The Utah Jazz are approaching the NBA trade deadline with little flexibility due to the current construction of their roster. Their current core from the previous seasons are back in harness to try and overcome the hump to finally reach the NBA Finals. They are currently third in the Western Conference behind the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, and they are currently on an incredible six-game winning streak.
The Jazz are off to another phenomenal start, but the question mark for this franchise is their underwhelming performance in the playoffs every year. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are their catalysts on both ends of the court, but there is still an opportunity for them to elevate their play come playoff time. With the chance for Utah to have a deep run again, there are some deals they could execute before the trade deadline.
With the downfall of the Portland Trail Blazers this season, most of their core players have been swirling in trade rumors over the last few weeks. One of the players that has not found his rhythm is their newly acquired forward in Larry Nance Jr. as his production has drastically dipped compared to his stint in the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Nance could help the Jazz because of his versatility and ability to play the small-ball center position when opponents focus on eliminating Rudy Gobert's impact as a rim protector. For instance, the Los Angeles Clippers focused their game plan of forcing Gobert to guard shooters on the corners in their series last season, but with Nance Jr. in the fold, that would not be a disadvantage anymore because could defend quicker and smaller players.
Coby White
The success of the Chicago Bulls this season has been due to their new acquisitions in DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso. NBA fans may have forgotten that the Bulls still have Coby White as their backup point guard, but he even if he has recovered from his injury, his performance and minutes have dwindled so far this season.
His value and salary is not that high, which does not force the Jazz to unload any of their main pieces. Moreover, Mike Conley Jr. has been in-and-out of the lineup because of a minor injuries, and having White as a backup point guard instead of Trent Forrest is an upgrade for Quin Snyder. White has that irrational confidence to chuck it up and be a spitfire guard off the bench similar to Jordan Clarkson.
Anfernee Simons
Anfernee Simons is another ball handler and scorer that could benefit the hole of the Utah at the backup for Conley or even an individual that could start when Conley needs to sit down a few games. Joe Ingles could still be the primary facilitator in the bench of Utah, but Simons would benefit as a secondary ball handler who could flourish alongside Donovan Mitchell.
When defenses tend to focus their strategies and tactics to force Mitchell to give up the ball, that has been a major problem for the Jazz because their offense suddenly becomes stagnant and iso-heavy. Their other core pieces in Bojan Bogdanovic, Royce O'Neale, Clarkson, and Conley are able to receive a boost in their production when the ball is swung around all over the floor and results into a plethora of open threes.
As Simons is added to the fold, he is also an upgrade over Forest. If the Jazz are able to execute a deal to add any of these three individuals, it does not seem that they would stay with the franchise for the long term because of their inability to have cap space and extend their current contract. This could just be a rental for Utah, but if it one of them are the missing piece to catapult them to serious contention in the West, their front office would be happily willing to mortgage some of their future to acquire a young asset.
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