What trades move the needle for the Jazz to become contenders in the near future?
Leif Thulin explores what does the phrase uttered by Danny Ainge saying the Jazz will go “Big Game Hunting” truly entail. Does trading a ton of assets plus current players to acquire Giannis make the Jazz more likely to contend soon? Does Devin Booker move the needle for the Jazz and how could they get him? Can Brandon Ingram and Lauri paired together entice Jazz fans into not being deadset on tanking? Leif analyzes all aspects of how the trades would work, does he foresee success from these deals and is it actually better than building through the draft patiently.
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
LinkedIn
LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Terms and conditions apply.
Yahoo Finance
For comprehensive financial news and analysis, visit the brand behind every great investor, YahooFinance.com.
BetterHelp
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.
Monopoly GO!
Get in the game and join your friends. Download MONOPOLY GO! now free on The App Store or Google Play.
eBay Motors
From brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers.
PrizePicks
Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!
Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply.
FanDuel
FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARANTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
Locked On Jazz Podcast 💻 https://www.lockedonjazz.net
Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOJazz?sid=YouTube
Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA
Follow David Locke on Twitter:
📲 https://twitter.com/DLocke09
#NBA #UtahJazz #WillHardy #DannyAinge #jordanclarkson #laurimarkkanen
37 Comments
There is no specific player the jazz have to have to move the needle 💉
The jazz just need to focus on how to spend that cap or money 💰 that must be spent
Jazz should pull a fast one ☝️ and take the penalty by forfeiting their luxury tax benefit.
Once they have all that cap available they can pounce on the real deals.
Monk Harris Ingram would all be fine.
Ideally the jazz should consider reading for more 2025 picks if teams will trade them for players like laurie Clarkson collins or sexton.
Demand the kings ransom!
From those three names, only Giannis really moves the needle. Booker too soft and not really two-way. Ingram? Only as a third option in a contender team.
Much better option: tank relentlessly and go for capturing the flag…
A back court of Keyonte and Devin would be very vulnerable defensively. Yes, Cooper-Flagg could turn out to be worse than Booker, but you don't lose any assets. and then there's the 2025 draft, too. Projected to be very good, too. So Lauri, Cooper-Flagg and a top-5 pick from 25 plus the mature Keyonte and Taylor have a good chance to be a better team than the one with Booker.
Look. Big game hunting is a catchy phrase. But, we are the Jazz. It's not likely.
If we are really going to tank again. We will sign and trade Lauri for a young star. Kumminga or G.G. Jackson. Then you would have to bench those guys.
Can this fan base endure another tank season? I think so, if you can sell us on a 2026, 27 Championships. Maybe.
If we are going to start climbing the West standings. Then we need to keep Lauri, draft Zach Edey, get get Simone and KO back. The draft Bronny and sign and trade Bronny and LeGM to Miami for Herro.
I like Booker over Giannis tbh. I like Booker over Ingram also…Booker over Lauri, not sure I'm on board. Together. 100%.
Tank tank tank trade lauri for picks and or young talent
These trades are underwhelming.
Sexton was much better than Ingram last year. 105 TS+ for Sexton compared to 100 for Ingram and much better intangibles.
"Ingram isn't supposed to be a #1 guy" Ingram thinks he is a #1 guy and got mad when literally Zion Williamson took over his spot as the #1 guy.
Ingram and Markkanen also will make up 60% of the cap (eventually declining to 57% to 58% of the cap five years from now) and the Jazz will be very mediocre without a third star and that would instantly drive them up above the luxury tax with pretty much just minimum guys. If they add good role players to their three stars, they're now above the second apron. The Jazz weren't even willing to go deep into the tax when they were a #1 seed so Ingram and Markkanen would never be anything in Utah.
Ingram is also constantly injured which is very bad for a team that would have as little depth as the Jazz would have.
No thanks to Giannis, he is too old now. No for Ingram too as he will disappear in the big games
Yanis Atetecompo, Devin Booker are too costly. We should be trying to get players who are potential borderline all stars or good starters like John Collins last year. Patrick Williams restricted free agent fits on our team but he’s a mystery man and a 3 o4 tweener.
Tank for Flagg yanis to much drama can’t shoot nothing but a dunk devin kardashian enuff sed hopefully Ryan moves the jazz to Vegas or Seattle Stanford the school of liberal queer ideology
I would rather tank the next two years vs trading for any of the three that you mentioned. The Jazz would then have 1-2 all star level players and could then trade or sign veterans around them.
Trying to be constructive here…. Leif, you bring good information and analysis, but your deliver is so dead. You sound like a kid in sacrament meeting doing a "talk" reading from the ensign. (Especially in your ad reads) Do you like basketball analysis and podcasting? I'm guessing yes… tell your voice you're enjoying this; maybe that will help with your delivery.
