With the February 9 NBA trade deadline coming up, many organizations will likely be very active in the market to try to find the missing pieces for their puzzles. Because of that, players such as Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt could be in a new uniform by the end of the week.
The forward is the most likely to get traded from the Jazz roster ahead of the trade deadline. In 52 games this season, Vanderbilt is averaging 8.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. He is shooting 55.6 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from the 3-point line and hitting 65.7 percent of his free throws.
“The Jazz value him,” Shams Charania of The Athletic said in his report. “But, in Utah’s system, Vanderbilt is a center, and rookie Walker Kessler has emerged and made it impossible for the franchise to keep the rookie off the floor.”
With the rise of Walker Kessler, the Jazz could capitalize on Vanderbilt's value while it is high. Also, with him making only $4.7 million next season, teams over the salary cap could still try to trade for him without giving up too much.
With that being said, here are the three best destinations for the Jazz's Jarred Vanderbilt ahead of the 2023 NBA trade deadline.
Philadelphia 76ers
Based on what Jarred Vanderbilt is showing, some playoff teams could try to bring him in. One of them is the Philadelphia 76ers. They are currently 34-18 and the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. With Joel Embiid playing some of the best basketball of his career, the Sixers could be closer than ever to a trip to the Finals.
However, Philadelphia still needs to work on its depth. Embiid has already missed 10-plus games due to injuries, and the team does not have a clear backup big man. Montrezl Harrell is playing only 12.8 minutes a night and averaging 5.8 points. Paul Reed is averaging just 3.1 points in less than 10 minutes per contest.
With Vanderbilt, the Sixers would have a clear backup to Embiid. Although he plays mostly as a forward, he has shown he can be a center at times too. Vanderbilt would improve the team's defense off the bench while not taking away shots from other players.
Philadelphia could offer some second-round picks and a salary filler to bring Vanderbilt. If that happens, the Sixers would be more prepared for the postseason as they can rest Embiid more with a quality backup.
Portland Trail Blazers
On the other side of the playoff picture, the Portland Trail Blazers are 26-27 and 11th in the Western Conference. As of now, they would be out of the Play-In Tournament. Because of that, they might try to improve the roster ahead of the trade deadline.
The frontcourt is an area that Portland likely needs to address. As of now, the Blazers have Drew Eubanks as the main backup big. The problem is that he has yet to play in the postseason in his career and his career-high in points per game in a season is 7.7 when he played for Portland after Damian Lillard missed a big part of the year.
Also, starter Jusuf Nurkic is dealing with an injury that should sideline him for weeks. This could seriously affect Portland in the standings and could remove them from playoff contention depending on how the team responds to this adversity.
With Vanderbilt, the Blazers would have a quality big to help in Nurkic's absence. Additionally, he can be a spark off the bench in a potential postseason appearance. By bringing him, Portland's chances of making it to the playoffs, at least via the Play-In Tournament, become more realistic.
Denver Nuggets
Another interesting option for Vanderbilt in case of a trade is a reunion with the Denver Nuggets. The forward played with the franchise from 2018 to 2020 before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In Colorado, he appeared in just 19 games and spent most of his time in the G League.
Now, Vanderbilt seems to be a good fit for the Nuggets. They currently have Vlatko Cancar, DeAndre Jordan and Zeke Nnaji sharing the backup minutes to Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon.
Vanderbilt could get the minutes of two of them and provide some quality minutes off the bench. He would also be a better rebounding big as opposed to the trio. The Kentucky product's 7.9 rebounds per game are the second-best mark of his career
Even though the Nuggets have one of the best records in the league at 37-17, they could still improve their roster with key and cheap moves. Vanderbilt would not be an expensive option, and he could become an important piece in the playoffs. With him, Denver would have a better frontcourt rotation as he could be a defensive challenge for other bigs in the West.
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