NBA Trade Rumors: 10 players most likely to be moved by the deadline

10.  Jarred Vanderbilt

The Utah Jazz was the story of the NBA season over the first couple of months of the season. After trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert over the off-season, the Jazz surprised everyone with their incredible play and sat near the top of the Western Conference standings.

Since that hot start, they’ve fallen all the way down the standings and currently sit in 8th in the West.

Despite the dip in play, one big positive has emerged for Jazz fans: the emergence of rookie big Walker Kessler.

In games in which Kessler has played 25 or more minutes, he’s averaging 12.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. He has played very well when given the opportunity and should continue to earn more and more minutes as the season progresses.

The best way to ensure Kessler gets more playing time is to trade away Jarred Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt is a good player in his own right, but Kessler is younger, bigger, and a better defender with a higher ceiling. Seeing what the Jazz could get for Vanderbilt, who occupies a similar lane to Kessler, would be in Utah’s best interest.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Jazz front office values Vanderbilt, along with Mike Conley and Malik Beasley, as worth one first-round pick each. Fischer goes on to state that Utah has explored sending Vanderbilt and Beasley to teams in a package deal such as Atlanta, Portland, and New York.

Vanderbilt’s name has also appeared amid trade discussions involving the Philadelphia 76ers, according to Yahoo Sports.

Indiana, Portland, New York, and the Los Angeles Lakers have also been mentioned in rumors around Vanderbilt.

Other notable players that could be dealt by the deadline include Mike Conley, Malik Beasley, Kelly Olynyk, Jakob Poeltl, Tim Hardaway Jr, Terry Rozier, Kyle Lowry, Russell Westbrook, Caris LeVert, and Josh Richardson.