Report: Jazz expected to trade 1 player at deadline
Oct 26, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge looks on during warms ups before the game against the Houston Rockets at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
The Utah Jazz are a bit puzzling as a team that has been surprisingly decent but is still not a legitimate contender. Nevertheless, they could be making at least one notable sale at the trade deadline.
Tony Jones of The Athletic reported Monday that forward Jarred Vanderbilt seems like the most likely player to be dealt ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline. Jones notes that the Jazz have multiple trade offers for the 23-year-old.
Vanderbilt is a useful talent who has length, is still on his rookie deal, and is currently having a career year with 8.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. But the emergence of first-year center Walker Kessler (especially as a rim protector) has taken a bite out of Vanderbilt’s playing time recently. It does not really help either that Vanderbilt isn’t a shot-blocker (0.3 blocks per game this season) or a three-point shooter (28.2 percent from deep on his NBA career).
The 27-27 Jazz have a few other trade candidates on their roster like Mike Conley, Kelly Olynyk, and Jordan Clarkson. But Vanderbilt sounds like the odds-on favorite to be moved and a frontrunner has even emerged for him.
