NBA rumors: Pacers asking price for Buddy Hield, Jazz ready to trade, Wade defends Howard
By Kyle Delaney
NBA rumors: Jazz ready to trade
If you've tuned into the The Lowe Post podcast recently, you've probably heard that the Utah Jazz have some big plans for this upcoming season. ESPN's Tim MacMahon joined Zach Lowe to preview the Jazz's upcoming season.
Tim Macmahon said he anticipates the Jazz to be one of the more aggressive teams on the trade market this season. "What the Jazz roster looks like now and what the Jazz roster looks like after the trade deadline, it could be drastically different," MacMahon said. The Jazz have many interesting, wildcard players that could help contenders. Lowe listed Kelly Olynky, Omer Yurtseven, Luka Samanic, and Romeo Langford as players that could be moved given their expiring/non-guaranteed contracts.
James Hansen, Site Manager for slcdunk.com agrees with the proposed Jazz mindset, and said, "When you consider how many picks they’ll be making, over the next 10 years, they have to be active to continue upgrading at each position." Last year, the Jazz lost Jarred Vanderbilt and Mike Conley at the trade deadline. Given the increasing competition in the Western Conference, Lowe believes this could be a "have your cake and eat it too" season for the Jazz.
"You're competitive, you're playing hard. You end up 32-50 and you have a top five, six pick in the draft. Or better. They could kind of do both at the same time with this group becasue i do think the West beefed up around them. There are no easy outs anymore. They're not catching anybody by surprise and they have some uncertainties specifically in the back court they gotta figure out."
The question going forward for the Jazz is their lack of star power and ball-handling. However, the Jazz may already have an answer to that problem. Tim Macmahon reported that the Jazz are extremely high on Keyonte George, a rookie out of Baylor. MacMahon said the Jazz feel he's the "most ready" and "looks the best of that rookie class." With a great deal of talent returning and some new intriguing pieces being introduced, the Jazz could surprise a lot of people this season.