4 Jazz Players Rumored to Be Traded Before Season Opener

What'll the Utah Jazz do with these players who've been linked

Author:
Patrick Byrnes
Publish date:
Sep 16, 2022 1:31 PM EDT

Utah Jazz fans finally got some answers on the Donovan Mitchell front, but this doesn’t mean executive Danny Ainge is done dealing before the season opener.

Currently, Utah has 17 rostered players and will need to trim down to 15 before the season starts. What current Jazz vets are most likely to be packing their bags, and who’s staying?

There have been four Jazz-men linked to different trade rumors. Let’s take a closer look at who could be staying and going.

Bojan Bogdanovic

Bogdanovic makes the most sense to be moved before the season. He has an attractive, low-risk, expiring contract and can still contribute on the court. Utah will also be motivated to give the newly-acquired Simone Fontecchio a path to get 25-30 minutes a game.

Ainge won’t have a problem finding a suitor for Bogdanovic, but the question is can the Jazz garner a first-round pick back in return? Either way there’s a great chance the sharp shooting forward has played his last game in a Jazz uniform.

Mike Conley

Conley still has two years on his contract and the Jazz have been shopping him all summer. There’s just not a market for a player at 34 years of age that’s still owed up to $48 million over the next two years ($14.3M guaranteed in 2023-24). Conley still can produce on the court and provide leadership in the locker room.

For those reasons, a buy-out doesn’t make sense and fans can expect Conley to remain with the Jazz at the start of the year. It will be interesting to see whether Conley is given minutes to help increase his trade stock, or if he has to relinquish playing time to help the youngsters develop.

Rudy Gay

When Gay signed with the Jazz last year it felt like a great acquisition, but in hindsight, it was a move that just didn’t work for both parties. The Jazz will try to move Gay to possibly help facilitate another trade, but if that doesn’t occur, then I would expect the Jazz to either waive, or buy out his contract.

The Jazz would still be on the hook for the remaining $12.5M that he’s owed, but being in the midst of a rebuild, Utah isn’t against the salary cap.

Jordan Clarkson

Here’s a player that could go either way.

Jordan Clarkson’s name has been mentioned numerous times as a potential trade piece, but the Jazz might be able to get more for the former sixth man of the year if they wait until the trade deadline.

Clarkson may start the year in Salt Lake City, but a contender looking to add depth for a playoff run during the season makes a lot of sense. I see Clarkson being on the opening-day Jazz roster.

Follow Patrick on Twitter @pbyrnesNBA.

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