The Utah Jazz have had quite the regular season. They had plenty of confidence and a little hype when the season started. This followed a very aggressive offseason in which they added Mike Conley, Emmanuel Mudiay, Ed Davis, and Jeff Green. The team suffered some bumps and bad play to begin the season. They have since cut Green and traded former first-round pick, Dante Exum, for Jordan Clarkson. The Jazz have been aggressive and made a mid-season trade the past three years, all with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Here are some targets that could bolster a bench unit for a playoff run.
Trade Targets for the Utah Jazz
Aron Baynes – Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns surprised some when they started out with a quick start. They have since fallen back in the standings. Monty Williams is trying to get everything he can out of this team, however, it is not working. Look for the Suns to be a seller before the deadline. They will not move on from some pieces. Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton are untouchable. However, gaining draft assets is key for this team moving forward.
Aron Baynes could come in and play the backup center position for the Jazz. He could add a veteran skillset to the bench unit and help this team continue to flourish. Baynes has been in the playoffs for six of his seven seasons. He has won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs. The Jazz bench is quite young, so Baynes could add more presence behind Rudy Gobert.
Davis Bertans – Washington Wizards
When the Jazz acquired Jordan Clarkson, they knew they were going to get a scorer. He has been a player that could put the ball in the bucket. Bertans could add another scorer next to Clarkson. Quin Snyder usually utilizes a ten-man rotation. If the Jazz acquired Davis Bertans, they could have an eleven-man rotation and provide even more shooting.
Bertans is on a Washington Wizards team that has been a dumpster fire for a couple of years. The John Wall contract has hampered that team from getting any other players to join the roster. The Wizards want to get more draft assets and hope to hit on players like they have seemed to do with Rui Hachimura. There have been reports that the Wizards hope to resign the Latvian sharpshooter Bertans. That hasn’t stopped General Manager Tommy Sheppard from shopping the small forward.
Stay Put
This team hasn’t lost since the acquisition of Clarkson and have been playing much better. It could be an easy schedule, or it could be that Clarkson was the spark the bench unit needed. It will be interesting to see how this unit does later this month. The Jazz have a tougher schedule at the end of January and February.
Tony Bradley has come along as the backup center. He has worked on his game and is still only 21 years old. Georges Niang has been amazing since Green was cut on Christmas Eve.
The Jazz front office has the luxury of time. The trade deadline isn’t until February 6th. They can continue to make calls. They can also see if this type of play is sustainable. There are many teams in the West trying to bolster their teams. Time will tell if the Jazz will be contenders or pretenders.
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