Jazz's strong start could spell trouble for LeBron James, Lakers

The Jazz could opt to hold on to their veterans amid their strong start, which means that a trade with the Lakers could be off the table.

The Utah Jazz have been without a doubt one of, if not the biggest surprise package early in the NBA season. Now at 3-0, the Jazz are now just one out of four teams in the entire league that have yet to taste defeat this year.

Utah's surprisingly strong start to the campaign has sent shockwaves across the NBA. As it turns out, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers could also be significantly impacted by this recent development. The Jazz have been identified as one of a few legitimate landing spots for the embattled Russell Westbrook, but it seems that this blockbuster trade could now be off the table.

According to ESPN's NBA insider Ramona Shelburne, Utah could opt to ride it out with their current roster to try and see how far along they can go with this current group (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter):

“Somebody cautioned me before the season… If this team gets off to a good start, don't be surprised if they hang on to some of these veterans for awhile,” Shelburne said. “They don't need to be in any hurry to start this rebuild when you're playing as good as this.”

"Somebody cautioned me before the season: If this [Utah Jazz] team gets off to a good start, don't be surprised if they hang on to some of these veterans for awhile. They don't need to be in any hurry to start this rebuild."

🗣️ @ramonashelburne pic.twitter.com/xSUmFmaQC6

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 24, 2022

After trading away their two superstars in the offseason, the Jazz were supposed to be in rebuilding mode. However, the fact that they have been winning has team officials all of a sudden rethinking their approach to the season. Depending on how good this side turns out to be, Utah could actually opt to push back their planned revamp.

This does not bode well for LeBron and Co., particularly on the Westbrook front. The Jazz are one of a few teams in the league that could be willing (and able) to take on Russ' gargantuan deal. If Utah now refuses to meet the Lakers on the negotiation table, then the Lakers could be stuck with Russ for the foreseeable future — whether they like it or not.