Utah Trade Grade: A
Utah took a big swing. The Jazz acquired someone considered off-limits while also adding solid veterans who could be part of their bench mob next season. In addition, the Jazz didn’t give up much because of the draft capital they had built up.
Utah did add $18 milion to its 2025-26 payroll. Still, the Jazz are $25.5 million below the luxury tax. And the Jazz may not be done making moves. They have every intention of keeping their 2026 first-round pick, so they can’t win too many games. The Jazz will send their selection in June’s draft to Oklahoma City if they fall outside the top-8 in the lottery.
“In the immediate aftermath of their acquisition of Jackson, the Jazz remain very active on the trade market and are exploring options to add on to this deal potentially, league sources told Clutchpoints,” tweeted NBA Insider Brett Siegel. “Jusuf Nurkic’s expiring $19.3M contract is also being shopped.”
Besides Nurkic, Kevin Love and Svi Mykhailiuk appear to be the Jazz’s other remaining trade candidates.
Utah no longer projects to have any cap space this summer, assuming they re-sign Kessler. However, they project to be well below the tax line even with Kessler, and would only have three spots to fill if they can keep their first-round selection.
