The Utah Jazz are open for business.
That is the crux of trade rumors that are already flying in regard to the Jazz this offseason.
Per FanSided’s Evan Sidery, the Jazz are open to trading both power forward John Collins and guard Jordan Clarkson this summer.
And according to Michael Scotto of the Hoops Hype Podcast, the Jazz are also expected to “shop both their two first-round picks — No. 10 and No. 29 — for a win-now player.”
None of this should come as a major surprise, as the Deseret News’ Sarah Todd reported from the NBA combine earlier this month that the Jazz are keeping their options open.
Team president Danny Ainge told media following the conclusion of the regular season that the Jazz were going to go “big-game hunting.” His way of saying that the team wants to win next season, after a pair of disappointing losing seasons.
“We’re ready to roll, we’re ready to go big-game hunting,” Ainge said. “That hasn’t happened in the last two years, but if we start all over, then we’re three years, possibly four years from being anywhere. We feel like we’re closer than that, and we have a chance. We’re going all-in this summer.
“When I say all-in, that doesn’t mean that we’re going to throw all our chips in, like championship or bust. I’m saying our mindset is that we’re doing everything only to try to win. That’s our only objective ... and if we don’t land anything, we don’t make any deals, we don’t land anything, then our direction could change.”
Moreover, both Collins and Clarkson have been available for some time, going back to the February trade deadline, per multiple reports.
Collins, acquired by Utah last offseason from Atlanta, had somewhat of a disappointing season. He, Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler never seemed to truly mesh as an oversized front court. He did come close to his career averages, though, with 15.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 53% from the field, and 37% from 3-point range.
Clarkson has been a key figure off the Jazz’s bench since he arrived in Utah during the 2019-20 season. Over his four-and-a-half seasons in Utah he has become a fan favorite, but at 31 he doesn’t especially fit a team built around the 27-year-old Markkanen and even younger players — 13 of the players on the Jazz’s 18-man roster are 25 or younger.
As for the Jazz’s draft picks in the 2024 NBA draft, the prevailing consensus is that this year’s draft is lacking in star talent, particularly where the Jazz would be making their selections. And if the Jazz want to win more games in 2024-25, another rookie isn’t likely to move the needle. For a while, at the best.
Time will tell if the Jazz are serious about remaking their roster this offseason, but so far it appears that Utah is going to try and change something after losing a combined 96 games over the last two seasons.
