Jazz Fans Can Expect Another Roster Shuffle Before 2023 Trade Deadline

The Utah Jazz continue to trend in the right direction. Thanks to a patient and calculating front office, the Jazz are positioned to make upgrades when and where they see fit.

Jeremiah Jensen of KSL Sports took note when he joined ESPN 700's The Bill Riley Show.

“[The Jazz have] been very deliberate and they’ve also been very good with timing,” Jensen said. “The John Collins deal is a good example of this. At the trade deadline, they would’ve had to of given up a [first-round] pick. They would’ve had to have given up something. Then they wait until now, right at the end of the NBA calendar year when Atlanta has to dump some salary and then boom! They were able to get John Collins for Rudy Gay — who he’d been wanting to move for a while and a second-round pick. That’s the genius in being patient and waiting.”

Moving forward, the big question comes down to when the Jazz will relinquish their stockpiled assets for an All-Star caliber player to pair with current Jazzman Lauri Markkanen.

Utah has the expiring contracts and draft capital to pay a king’s ransom when an opportunity presents itself. However, with Kelly Olynyk and Talen Horton-Tucker's contracts expiring at season's end, the Jazz may want to make a move before this year's trade deadline.

Olynyk and ‘THT’ have a combined $23 million coming off the books that can be used to help facilitate an exchange. These contracts will be in high demand, with teams chomping at the bit to clear cap space for 2024-25.

But the key is going to be patience. The emergence of Keyonte George in the Summer League is proving that a trade to acquire Damian Lillard would’ve been premature. A poker player has to look at his cards before putting in all his chips.

The Minnesota Timberwolves provided the blueprint for that mistake when they prematurely added Walker Kessler to sweeten the Rudy Gobert trade last year. Also, if a trade opportunity doesn’t present itself, the Jazz can simply let those contracts expire and use the extra cap space on a free agent in the summer of 2024.

Jensen noted that the way the Jazz have done things may not be fun for fans in the moment, but at the end of the day, the patience is paying off.

“It’s not a lot of fun for the fans because we love the drama — it’s part about what the NBA is all about and what makes it great is all the stuff that goes on, the moves, the free agency, the trades all that stuff,” Jensen said. “We love it. But from a managerial standpoint, from the front office standpoint with the Jazz, they’re doing things the right way and as a fan you should really be appreciative of that.”

With where things stand, Jazz fans can anticipate a roster reshuffle or two before seasons end, but CEO Danny Ainge will be doing it on his watch

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