One Dream Offseason Target for the Jazz From Every NBA Team
Every NBA team has something to offer in terms of desirable players. Even some of the worst teams in the association find themselves with some young, untapped talent with the chance to blossom in another situation. Now, with the NBA offseason soon to be in full-swing, franchises will have the opportunity to get their coveted players.
The Utah Jazz are in an interesting position this summer because of their flexibility. They have a lot of money, picks, and opportunity, allowing them to go a variety of ways to direct the team for the future. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to take a quick look around the league to see who can improve the roster.
Whether it be a star, a role player, or an enticing young project, here’s 29 players around the league the Jazz could find some interest in within the coming weeks:
Atlanta Hawks: John Collins
We’ve heard persistent trade rumors surrounding the former 2017 first-rounder since last offseason. If this season was his last in a Hawks uniform, Collins could fit well as the Jazz’s future starting forward to solidify the frontcourt. A new home in Salt Lake city gives him a great chance to re-establish himself as one of the league’s better power forwards.
Boston Celtics: Jaylen Brown
After the Celtics’ collapse in the Eastern Conference Finals, we’ve seen many call for a major shakeup in the organization. Brown has an established connection with Jazz GM Danny Ainge from his time in Boston, and with the collection of assets Utah currently has, Brown might be the perfect target.
Brooklyn Nets: Cameron Thomas
Thomas got a ton of regular season hype just to receive DNPs as the season went on. Giving Thomas an enhanced opportunity in Utah could help develop him to what his high-potential as a shot-creator was advertised to be earlier in the regular season.
Charlotte Hornets: Kelly Oubre Jr.
Oubre’s 2022-23 campaign was among the best we’ve seen from him. He averaged over 20 points for the first time of his career, and now enters this offseason as a free agent. I could continue the classic, "Kelly Oubre is a dream in more ways than one” kind of joke since that’s always the Oubre narrative, but I mean, the guy’s just a hooper. The Jazz should find some interest come July.
Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine
Chicago is in an interesting spot as a franchise without a true direction, as things currently stand. If the Bulls do decide to hit the reset button, adding a high-level scoring guard like LaVine could be a perfect 1-2 punch with an improved Markkanen.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro
The four big-name starters we saw Cleveland this past season are likely to stay, but the surrounding pieces to them are the ones to watch. For Okoro, he’s only 22 and consistently been improving his efficiency every year in the league. If looking to be moved, the Jazz could opt to take a chance on him.
Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic
This could be a bit premature, but Luka would be a dream acquisition by the Jazz. However, this could be just that: a dream. Of course, the NBA offseason is always filled with surprises, so a Doncic-to-Utah deal could be more real than we think. If available, it would be an extremely hefty package, but a situation to at least keep watch on.
Denver Nuggets: Bruce Brown Jr.
One of the better 3&D wings in this free agency class, Brown is someone that Utah should keep a keen watch on. His defensive impact has been on full display during this year’s playoffs, allowing him to potentially be in for a big payday this summer.
Detroit Pistons: Marvin Bagley III
It was tough to pick one, but maybe a Bagley trade to Utah could revitalize his career. There’s a ton of young bigs competing for minutes in Detroit, so dumping one them of may be needed for this season to fully develop guys like Jalen Duren and James Wiseman.
Golden State Warriors: Jonathan Kuminga
The Warriors still being in a win-now push could lead a still-developing Kuminga out for more established pieces that can help the cause. Kuminga has tantalizing physicals and athleticism that could be dangerous if put in the right situation with effective development.
Houston Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr.
Porter’s future in Houston is definitely interesting. James Harden rumors are only escalating by the day, which likely moves him out of the starting five. With his non-guaranteed contract for the two years after 2023-24, taking a flier on his scoring can give Utah the perfect opportunity to acquire a young guard to work on.
Indiana Pacers: Buddy Hield
Hield is an older player at this point in his career, but you always know what you get with him. He’s one of the most impactful shooters in the league, and has been since he’s entered the league. We’d see Utah’s 3-point usage skyrocket if decided to be traded for.
