The Jazz have made their first move of the off-season. I was tempted to call it a big move, but because they only had to send Rudy Gay and a future second round pick in the deal I don't think I can call it big. So what did Utah get in return for that measly package? ... John Collins, a player who has been a pretty hot commodity for a few years now. The Jazz definitely underpaid for Collins, but should they have made the deal at all? And the biggest question on everyone's mind...what in the world was Atlanta thinking?
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I have to talk about Atlanta first, because I think this is one of the dumbest trades I have ever seen. John Collins was the third most valuable player on their team and they traded him for a guy who's going to retire in the next two seasons and a second round pick. I simply refuse to believe they couldn't have gotten better value somewhere else in the league. Clearly they were looking to unload his contract so they had ample cap space to sign someone big in the future, but I just think they got absolutely fleeced by Utah (who seems to be fleecing teams in every deal they do these days). This is a team that has flopped since adding Dejounte Murray in free agency last year, and at this point they just don't know where they're going. A situation like that will lead you to send a young valuable piece like Collins to a team for absolutely nothing.
pc: AP Photo/John Bazemore
Alright, now to cover the team that actually matters. First off, and I want to make this as clear as possible, the Jazz did not need to trade for another forward. They already have Markannen, Olynyk, and just drafted Taylor Hendricks with their 9th overall pick. Their true area of need is the backcourt, but when you get a deal like this you just can't pass it up. I guarantee they called Atlanta to see what the price was, and when they realized it was nothing at all they jumped at the chance to get a guy like Collins for free. The biggest win in this deal is that they no longer have to act like Rudy Gay is an NBA player on a nightly basis. So where do they go from here?
Like I said, the Jazz have to focus on their back court. However, they just drafted Keyonte George and Brice Sensabaugh, two players who will get a ton of touches this season. They also have Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker, Jordan Clarkson, Ochai Agbaji, and Kris Dunn to split minutes between. I think that one or two of Sexton, THT, or Clarkson will be traded this off-season. I would probably keep Sexton and trade the other two. Sexton's value can only go up, while THT is at the peak of his value and Clarkson is approaching the end of his prime. I don't know if they will trade these guys for players or picks, but I would probably prefer picks. No matter what, the Jazz front office has a ton of flexibility right now in the trade market. I would closely watch this team as the season approaches. The Jazz are a franchise that hates to tank, so if they can manage to build a playoff team while still adding picks they will jump on that opportunity is a heartbeat.
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