In the latest Stein Line, Marc Stein reveals the Utah Jazz will be active this trade season, but it’s not likely to be for a big name.
From Marc Stein:
With various teams hard-capped at the first apron or just trying to remain below that threshold — or out of the luxury tax altogether — there’s a growing belief leaguewide that we’ll see Brooklyn, Charlotte and Utah play facilitator in a few of these more complicated frameworks. Sources say that the Nets, Hornets and Jazz have all been reiterating to teams in ongoing
conversations that they are willing to help grease trades in exchange for draft capital.
This makes a lot of sense for the Jazz. Utah is not interested in improving this season, but it has a lot of expiring veteran contracts that could be used to make a trade happen. It’s also interesting to hear the Jazz are interested in more draft capital. The fact is, you can never have too many picks, and you never know when the later pick in the draft becomes the player you need. For example, Taylor Hendricks, drafted at #9, has not been as good as Keyonte George, who was drafted at #16. But it’s also not just drafting that picks can help with. Draft picks are the trade currency of the NBA and are becoming more and more valuable. Because the CBA is so strict, having young players on the roster makes it easier to make your contracts work, and it’s making those picks that much more valuable.
If Utah can somehow trade off more of its veteran players and bring on more picks, it could be an extremely successful trade deadline.
