The Utah Jazz sent shockwaves across the NBA on Tuesday with the biggest trade of the season so far, landing Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies, along with John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr,. for Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and picks.
According to longtime NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Jazz are trading the most favorable of their 2027 first-round pick, the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2027 first-round pick or the Minnesota Timberwolves' 2027 first-round pick along with a top-four-protected 2027 first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers and a fully unprotected 2031 first-round pick from the Phoenix Suns.
What if they aren't done there, though? The Jazz still have a blue-chip young talent in Ace Bailey and plenty of draft picks to dangle if they're looking to further accelerate their rebuild.
Here, we've cooked up some potential blockbuster deals that would help the Jazz get back into legitimate playoff contention as early as next year.
Michael Porter Jr.
Utah Jazz acquire: Michael Porter Jr.
Brooklyn Nets acquire: Jusuf Nurkić, Ace Bailey, Svi Mykhailiuk
In mid-January, one source told John Hollinger of The Athletic that Michael Porter Jr. was "a lock to move by the deadline so the Nets can sell high on his career year." Although longtime NBA insider Marc Stein and ESPN's Brian Windhorst have since poured cold water on his availability, the Jazz could make the Nets think twice about that.
The Jazz have plenty of picks that they can offer Brooklyn, including the best of their own, Cleveland or Minnesota's first-rounders in 2029. But the rebuilding Nets might prefer a blue-chip prospect instead.
Since the Jazz already shipped out Kyle Anderson and Georges Niang, they're now light on salary-matching chips. Jusuf Nurkić's $19.4 million expiring contract would basically have to be included in any trade for a star unless the Jazz are willing to move Lauri Markkanen ($46.4 million). They could try to loop another team into the Grizzlies trade to help facilitate salary-matching, but once that deal becomes official, their hands will get somewhat tied.
To get up to Porter's salary, the Jazz would also have to include Ace Bailey, which would be a tough pill to swallow. The No. 5 pick from this past year's draft hasn't hit the ground running like classmates Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel or VJ Edgecombe, but he's shown flashes of the scoring upside that made him such a highly coveted prospect.
If the Jazz are looking to accelerate their rebuild, they might not have the time or patience to usher along Bailey's development. Porter, who's averaging a career-high 25.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.8 made threes and 3.2 assists per game in Brooklyn this year, is far more ready to contribute to a win-now squad.
If the Jazz trotted out a supersized starting lineup with George, Porter, Markkanen, JJJ and Kessler next season, they should be right back in the playoff mix.
Jaden McDaniels
Utah Jazz acquire: Jaden McDaniels
Minnesota Timberwolves acquire: Jonathan Kuminga, Ace Bailey, best of UTA/CLE/MIN 2029 1st
Golden State Warriors acquire: Jusuf Nurkić
The Minnesota Timberwolves likely have no interest in moving Jaden McDaniels unless they're landing a superstar in return. But what if their best available package isn't enough to land them that superstar?
The Timberwolves are reportedly in hot pursuit of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, and they're "recruiting third and fourth teams to try to improve their offer," according to Windhorst. The Bucks want "blue-chip young talent and/or a surplus of draft picks," according to ESPN's Shams Charania, neither of which the T-Wolves can offer at the moment.
What if the Jazz could give them the blue-chip young talent who could help land them Antetokounmpo? Giving up Bailey and a first-round pick for McDaniels might seem like a steep cost, but McDaniels would fit like a glove in Utah.
McDaniels has long been one of the NBA's more impactful wing defenders, which is a hole the Jazz desperately need to fill to get back into title contention. The 25-year-old has also taken a step forward offensively this season, as he's averaging a career-high 15.2 points per game while shooting a career-best 51.9 percent overall and 45.6 percent from deep.
Giving up on Bailey's upside this quickly might be a tough pill for Utah to swallow, but a five-man core of George, McDaniels, Markkanen, JJJ and Kessler could do serious damage in the West starting next year.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Utah Jazz acquire: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks acquire: Jusuf Nurkić, Kyle Anderson, Ace Bailey, Taylor Hendricks, best of UTA/CLE/MIN 2027 1st, best of UTA/CLE/MIN 2029 1st, PHX 2031 1st
What if the Jazz bypass the Timberwolves entirely and jump into the Giannis fray themselves?
