The Utah Jazz are seventh in the Western Conference at 19-16. Of course it is a huge surprise since they were projected to be one of the bottom teams in the league after trading away their stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in the offseason.

They received a plethora of young talent and draft capital, which was great value. Getting Lauri Markkanen in the Mitchell trade has been phenomenal, as he is playing at a high level and having a career year. He is averaging 22.8 points per game along with 8.1 rebounds, all while shooting a very efficient 53.3 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three as well.

While Utah has been competitive, trading off their veterans at the deadline makes sense as they could go into a full-on rebuild. With that said, here are two Jazz way-too-early predictions for the 2023 NBA trade deadline.

2. Jazz trade Mike Conley

Utah has the chance to acquire more young talent and draft capital at the deadline. Veteran guard Mike Conley is a good candidate to be on the move, as he doesn't fit the timeline of their rebuild. A contending team looking for another playmaker and a veteran presence with playoff experience could be interested in Conley.

He may not be a starter on the team he could be traded to, but he could have value as the playmaker and ball-handler off the bench. He's no longer a star guard like he was with the Memphis Grizzlies, but he is still an impactful role player.

Conley is averaging 9.5 points, 7.4 assists, and a steal. He's shooting 38.4 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from behind the arc. While it's a down shooting year for him, he's still making an impact.

Trading Conley would allow the Jazz to acquire more draft picks and give young players more opportunities.

1. Jazz move Rudy Gay

Another veteran that the Jazz could move is forward Rudy Gay. The 36-year-old is a 3&D forward but has struggled this season. He is averaging 4.6 points and 3.2 rebounds, shooting 34.3 percent from the field and 23.6 percent from downtown.

Gay could thrive in a new role as he is an experienced player. Contending teams looking for depth at forward could trade for him. Having leadership and a voice in the locker room is what teams could be looking for. While he may not be the player he was, a new situation could help him play like he did last season. Gay was a key contributing role player last season and could get back to that level.

They could try and get a pick for Gay to increase their draft capital even more.

The Jazz have some work to do as the trade deadline approaches. If they want to go full-on rebuild, they could move on from their veterans to build around their core of players. Markkanen, Colin Sexton, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Walker Kessler are good building blocks. They also have guys like Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley, that are key contributors in the rotation. Acquiring more draft capital and young pieces can help build around these guys for the future.

Utah's front office has done a tremendous job of getting a good haul for their players. They should continue to have success in their trades as the front office has proven to be great at getting productive deals done.