[The following submission is from the Utah Jazz, run by students in the mock deadline practicum at the SBC Las Vegas Immersive.]

Assignment: Utah Jazz

Team Members: Jacari McRae, Max Rosenberg, Gabriel Mendez, Rashard Stringfield, Kai Wilson, André Galiber

Even with the tandem of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, the Utah Jazz were more of a regular-season powerhouse than a playoff contender. A look at the Western Conference landscape finds the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and the potential retooling of the Los Angeles Lakers as a mountain too high for us to climb within the next couple of seasons.  Our window to compete for a title had closed, though the Rudy Gobert trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves brought the organization options and new questions.  

The team needed to decide whether to pair Donovan Mitchell with one or two All-Star level talents or move him and start from scratch. We chose the latter. With a new coaching staff and front office, we had the opportunity to build synergistically with very few anchors to the past. Mitchell’s viability as a solid cornerstone for a championship franchise was weighed heavily. His defensive liabilities and lack of cohesion with teammates were a concern. Should he push for a trade, a patient restructuring around Mitchell could be quickly derailed.

After intense negotiations with several teams, we finally pulled the trigger on a Mitchell deal with the New York Knicks. We received three first-rounders in 2023, two in 2025, Miles McBride, Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes, and Evan Fournier.  Fournier’s future trade value should increase over time with only two guaranteed years remaining. His versatile shooting touch will only grow in demand.

Toppin, Grimes, and McBride were all underutilized last season.  We think with an increased role they will either show themselves as players that should be a part of our rebuild or increase their value around the league in trade. While RJ Barrett was an option for us as well, after considering his contract status, we felt additional draft capital would be more in line with our goals.

Another impactful deal was to take on Russell Westbrook‘s contract from the Los Angeles Lakers. We traded Bojan Bogdanovic, Patrick Beverley and Rudy Gay to Los Angeles for a 2028 first-round pick, Austin Reeves and two second-round draft picks. This deal originally included Jordan Clarkson, but we felt pulled him from our offer without additional compensation. The Lakers were unwilling to give us a second first-rounder, so we agreed to replace Clarkson with Beverley and shifted our focus to Reaves.

The third and final deal was to trade Michael Beasley for Mason Plumlee, JT Thor, Nick Richards (subsequently waived), and a second-round pick. Plumlee and Conley should have an increased trade value at the deadline for playoff teams as both are on expiring deals.  Clarkson, a younger player with a few years left on an affordable deal, could also prove valuable to another team down the line.

Acquiring six first-round draft picks, three second-round draft picks, and talented young players exceeded our expectations.  The expiring deals of Russell Westbrook and potentially Mike Conley Jr. will give us cap space flexibility to either add foundational talent or maybe take on additional contracts for more compensation. This organization is now on solid footing moving forward.

Trade 1

  • Utah received: Obi Toppin, Evan Fournier, Miles McBride, Quentin Grimes, a 2023 Detroit Pistons first-rounder (top-18 protected through 2024, top-13 protected in 20225, top-11 protected in 2026, top-9 protected in 2027, else conveys as a 2027 second-rounder), a 2023 Washington Wizards first-rounder (lottery protected in 2023, top-12 in 2024, top-10 in 2025, top-8 in 2026, else convey as a2026 and 2027 second-rounders), a 2025 Milwaukee Bucks first-rounder (top-4 protected) and a 2025 New York Knicks first-rounder (top-5 protected).
  • New York received: Donovan Mitchell.

Trade 2

  • Utah received: Russell Westbrook, Austin Reaves, a 2028 first-rounder (top-10 protected, else unprotected in 2029), a 2028 second-round swap rights and a  2029 second-rounder.
  • Los Angeles Lakers received: Rudy Gay, Patrick Beverley, Bojan Bogdanovic and Landry Shamet.

Trade 3

  • Utah received: Mason Plumlee, JT Thor, Nick Richards and a 2024 New York Knicks second-rounder.
  • Charlotte received: Malik Beasley.

Other

  • Waived Nick Richards.

— André Galiber