To be clear: This is highly unlikely. Antetokounmpo can become a free agent in 2027, so the Jazz would presumably need assurance that he'd stick around long-term before they considered giving up Bailey and multiple first-round picks for him.
However, the Jazz could blow most packages from the Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat or New York Knicks out of the water. If they weren't willing to include Markkanen, they could offer up Bailey, one of their other young prospects and a handful of picks, along with salary filler in the form of Nurkić and Kyle Anderson.
Markkanen has experience playing as a supersized 3 in Cleveland alongside Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, so a Markkanen-Antetokounmpo-Kessler frontcourt wouldn't be unprecedented. Offensive spacing could be a concern unless Kessler turns into more of a marksman from deep, though.
Given the ages of George and the rest of their young players, the Jazz would be better off targeting stars who aren't on the wrong side of 30. But if they want to splash in the Giannis pool, they could quickly vault to the front of the line depending on how much they're willing to offer.
Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby
Utah Jazz acquire: Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby
New York Knicks acquire: Ace Bailey, Kyle Anderson, 2027 LAL 1st (for Bridges); Jusuf Nurkić, Kyle Anderson, Georges Niang, 2027 LAL 1st, best of 2029 UTA/CLE/MIN 1st (for Anunoby)
The Knicks are another team that's reportedly interested in Giannis but can't put together a super compelling trade package for him without another team's help. Enter Utah.
The Jazz should have interest in taking on either Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby, neither of whom would make as much sense on a rebuilding Bucks squad. The Knicks could redirect the assets that Utah sent for either player directly to Milwaukee for the Greek Freak.
Bridges just signed a four-year, $150 million extension this past offseason that takes effect next season, while Anunoby is under guaranteed contract through 2027-28 and has a $48.4 million player option in 2028-29. Since Bridges is under contract for longer and is earning roughly $10 million less than Anunoby in each of the next three seasons, he figures to have the higher trade value of the two.
The Jazz may be reluctant to give up Bailey, who has star upside, for Bridges, who profiles as more of a complementary starter. Between his three-point shooting and defensive acumen, he would fill a ton of gaps for them, though. For Anunoby, the Jazz could try to keep Bailey out of the deal by loading up on extra draft capital instead.
The Knicks wouldn't need Nurkić unless they're offloading Karl-Anthony Towns or Mitchell Robinson elsewhere, but they could try to flip him for additional compensation as well. They presumably won't break apart their roster unless it's for a superstar, but the Jazz could help them lure Antetokounmpo or someone else of his ilk with their collection of picks and/or prospects.
Jalen Suggs
Utah Jazz acquire: Jalen Suggs
Orlando Magic acquire: Jonathan Kuminga, Georges Niang, Isaiah Collier, best of UTA/CLE/MIN 2029 1st
Golden State Warriors acquire: Jusuf Nurkić
Franz Wagner would likely be Utah's dream target from Orlando, although the cost to acquire him could be prohibitive. Instead, they could turn their attention to someone who shouldn't be quite as expensive.
Injuries limited Jalen Suggs to only 35 games last year, and he's already missed 20 this season as well. When healthy, he's a genuinely disruptive defender, but his mediocre three-point shooting makes him a questionable long-term fit alongside Wagner and Paolo Banchero.
Adding Suggs alongside George would give Utah a standout point-of-attack defender. The Jazz have by far the league's worst defense this season, but Suggs and Kessler would help fix that next year.
Nurkić would have to be included in the outgoing package for salary-matching reasons, but the Magic don't need another center. They already have Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze signed through at least next season, while Moe Wagner is on an expiring contract. Perhaps the Magic and Jazz could loop in the Warriors, who would reroute Kuminga to Orlando for Nurkić?
The Jazz might have to include Collier to replenish Orlando's backcourt following Suggs' departure, but that should drive down how much else they'd need to offer. Kuminga, Niang's expiring contract, Collier and one first-round pick is solid value for Suggs, particularly since Orlando would be gaining some much-needed long-term financial flexibility from this framework.