Three Utah Jazz Players to Monitor as Early Trade Candidates

With the unofficial opening of NBA trade season right around the corner on December 15th, it's as good a time as ever to open the discussion of which players might be on the move over the coming weeks as trade buzz and deals start getting louder across the league.

The Utah Jazz, through their past few trade deadlines over the years, have proven to be more than willing to make a midseason shake-up to their roster if it means it can accelerate their rebuild process.

Last year, Utah made five trades in the week of the deadline to acquire a slew of second round picks for down the line, and this time around could certainly look a bit similar if the opportunities for this front office are there for the taking.

With that in mind, here's a selection of three Jazz players currently on the roster who could start to generate some steam as potential trade deadline targets for teams around the NBA:

1. Svi Mykhailiuk

Dec 1, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Svi Mykhailiuk (10) passes the ball around Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Svi Mykhailiuk, on paper, looks like the most ideal trade candidate for the Jazz to move at this year's deadline. He's on track for one of the best years of his career for what's now his second campaign in Utah, only one of two players to have started in all regular-season games thus far, and in turn, has seen his value take a positive turn because of it.

He's averaging 9.0 points a night on the most efficient shooting of his career (47.2% FG), and he's doing it on an team-friendly contract too, making under $5 million for the next three seasons, with the final year of his contact being a club option. That allows contenders to have flexibility in adding him to their roster if there's interest, and based on his recent sample size, there should be.

svi mykhailiuk is scoring away from the ball at the best rate of his career, posting career-highs in points/g (9.1), 2p% (70.6%) and rTS (+4.2%)

a perfect fit in hardy's off-ball offense not only as a shooter but as an intermediate scorer and ball mover (9 pot ast/100) pic.twitter.com/q9aNw7MRxp
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) November 10, 2025

The situation feels very similar to how the Jazz operated a couple of years ago when Simone Fontecchio was on the roster. He spent one and a half seasons on the team, became a quality starter on the wing in year two, and Utah managed to cash in at the deadline with the Detroit Pistons for a second round pick that developed into Kyle Filipowski.

If the opportunity arises again, don't be shocked to see a comparable move transpire in the coming weeks.

2. Jusuf Nurkic

Nov 30, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (30) warms up before the game against the Houston Rockets at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Another veteran turned into a nightly starter for the Jazz could gain some interest on the trade market along with Mykhailiuk.

That's 11th-year center and offseason acquisition, Jusuf Nurkic, who's found his groove as Utah's starting center since Walker Kessler went down for the season, and appears to already be at the center of some trade buzz as a potential big man upgrade for those in need.

Centers expected to be available on the trade market include:

Nic Claxton
Robert Williams III
Nick Richards
Jonathan Isaac
Jusuf Nurkic

“Brooklyn's Nic Claxton is expected to generate incoming calls to the rebuilding Nets about Claxton's availability…Phoenix has made Nick… pic.twitter.com/U0wLuxIXej
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 26, 2025

The value on a hypothetical Nurkic trade might not be too steep compared to what Mykhailiuk has to offer, though. Nurkic is older, is on an expiring deal worth $16 million, and while he's stepped up to the occasion as Utah's full-time five while they're shorthanded, is likely a backup big man on a team with aspirations of being competitive.

Maybe the Jazz look to fetch a day two pick for him, or perhaps something as small as a trade exception that helps them further down the line in a future deal. But if Utah was looking to capitalize on his value before he hits unrestricted free agency next summer, from now until early February would be the time to make it happen.

3. Cody Williams

Oct 13, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz forward Cody Williams (5) takes a three-point shot over Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

It's painful to add Cody Williams to the mix as a potential trade candidate less than two full seasons into his time with the Jazz. He was an appealing draft prospect coming out of Colorado in 2024, has some nice physicals with an NBA pedigree, and still is at the ripe age of 21 years old.

But simply, his growing pains with the Jazz upon his arrival have been tough to ignore. His minutes have depleted in Utah's rotation from last season (21.2 MPG to 12.2), his counting stats and efficiency have taken a dip, and an awkward fit on both sides of the ball when he's on the floor has forced him into the G League multiple times this year for hopes of finding that much-needed spark.

Make way for a Cody Williams windmill 🌪️ @slcstars pic.twitter.com/up68oCLaC2
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) November 30, 2025

He's still only 21, so maybe it's too early to write him off, but with his struggles in mind, the idea for a change of scenery inevitably creeps in as a possibility to consider for the Jazz at this year's deadline.

Williams continues to fall out of favor within this young core, may continue to be swallowed up in the rotation if new young pieces are added in from the draft this summer, and makes his path for development on a roster with so much clay to work with tough to draw up from what we've seen in his current sample size.

Maybe he gets a full season with the Jazz before the front office makes an official call on his future, but nonetheless, he's certainly on watch as a potential deadline mover if an opposing team were interested in taking a dart throw at the former top 10 pick.

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