PF Jaden McDaniels, with current starting shooting guard Collin Sexton being a part of the exchange.

"The Utah Jazz need an abundance of help on defense for the upcoming season. That's not in dispute," Favale wrote. "The Jazz' were the worst defensive team in the league, a notion that only really took hold in the second half of the season after the club traded away key defenders Kelly Olynyk, Ochai Agbaji, and Simone Fontecchio. Without those three players and the rookies getting more minutes, the team lost its edge on defense and quickly fell apart."

Adding McDaniels to the current starting five would certainly make Utah’s starting lineup much more balanced. The Jazz starting backcourt of Sexton and Keynonte George doesn’t offer much resistance on the defensive end. Even though they don't play the same position, trading an offensive spark plug like Sexton for McDaniels certainly would make Utah a more formidable defensive unit.

However, obtaining McDaniels via trade wouldn’t be cheap. The Timberwolves just inked him to a five-year 136 million-dollar contract extension in October of 2023. That’s a big commitment to a player who only averaged 10.5 points this past season and is a below-average shooter from the perimeter. In the 2023-24 season, McDaniels only knocked down 33.7% of his three-point shots.

Also, the Jazz are still in the process of developing 2023 first-round pick Taylor Hendricks. It was an up-and-down season for Hendricks in his rookie year, but a trade for McDaniels might be premature, considering the Jazz might already have a player rostered that can be a force on defense and a better floor spacer on offense than McDaniels. The Jazz need at least one more year of data before trading for a player that would hinder the development of Hendricks. 

Taking a glance at Utah’s roster, I see that the most glaring need is upgrading its backcourt. Bringing in a player that can pair up with George that has length and defensive prowess would help immensely. This would also leave Sexton as Utah’s Sixth Man, assuming that Utah will be parting ways with Jordan Clarkson this summer. 

With the emergence of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, this trade probably makes more sense for the Timberwolves. The former Jazzman is logging over 30 minutes a game this postseason and will be an unrestricted free agent after next year. Trading McDaniels does give Minnesota some cap relief and increases the likelihood of locking up Alexander-Waler in the long term. With a rebuilding Jazz team along with Ainge's postseason remarks, Jazz fans can expect a steady diet of rumors this summer.

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