The Jazz May Have Made a Mistake at the Trade Deadline

One of the highlights of this past regular season for the Utah Jazz consisted of the three-team deal to distribute many of the existing players on the roster across the league. Now that we're approaching three months since the trade, as well as reaching the end-of-season mark, now could be a good time to review how the deal has turned out so far.

As the deadline approached, it was clear the Los Angeles Lakers needed some roster improvements, the Minnesota Timberwolves needed a change in the starting lineup, and the Jazz wanted to unload some existing talent in an effort to tank. All of these factors were enough to have these teams make a deal.

ESPN Sources: The Lakers are finalizing deal to land Minnesota’s D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt in trade including Mike Conley and picks to Timberwolves and Russell Westbrook and a lightly protected 2027 LA first-round pick to Jazz.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2023

For the Jazz, they essentially traded away Mike Conley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Nickiel Alexander-Walker, and two second-round picks in return for Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Russell Westbrook (who was eventually bought out), and a 2027 Lakers first-round pick.

When you consider the role Beasley and Vanderbilt have recently had for the Lakers, as well as how Conley and Alexander-Walker played in the it makes you question whether or not the squeeze was worth the juice for the Jazz here. If the team decided against making this deal, we may have seen a more serious attempt of a Jazz playoff push.

Toscano-Anderson and Jones were both sustainable role players down the stretch, but still a significant downgrade from who was previously on the roster. While the talent downgrade to be expected when bringing in a first-round pick, the premium of which the Jazz gave up was a lot considering the incoming return.

The incoming first-rounder could even end up being a second in a worst case for scenario for Utah. If the Lakers end up in the lottery and the pick fals between 1 and 4, the pick goes back to LA, while the Jazz end up with a second round pick instead. In order for Danny Ainge and Justin Zanik to be able to fully cash out in this deal, it may ultimately down to luck.

Trading three to four valuable role players and two second rounders in return for a protected first rounder seems to be a bit low in terms in what those guys could have actually gotten. However, the market value for these players amongst GMs could be a bit different than what fans perceive.

Regardless, the Jazz at this moment seem to have gotten the worst of this deal, but it's still early. To see the true return on this deal, we'll have to wait a few years for the Lakers' pick to develop. If the pick ends up to be valuable in 2027, this take could end up aging like milk.

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