The Utah Jazz are coming off one of the worst losses in team history and are falling in the standings towards a good spot in the lottery. But they’re not the only team doing the same thing, and they’re not the only team with protections on their pick that make things precarious. Just like Utah, the Washington Wizards have a top-8 protected pick to the New York Knicks. If they don’t stay in the bottom-8 of the draft, just like Utah, they lose their pick. Unlike Utah, the Wizards have made a trade this season, including their veterans. They traded for Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. News is already coming out, too, that Washington plans to rest Trae Young, who has been dealing with injuries. Whether Trae Young was injured or not, it’s unlikely they would have him playing to keep from losing that pick.
For Utah, they have to make a move to keep the losing going. According to Marc Stein in his latest Stein Line, “Keep an eye on the Raptors.”
According to Stein:
Toronto has already registered interest this Trade Season in Young (who was obviously dealt to Washington instead), Dallas’ Davis (out indefinitely now with ligament damage in his left hand) and Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis (with the Kings very much not interested in the long-term contacts that the Raptors would have to send them).
Toronto’s various discussions involving those players had led to a belief among numerous rival teams that its post-Masai Ujiri front office, now headed by Bobby Webster, is facing some win-now pressure to do something as splashy as last winter’s acquisition of Brandon Ingram.
Translation: The Raptors might decide to make a trade play for Memphis’ suddenly available Ja Morant.
That win-now pressure opens up an opportunity for the Utah Jazz. Utah has made it clear that their most obvious candidate for a trade, Lauri Markkanen, is not available. But they do have some pieces that could help the Raptors win. Maybe they’d be interested in someone like Svi Mykhailiuk, Kyle Anderson, or Kevin Love? That could give the Raptors even more depth, and they could definitely be had for a small price.
That said, if they did want to make a splash for a player that would fit perfectly with their core, Lauri Markkanen would be a great fit around their young talent. The only thing is that it would cost them a huge sum. But maybe they’d be willing to do it? New General Managers under pressure from impatient owners make the biggest mistakes, and those are the things you want to capitalize on. Would the Jazz be willing to move on a huge offer? With names like Trae Young, Zion Williamson, and Trey Murphy coming off the board, they might want a big name to move on.
