While the victories have not yet been entered on the board for the Utah Jazz After two seasons of rebuilding, this new era is off to a flying start, and that’s largely thanks to the massive moves that took place in the 2022 offseason.
While one of these moves in the Rudy Gobert trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves positions the Jazz extremely well in the draft for the next half-decade, the biggest of which could be Utah’s deal to send Donovan Mitchell to the The Cleveland Cavaliers.
This trade, which was not an easy one to pull off at the time, netted the Jazz not only three first-round picks and two first-round swaps, but also the acquisitions of Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji (who quickly became Isaiah Collier), and of course, Lauri Markkanen. Ultimately, it did put Utah in an extremely ideal position for its future aspirations, but it also looks like one of the best trades in recent NBA history.
In Bleacher ReportThe latest overhaul of Among the league’s biggest and most recent blockbusters, the Jazz received an enlightening “A” grade for their return, with writer Dan Favale detailing the overwhelming positives of the deal, but also some potential concerns going forward:
“Utah couldn’t have asked for a better return on Mitchell considering Sexton’s play and, more importantly, Markkanen’s meteoric rise… But Utah may also be a victim of underestimation. He’s outperformed early-season expectations the last two years. That’s required massive selloffs and midseason trades that have never resulted in a pick higher than No. 9. That leaves the Jazz in a tough spot, seemingly too good to go down without resorting to extremes, but not ready enough to make any noise in the Western Conference. Their next re-ranking will depend on what they do next.”
– Dan Favale, Bleacher Report
Looking back, given the Jazz’s pending contract implications with Donovan Mitchell and the possibility of losing their star guard for nothing, this was a masterstroke. Utah not only has a bunch of future assets to use, but also got a couple of impactful starting contributors.
However, the problem Favale alludes to is one that has plagued the Jazz for the past two seasons: Utah has too many good players to eliminate, but is unable to truly compete, especially in the Western Conference. That puts management at a crossroads, essentially in wait-and-see mode until a big star becomes available for trade, or young talent finally develops to their level.
The Mitchell trade is a deal that’s being made in a vacuum, but the true success of this franchise depends on what comes next. If the Jazz can manage their assets wisely to bring in a co-star to back up Markkanen, this trade will start to look even better over time.
Still, without that long-awaited big move coming to fruition just yet, Utah will have to rely on drafting and development to get this roster where it needs to be — even with one of the best NBA trades in recent memory.
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