The Utah Jazz could have a quiet offseason and focus on player development.
After all, with better injury luck they very well may looking at a playoff berth this season. That hypothetical is enough to inspire at least a confidence that their current core can become a playoff team, and all they have to do roster-wise is add to it.
Still, a Cinderella season could become a distant memory if they become too passive, with the teams they were jockeying with for playoff position likely to make every effort to be a top-tier team next season.
So, in a sport where the end result is to win or go home, maybe the Jazz should go big or go large.
Here are three early trade targets for the Jazz in the 2023 offseason.
3 early Jazz trade targets in 2023 NBA offseason
LaMelo Ball
LaMelo Ball will be heading into the final year of his contract with what will likely be brand new ownership.
Though an elite talent, Ball is also a remnant of the old regime, and teams are known to start their rebrand by cleaning house.
It doesn't make it any better for Ball that his 2022-23 campaign was cut short by a season-ending surgery. Or that he's only played over 51 games in his career once in three seasons.
With the new CBA declaring that players need to play at least 65 games for major honors, this may make Ball more affordable for the Hornets or Jazz. However, as oversimplified as it may seem, teams want All-Stars ad if Ball isn't durable enough to be one, they'll eventually find him to be replaceable.
However, a player that's suited up for at least 60 games the last three seasons is Horton-Tucker.
Averaging 18.3 points and 5.9 assists per game as a starter this season, all the crafty playmaker may need is an opportunity at 22-years-old. After all, he's had 40-point game in consecutive seasons.
That certainly won't be enough for Ball alone but adding two or three first-round picks (including one of their top lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft) could do the trick.
Ball would be Utah's best point guard since Deron Williams.
Jaylen Brown
If the Boston Celtics were to make Jaylen Brown available, the Jazz would be a darkhorse to land him.
Jazz CEO Danny Ainge's familiarity with Brown — not to mention Boston's front office — as the Celtics former president of basketball operations give them strong ties to the star wing. More importantly, armed with a sizable cache of draft picks and valuable players, Utah could entice the Celtics to make the move.
In return, it's more likely than not that they would want Lauri Markkanen, the only All-Star on the Jazz roster, in return.
For the Jazz to make this move though, it would mean that they aren't sure whether his recent play is sustainable. More assertive on both ends of the floor, Markkanen has averaged a career-high 25.6 points per game this season after averaging 14.8 points per game in 2021-22.
Brown has averaged a career-high in points this season as well, with 26.6. However, he averaged 23.6 points per game last season and has averaged at least 20 points per game over the past four seasons.
While Markkanen would offer the Jazz more length, Brown would offer more athleticism and shot creation ability.
With a balanced point guard like Kris Dunn starting in the backcourt alongside a microwave scorer like Horton-Tucker or Sexton, Brown would make for a perimeter trio that excels at getting downhill and scoring in isolation.
Off-the-court, Brown would be a vocal leader and one who leads by example. In the community, Brown could help end social stigmas with his thoughtful comments and even-keeled disposition, a factor the franchise may find worth considering.
Essentially, the question is if trading Markkanen and likely Jordan Clarkson is worth it for either side.
Truthfully, it could all just come down to the contract negotiations.
Bol Bol
Let's have fun with it.
Bol Bol is as uniquely talented a big man as any, with true guard skills and the ability to throw back shots whether a player inside the restricted area and outside of the arc. The Magic have given him a chance to prove himself in ways he couldn't quite get with the Denver Nuggets, but with his contract ending after the 2023-24 season, Orlando may still be at a loss at what to pay the big man.
Though talented, he's also injury-prone, and still has to mature as both a player and a person.
Furthermore, while Orlando's timeline fits him perfectly because of the team's collective youth, it doesn't quite fit financially.
Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, and Gary Harris — all players that the Magic like — will also be free agents in 2024. Jalen Suggs and more importantly Franz Wagner will be eligible for extensions.
Paolo Banchero will be eligible for one in 2025, and he'll likely demand the supermax.
That said, the Magic could be fine with trading Bol for a pair of second-round picks and a veteran that can aid the locker room, like forward Rudy Gay. Once one of the better forwards in the league, Gay could be a valuable mentor for both Banchero and Wagner.
However, he does have some on-court value and can hit timely shots for a team that ranks 26th in the league in offensive rating (112.0).
In return, the Jazz get to add a potential defensive weapon that they could play at forward. One that can still space the floor. With Hardy looking like an excellent player development coach, the best could be yet to come for Bol.
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