The Utah Jazz made one notable move ahead of the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline, sending injured sharpshooter Joe Ingles to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team deal that brought Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Juancho Hernangomez to Utah.
The Jazz sit in fourth place in the Western Conference at 35-21. Adding some role players via the buyout market could help them compete with the top teams in the West. The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns have been phenomenal, and it will be difficult for the Jazz to take them down.
The Memphis Grizzlies are also ahead of the Jazz behind the breakout campaign from star guard Ja Morant. Morant has led the Grizzlies to the third seed in the West at 40-18. They are a young team, so the Jazz should have the advantage over them in the postseason due to their playoff experience.
While the team is talented, stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert will need reinforcements to get past the top teams in the West. With that said, here are the top two buyout candidates for the Jazz after the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline.
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Jazz Buyout Candidates
2. Gary Harris
Gary Harris is one of the biggest names on the buyout market, and many teams are interested in acquiring him. Harris has yet to be bought out but would be a great 3-and-D wing to add to the roster.
This season, he is averaging 11.4 points per game while shooting 44.0 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range. He is a stellar on-the-ball defender, providing reliable defense on opposing teams' top guards. Utah has a great rim protector, so adding a wing defender would bolster the roster in a much-needed way.
His ability to shoot at an efficient clip from behind the arc also gives the Jazz value on offense. If Utah is able to acquire Harris over other interested teams, he would be a big help in the playoffs.
Dennis Schroder was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Houston Rockets at the deadline and is a candidate to be bought out. Schroder would be a great fit for the Jazz due to his ability to score at all three levels and play solid defense.
The energy and intensity he brings on both ends of the floor can spark the team around him. Schroder would be in his best role off the bench, where he can bring his energy and inspire the bench unit to pick it up where the starters left off.
Although the Jazz already have Jordan Clarkson off the bench, Schroder's game would pair well alongside him. Clarkson is the primary scorer for Utah's reserves, and he could get more open looks with the addition of Schroder.
Schroder is a solid playmaker, and his scoring punch would force defenses to close out, creating more open looks for his teammates. This season, he is averaging 14.4 points and 4.2 assists per game. He is shooting 44.0 percent from the field while shooting 34.9 percent from 3-point land.
Many teams are expected to pursue Schroder, so there will be serious competition. Although Schroder struggled in the playoffs last season, he should bounce back. With the Los Angeles Lakers last season, he was relied upon to be a primary scorer. This was particularly true when Anthony Davis went down with an injury against the Phoenix Suns.
Schroder struggled to be the “second option” behind LeBron James with Davis out, thus leading to a poor playoff output. With the Jazz, he would not be counted on as the second option. Instead, Schroder would be a scoring punch off the bench to give Utah an extra boost.
The Jazz have a tough road ahead to make it to the NBA Finals. The Western Conference has many contenders that Utah will have to go through at some point. Getting some reinforcements through the buyout market will be crucial to their success this season.
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