With the NBA trade deadline set for next Thursday, the Utah Jazz have already made two trades, including one on Saturday that sent out two players to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The nuts and bolts are as follows: Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills to the Clippers; P.J. Tucker, Mo Bamba, a future second round draft pick and cash considerations to the Jazz.
The previous deal was with the Phoenix Suns, with the Jazz consolidating three not-so-favorable first-rounders for an unprotected first in 2031.
There is a lot of reading between the lines to be done with this latest deal. The first thing that should stand out is that this deal does not include any of the players who have been expected to be dealt by the Jazz — John Collins, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson are all still on the Jazz roster.
When I asked Jazz head coach Will Hardy if he has any sense of what the Jazz plan to do with Tucker and Bamba, he said, “No.” If he expected the two incoming Clippers players to join the Jazz roster and play, he likely would have been able to say so.
Additionally, league sources have indicated a number of times over the last few weeks that conversations with the Jazz have been ongoing and fairly consistent. Those conversations did not revolve solely around the Jazz acquiring a single future second-rounder.
So, if we add up all the evidence, it feels as if this is the first real domino to fall for the Jazz as the trade deadline nears.
Though Bamba does offer a bit of intrigue as a young player who has shown potential in the past, he and Tucker are both on expiring deals.
Considering where the Jazz are in their rebuild, the expiring contracts give the Jazz flexibility in being able to release them, risk free if they needed to in order to make another deal work.
The Jazz have been pretty clear in their messaging both on and off the record this season: They won’t be pressured into anything, there is no rush to do anything and they hold the leverage and power in most of these trade conversations considering how much capital they have in terms of trade assets.
So, there is still a sense that the Jazz could be quiet over the next few days as far as deals are concerned. That being said, the deal with the Clippers very much feels like a deal made in order to make another deal.