The Utah Jazz has been one of the most talked-about teams in the NBA offseason. After yet another unsuccessful playoff run, the Jazz decided to blow up the team. They did so by trading away Rudy Gobert. Gobert joined the Minnesota Timberwolves for a few players and four first-round picks. In other moves, they also got another first-rounder from the Brooklyn Nets, sending Royce O'Neal to New York in return. Still, the Jazz needs to continue being active to have a really successful summer. To help them out, here are two moves the Jazz still must make after the first weekend of 2022 NBA free agency.
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2 Moves Jazz Must Make In 2022 NBA Free Agency
Trade Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic
While completely blowing up your team is usually not a sign of success, but an act of necessity, the Jazz would have a lot of incentive to do this. Now, in this context, the trade of Bojan Bogdanovic would be less relevant. He is on an expiring deal and likely would not get the Jazz a first-round pick, despite averaging 18 points on almost 39% shooting from behind the arc. Bogdanovic is a perfect filler piece for a contender, but the main aim of this point would be trading away Donovan Mitchell. Given the package they received for Gobert, they should get more for a younger player that is more fit for the modern NBA, and one that is on a four-year deal.
Article Continues BelowDespite Mitchell being one of the best young guards in the league, he is not the player that will take the Jazz to the NBA championship. He is a great player, that is without question, but he is not tall enough nor does he shoot enough threes to be that leading guard for a franchise in this era of basketball. However, another important aspect of the possible Mitchell trade would be the package received. It would likely be filled with first-round picks and with an amazing young talent in Victor Wembanyama expected to be there in 2023, any team will be incredibly happy to get their hands on him. Of course, the Jazz could go and rebuild around Mitchell, but with one year of tanking, they could get a guy projected to be one of the best players in the world, potentially.
Of course, the Jazz could pull off some more moves to strip themselves of any competitiveness for next season. Mike Conley is still there, just like Jordan Clarkson, but these guys would either not get enough attention, like Conley, or could be useful in the future, like Clarkson. When everything is considered, if the Jazz wants to go in the direction of rebuilding and hoping to win the Wembanyama lottery, they simply need to reconstruct their entire roster, get Mitchell on the trading block, and blow it up for a chance at the French transformational player.
Do everything in their power to get Deandre Ayton
Now, this is a tricky one. Ayton will need a max deal to move and the Jazz do not have that space. They are currently around $14 million over the cap, making the situation very complicated. Then, we have to take into consideration that the Phoenix Suns are on top of Kevin Durant's list and for that to happen, Ayton needs to be a part of that as a sign-and-trade. Lastly, getting Ayton would mean trading away Bogdanovic and rescinding all of their free agents, which could end up a huge cost for a player that might not move the needle a ton for the Jazz.
Still, it is the move to do if the Jazz really believe they can compete with a team built around Donovan Mitchell. It will be difficult, of course, as the whole league will likely be behind any team that gets Kevin Durant in the summer sweepstakes. Yet, this is the only other path that does not involve trading away Mitchell and completely rebuilding. Ayton is the complete opposite of Gobert, which means that while the Jazz will lose a lot of their defensive stability, they will gain as much offensively. Ayton made the NBA Finals, generally plays well most of the time, and can offer production on both ends. If they want to remain competitive, this is really the only player they can snag.
Of course, the Jazz could also use all of their acquired assets from the Wolves to assemble a package for a third star, but unless the name of the player is Kevin Durant, there is no star that is available right now. They could go for Kyrie Irving, but it is doubtful whether he would stay in Utah past his contract, which is just one year, and it would likely cost the Jazz Conley and Clarkson to bring him in. Russell Westbrook is an option, but after seeing him in Lakers' colors last year, it is likely that no one will even touch the former MVP. All in all, it makes the most sense to just get Ayton and hope for the best next season.