Jazz Have 'Made Advances' on Trading Up in 2024 NBA Draft

The Utah Jazz could be positioning themselves for a big move.

Dec 28, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) celebrates with Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports / Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Draft rumors are in full swing as we're just one day away from the first round officially kicking off on Wednesday, and the Utah Jazz are right at the center of it.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports!, the Jazz are among teams that have been active in pursuit of trading up in the first round on Wednesday. Fischer details that Utah, as well as the New York Knicks, are two names to watch as they attempt to find a way into the mid-section of this draft:

"The New York Knicks and Utah Jazz have made advances about combining their last first-round pick and second-round draft capital to slide up into the teens of this draft, rival executives told Yahoo Sports."

- Jake Fischer, Yahoo! Sports

The Jazz hold a strong amount of draft capital to play with in order to make a move up into the first round feasible. Utah has the 10th, 29th, and 32nd overall picks in this year's draft, and also possesses a number of future selections in the future from the Donovan Mitchell/Rudy Gobert deal to remain flexible in any trade talks.

We also can't count out a few players on the Jazz roster potentially being involved in talks as well. Names like Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and John Collins have already begun surfacing as trade candidates to watch early in this offseason, and at the right price.

Of the suitors that might be interested in being a partner with Utah, don't count out the Los Angeles Lakers. Fischer details that the Lakers have made their 17th-overall pick available in trade discussions, and could be intrigued in adding multiple picks later in the draft to select Bronny James:

"Los Angeles has also made that No. 17 selection available via trade, sources said, as the Lakers have evaluated the market for a significant contributor alongside James and Davis...Would Utah’s Nos. 29 and 32 picks be enough to entice the Lakers to fall back from their original slot? Both selections would afford Los Angeles an earlier chance to draft Bronny James, as compared to the Lakers’ current second-round pick at No. 55."

- Jake Fischer, Yahoo! Sports

If there's a player that drops on the board that Utah really likes, Danny Ainge may end up pulling the trigger on a deal with the Lakers, or a team that falls within a similar range on the draft board like the Philadelphia 76ers (16th), or Orlando Magic (18th).

Expect trade talks to heat up surrounding the Jazz as we get closer to draft night, with the first round kicking off on Wednesday night at 6 PM MT.

---

Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and Twitter/X.

Subscribe to YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live streams!