NBA Offseason: Jazz Players Who Have Reached 'Untouchable' Status

Entering a crucial offseason, only a few members of the Utah Jazz roster should be viewed as 'untradeable.'

In what should be an interesting offseason for the Utah Jazz, there's a world where we see many different moving pieces and players on the way out in an effort to improve the team. With ample cap space, draft capital, and an aggressive front office, this seems to be a recipe for an exciting next few months.

Danny Ainge even made note of this in his closing press conference when discussing the team's prospective offseason:

"Yeah, this is gonna be fun. More draft picks, more money to spend — shopping spree. Yeah, this will be more fun, much more fun than last year.” — Jazz CEO Danny Ainge

If this quote doesn't tell you that Ainge will likely be relentless in his efforts to create a championship team in Utah, I'm not sure what will. His history as an executive for the Boston Celtics should show just that, considering how successful the team he built has been able to develop into within recent years.

However, with this aggressiveness and desire to improve the roster, there should still be some limitations in place. Some players on the Jazz roster have simply earned their stripes to secure a spot on the team entering next season. Considering the team's overachievement of 37 wins, a complete deconstruction of the roster would simply be unwise.

While the number of guys to actually be able to consider their roster spots safe for next season is slim, the number still isn't zero. As we see it, there currently stands to be about two players on the Jazz roster to be considered truly 'untouchable':

Untouchable #1: Lauri Markkanen

Lauri Markkanen going into next season rostered by anyone but Utah would be flat-out irresponsible. The 2023 Most Improved Player showed some significant signs of improvement all throughout last season. With the opportunity to continue to progress through the next few seasons, dealing him now would be selling yourself short of what he could eventually transcend into.

Markkanen averaged some of the best numbers in his career across the board last season with 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. With a roster that projects to be  improved and reloaded for the 2023-24 season, we could see Lauri continue to add another layer to his game.

Even in a potential blockbuster trade for another rising superstar, it would be a tough decision to sell the potential of Markkanen after just one season. In what would be an effort to make a large splash would likely just be simply impatient. Entering his age-26 season, we may have yet to see the best of Lauri Bird.

Untouchable #2: Walker Kessler

Walker Kessler was one of the great surprises of the 2023 season for the Jazz. The Rookie of the Year candidate shouldn't be going anywhere for the next four years at minimum. The first-year product from Auburn has proven to be the perfect replacement for longtime bigman Rudy Gobert.

A valuable defensive anchor like Kessler on a rookie deal for the next three season isn't something that grows on trees. There's few trades that could realistically be offered to Utah that could prove to be a net upgrade.

In his first year in the league, Kessler averaged 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.3 reboounds per game. These would be seen as some great stats for anyone as is, but for a rookie to be having this kind of impact early is rare. It's likely we'll see some strides in year 2 and onward, so a deal now would just be too short-sighted.

As for anyone else on the roster: It's very possible we could see a multitude of players sitting on the roster now become dangled in trade rumors, or be seen as expendable in the near future. While many of the players that currently stand on the roster would be more than welcome to be on the squad again next year, there's not exactly reservations for them.

However, for Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, these guys should be seen as building blocks, not trade assets. Any deal involving these two this offseason would not only be shocking, but unneccesary. Both should remain as staples in the frontcourt for years to come.

---

Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live-stream podcasts!