With the Utah Jazz turning their season around behind the surge of 25-year-old guard Collin Sexton, it would be understandable if they were hesitant to make any significant changes to their roster. However, per the latest rumors, the Jazz are willing to do just that.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Jazz are still willing to trade Sexton. Perhaps even more notably, Utah has shown interest in Atlanta Hawks veteran guard Dejounte Murray.
NBA Rumors: Jazz Showing Interest in Dejounte Murray
With Murray seemingly the hottest name on the point guard market, the Hawks will feel comfortable with a high asking price for his services. Now, they’re rumored to be requesting two first-round picks and a starting-level player in return.
This may not be much of an obstacle for the Jazz, who will have at least two first-round picks from the 2025 to the 2029 NBA Draft. This is particularly true when noting that the Jazz have three first-round picks in 2025 and four in 2027.
The biggest question for Utah could be which backcourt veteran they’re most comfortable with trading for Murray.
Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and Talen Horton-Tucker are all considered available. However, Sexton is the only starter of the group. Furthermore, Clarkson has been linked to the New York Knicks by Tony Jones of The Athletic, leaving the possibility that Clarkson soon finds himself in the Big Apple.
Jazz-Hawks Trade Scenario
If the Jazz and Hawks do make a trade centered around Sexton and Murray, here’s what the deal may look like:
Hawks receive — Collin Sexton, Kris Dunn, Kelly Olynyk, Omer Yurtseven, 2025 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick
Jazz receive — Dejounte Murray, Clint Capela, AJ Griffin, 2028 first-round pick swap
Why the Jazz Make This Trade
With the acquisitions of Murray and Capela, the Jazz will shore up two of their weakest links: point guard and center.
Despite Dunn being a heady point guard with a defensive bent and Keyonte George having a nice offensive upside, neither player performs well enough to make the Jazz as dangerous as they could be in a guard-driven league.
Murray, a far more pronounced scorer than Dunn or George (and a more reliable defender than the latter), would undoubtedly strengthen their play at the position.
Likely, George would ideally remain the backup point guard following the trade as he continues learning the ropes, so the Jazz not only trades Sexton to facilitate the deal but Dunn as well. Stepping into the starting role for Sexton, barring a separate trade, would be whirlwind scorer Clarkson.
Even though Sexton’s north-south smashmouth style of play makes him quite efficient, Jazz head coach Will Hardy prefers Clarkson’s east-west finesse approach more.
Looking at their play down low, the center rotation of John Collins, Walker Kessler, and Olynyk has been clunky. Collins’ lack of size has been exposed as much as Olynyk’s lack of foot speed and Kessler’s lack of scoring ability.
With that in mind, Capela’s replacing Olynyk does more than provide Collins with a big man he has chemistry with. It also allows him and Lauri Markkanen to shift back to their natural positions of power forward and small forward, respectively.
With a more reliable low-post scorer than Kessler and a more reliable low-post defender than Olynyk, the Jazz ultimately come out of this trade both bigger and better.
Why the Hawks Make this Trade
When watching the Hawks, there’s so much dancing and sniping in the backcourt that they clearly need a different dynamic to become a balanced group. That’s what Sexton provides with his drive-heavy attack.
Furthermore, though Murray has produced well as the starting shooting guard in Atlanta, Sexton not only has two seasons scoring at least 20 points per game but is averaging 22.1 points as a starter this season. Suffice it to say, if the Hawks let Sexton score, he will.
Yet, this trade is about more than Sexton. It’s about more than the draft compensation as well. This trade is about creating a more sensible rotation altogether.
Dunn arrives as a bonafide backup for Trae Young. There won’t be any opportunity to step on each other’s toes as there has been with Murray, as Dunn is more of a defensive specialist than a star-level lead guard.
In any case, having a heady playmaker and perimeter defender would complement their backcourt pieces strongly. Dunn’s chemistry with Sexton could also pay dividends as they help each other acclimate to a new team.
Flipping Capela for Olynyk may do the opposite, though, with the Hawks exchanging a reputable interior defender for one of the more skilled big men in the league. Nonetheless, Olynyk’s arrival would improve Atlanta’s stale ball movement and open further dimensions of the offense with his ability to stretch the floor.
While Onyeka Okongwu may start at center, increasing the switchability of the defense, Olynyk would play a necessary role.