Los Angeles Clippers: Bones Hyland
Despite a mid-season trade to acquire him, a crucial offseason for LA makes him anything but safe. The upside Bones presents as a playmaker and shot-creator would be interesting to see Utah invest in.
Los Angeles Lakers: Austin Reaves
All signs are telling us that the Lakers have every intention to keep Reaves around for next season, but a fit of Reaves in Utah is something to note. He’s been a huge piece of the Lakers’ success past the All-Star break. The Jazz could offer an increased role and contract for Reaves to maybe lure him away.
Memphis Grizzlies: Tyus Jones
Memphis could very well have the mentality to keep all the roster’s productive guards they can considering a potentially lengthy suspension for Ja Morant come next season. We’ve seen how the Grizzlies have continuously been able to find wins while the offense is under Jones’ control in Morant’s absence, something that Utah could find some interest in.
Miami Heat: Tyler Herro
Considering the team's pending Finals appearance, Herro’s recent injury leave hasn’t proven to be that impactful for the Heat. However, that impact could be seen on Utah if the team was in the market for a scoring guard.
Milwaukee Bucks: Joe Ingles
Ingles is likely entering some of the last years in his career, but honestly, who would be against a reunion for him in Utah?
Minnesota Timberwolves: Jaden McDaniels
The Timberwolves’ defense was at its best when McDaniels was on the floor. He’s a restricted free agent next offseason, so if Minnesota was unwilling to pay him soon with their already massive payroll on hand, dumping him off to a team with interest is an opportunity the Jazz cannot pass on.
New Orleans Pelicans: Kira Lewis Jr.
The former lottery pick has failed to play much more than 100 games through his first three seasons. The Jazz may be a good spot to send Lewis in a deal to see how much he may be worth once his rookie contract expires after next season.
New York Knicks: Josh Hart
Josh Hart has been a valuable asset as a part of every team he’s been on, and that would be no different in Utah. We saw his impact as a scorer, defender, and even rebounder during their playoff run this season, which should net him some big money in this year’s free agency.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Lu Dort
There are becoming some clear building blocks in OKC: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holgren. Considering this, the future of Dort continues to become more and more interesting. A proven elite defender, Dort may be a great fit as a lockdown on the perimeter in Utah’s backcourt.
Orlando Magic: Jalen Suggs
We have yet to see Suggs meet the expectations he had coming into the league, but this could be in part due to the competition of young talent Orlando has had both at guard and in general. Giving Suggs the complete flexibility to command an offense is something we’ve yet to see, and could be obtained at a low asking price for the Jazz.
Philadelphia 76ers: De’Anthony Melton
A consistent starting piece of the 76ers this past season, Melton was both productive and efficient. He’s not an All-Star level player by any means, but he makes about two threes a game with impactful defense. He’s a glue guy any team could benefit from, especially Utah.
Phoenix Suns: Cameron Payne
Outside of their top four guys, there isn’t much to love on the rest of this Suns’ roster. If anything, Cameron Payne could be a solid depth piece for Utah if Phoenix needed to unload his deal.
Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard
We’ve seen this tale before: Blazers struggle during the season, fans want Dame to ask out, he never does, cycle repeats. If that somehow changes this offseason, the Jazz would have to pick up the phone to see what a deal would take. However, we likely know how this one goes.
San Antonio Spurs: Tre Jones
Considering his restricted free agency and the money the Spurs have, Jones should be back in San Antonio next season. Despite this, Jones has continued to show steady improvement across his career and would be a solid addition to Utah’s young core.
Toronto Raptors: OG Anunoby
There was reported intrigue surrounding the two-way forward during this year’s trade deadline. A high price indeed, but we know the kind of impact OG can bring to an NBA team. Considering the Jazz’s draft pick collection, maybe throwing a couple to the Raptors for Anunoby could be on the table.
Washington Wizards: Kristaps Porzingis
Porzingis may look to hit free agency if he declines his player option. If that ends up being the case, a giant frontcourt of Markannen, Porzingis, Kessler has to be at least somewhat intriguing.
Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live-stream podcasts!
