The Utah Jazz got off to a great start last season. Around this time last season, the Jazz were 12-6 with a +3.9 net rating that ranked seventh in the NBA at the time, per NBA.com. Lauri Markkanen was just beginning what would become his breakout season and Jordan Clarkson looked rejuvenated as a starter.
Things were looking good. But then, the Jazz took a step back. Two months later, the Jazz were a .500 team, and a few days later, they elected to become sellers at the trade deadline and opt out of the play-in race. They shipped Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley to the Los Angeles Lakers and sent Mike Conley to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Jazz decided that it wasn't worth their while to chase a playoff spot while in the throws of a rebuild and instead get more valuable draft picks in return. That was probably the right call. The Jazz have fallen back to earth this season, starting the year 4-9 through their first 13 games.
That's already more losses than they had a year ago through 18 games. They have a net rating of -4.8, which ranks 24th in the NBA.
They don't appear to be a good team or a play-in contender any time soon. With that combination of factors, that makes the Jazz a potential seller candidate once the trade deadline approaches. One player on their team sticks out as a potential trade chip for a multitude of reasons.
Jazz trade candidate: Kelly Olynyk
Kelly Olynyk was brought in by the Jazz before the start of last season in a trade that saw them send Bojan Bogdanovic to the Detroit Pistons for Olynyk. Olynyk responded by putting together one of the best seasons of his career in Utah.
He shot 49.9% from the field, 39.4% from three, posted an effective field goal percentage of 58.3%, and averaged 15.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per-36 minutes. He really helped the Jazz's trio of big men that included him, Markkanen, and rookie at the time Walker Kessler punish opponents.
Olynyk's numbers are even better this season; he's posting an effective field goal percentage of 65.6%, shooting 57.4% from the field, and 67.6% on two-point shots. The problem is, Olynyk isn't playing as much.
After the Utah Jazz traded for John Collins, who basically plays the same position as Olynyk, Olynyk's minutes have fallen by the wayside. After playing 28.6 minutes per game a year ago, Olynyk's minutes have fallen down to just 20.6 this season.
Pair that with Utah's slow start and it is worth wondering if Olynyk's days in Utah may be numbered. Olynyk is a good player with a skillset that more and more teams are finding utility from: big men who can spread the floor. Milwaukee has cornered the market there with Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis and have had success with both of those players, even when they play together.
Naz Reid has emerged as a fan favorite in Minnesota. Christian Wood has had success as that type of player for the Los Angeles Lakers in his brief Laker tenure as well. A lot of teams could use Kelly Olynyk in that role.
Kelly Olynyk's contract situation makes him appealing to contenders too. He only makes $12.19 million, which makes a trade much more feasible financially. He's also on an expiring contract, which means the team that gets him won't have to accrue much future cost to bring him in.
Kelly Olynyk is a good player that isn't getting the playing time he probably should on a rebuilding team. That formula is ripe for a potential trade. Before the season is over, it would benefit the Jazz to extract as many assets for Olynyk as they can get before it is too late.
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