I don't dislike your BI idea. But that's the same argument posed by the Jazz going out to get DeJounte Murray last season. And the front office decided against that. So I doubt they'd go after someone of that level. Ainge really seems to want Cooper Flag. So I think it's more likely the Jazz move people like Lauri, Sexton, Collins, Clarkson as apposed to bringing someone in.
Get Tyrese Maxey and Hartenstein in FA. Draft Ron Holland. Trade Clarkson for Huerter.
Sure bring on Giannis but the Bucks aren't trading him without giving the Dame pairing another season. Booker is a #2 on a championship team similar to Lauri and doubt PHX deals him either. Ingram is just overpaid/overrated and maybe a #3 on a contending team. If the Jazz have any designs to compete long term with a GOAT level player such as Wemby they need to find their own superstar and that likely only happens thru the draft in '25 or '26.
Jazz trade away Mitchell who was unhappy but under contract and now trade those assets to get Booker who would be under contract and also unhappy. Jazz should have done Gobert trade but NOT Mitchell deal until this year. Jazz are going to rebuild for many many years!
Giannis is so tempting but we will have to give away too many future assets for a few years. Hes not going to age well. And we dont have the team to win a championship with him.
You bring up a solid hot take with your Booker trade. At first i was solidly against it with that many assets. But its also important to remember that a lot of those picks will be late FRP flops and none of them likely as good as Booker. Still a tough one. Id probably do the trade if its only 4 picks instead of 5.
If only we had picked Booker over Lyles, which btw, was a completely obvious pick at the time. Even the analysts during the draft expected us to pick Booker. 😂
We can't tank for a 3rd year in a row now. These guys have to start getting quality experience. They'll easily make the playoffs next year, where, the highest form of competition, adversity, team cohesion and individual player development transpires.
I want Booker the most of all of these ideas… but only if he and Lauri sit out the whole season with "injuries," and we tank for that sweet sweet 2025 Top-3 pick
Let’s look at all the championships since 2000 that won with out one of the following Steph, Lebron, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant. Pistons, Dirk, Giannis, Khawi, Jokic. Can be build a team where everyone gets there role perfectly? With khawi are we interested in a 1 year rental to put us over the top? Im not even interested in that. So we need to go the Dirk, Jokic, Giannis route. Non of those dudes were #1 picks, non are US so less drawn to leaving. Draft fundamentally sound international dudes with high potential.
Pretty tough comp against Stock and Malone and the years they produced we don’t want a injury prone player very frustrating when that happens
Giannis and young player would be a disaster
Booker if we keep Lauri I like and Keyonte I do expect a big summer for him,
Watching ANT, Shai, Jokic and Luka… I'm more in the boat now that we should just tank and draft someone great (shai was traded for, but no one knew he'd be an MVP). I have been on the Ingram wagon for a couple months though, I think he and Lauri (if both healthy) could be nice together for a long time! He could also be a good trade piece when someone like Giannis actually becomes available.
Tank next two or three seasons…
I tell these superstars could have went a lot farther with the Jazz seeing as how we are off the radar and a lot of love in our locker room
Thanks Leif for a great trade analysis! I would be interested taking Booker. Ingram could be ok if we want to rebuilt slower and not loose as many picks.
Never should have traded Rudy, I don’t recognize this organization anymore, can’t keep having these fire sales each season.
Heck yes! Bring on another Danny Ainge reclamation project. I love the idea of pairing Lauri and Ingram: Mr. Inside and Outside; plus, you wouldn't have to break the bank with the team assets. No doubt, Ingram has fallen out of favor with Willie Green. And then, maybe you could add Castle with his shaky offense if he fell the Jazz's way in the draft. And, btw, I hate tanking which, imo, creates too much negativity with the team. I want to be in the playoffs next year even if it's in the play-in.
I feel like the Jazz would be "jumping the gun" a bit to trade for a All Star ✨ this year with the real chance for a great top 5 pick in the upcoming 2025 draft class, withMaybe a real shot @ Cooper Flagg or Ace Bailey and there two or 3 other possibilities in that draft class the could HIT BIG, i think the Jazz need to be patient just one more possibly even 2 more years. Then they could see whats in the Trade Market at that point to add the missing piece or pieces. Dont skip steps. It hasn't worked for any other teams in recent memory and im sick of just making it to the playoffs, i want our team to have a real shot at winning for a change.
I think Giannis would try to stop a trade for the Jazz if Lauri is going to the other direction. If Lauri would stay with Jazz, there would be a chance he would be ok with it. Just one more thought for that trade idea.