Where does the Utah Jazz rebuild stand after the NBA Trade Deadline?
By Reese Evans
What is Danny Ainge’s plan for the Utah Jazz?
In my opinion, Danny Ainge wants the flexibility to make any move he wants. He is laying a foundation for Utah to have success for years to come. By accumulating draft capital and salary cap room, the Jazz has the power to make any move there is to be made. Whether that be trading for a proven star to pair with Lauri Markkanen, selecting college players with their draft capital, or simply signing a star with their cap space.
When Danny Ainge was with the Celtics and pulled off one of the more lopsided trades in NBA history with the Nets, it was never in the plans for Danny to do that. The trade was presented to him because Boston had the means to acquire those first-round picks. Two of those picks turned into Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, not too shabby.
Currently, the Utah Jazz owns 15 first-round picks through the year 2029. The majority of those picks were acquired in the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades. Danny Ainge’s plan clearly was to acquire draft capital when he got the job in Utah, I don’t believe he thought he was trading for future key assets in Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, and Walker Kessler.
Of course, Ainge understood the value of those players, but nobody could have expected the improvement of Markkanen and the instant impact from Kessler. Not to mention Agbaji’s solid rotational play as of late after beginning the season in the G-league. Sexton was a beneficiary of Mike Conley’s leadership, seeing his assist numbers improve over the course of the season. Collin is playing well since Conley’s departure, posting 18 points and six assists versus Indiana earlier this week
Was this Danny’s vision? Yes and no. He could never have expected Lauri Markkanen to be an all-star starter or Walker Kessler to be a rising star in the paint. He will certainly take it. The core is forming in Utah, with Markkanen and Kessler at the center of it. Ainge made it clear that Markkanen, Kessler, and Agbaji were unavailable for trades at the deadline, affirming their spots in Utah’s rebuilding process.