Amongst all of the NBA news surrounding the Brooklyn Nets and Kevin Durant requesting a trade, they snuck in a transaction with the Utah Jazz. The Jazz sent starting forward Royce O’Neale to Brooklyn in exchange for a 2023 first-round draft pick, whichever is the lowest between their own, the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers selection.
That move flew under the radar, but it gave a preview into what the Jazz could be planning for the rest of the offseason. That was a clear salary dump move, signaling that Utah may be open to overhauling the entire roster.
Well, that is exactly what happened on Friday afternoon. The Jazz traded three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Utah received a package that includes three unprotected first-round picks in 2023, 2025 and 2027 and a top-five protected pick in 2029.
Many people began to speculate about what could be next for the Jazz. Would they look to go all-in on the rebuild and trade away their other All-Star, Donovan Mitchell?
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Jazz-Timberwolves Trade Sends Rudy Gobert To Minnesota
According to Tony Jones, who covers the Jazz for The Athletic, that is not the plan for now. But, Utah is not done when it comes to trade talks and more activity is expected.
One player that Utah reportedly has an interest in exploring a trade for is Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns. The restricted free agent is expected to move on from the desert, but a sign-and-trade deal would have to be executed as the Jazz do not have the cap space to sign him outright.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Jazz-Timberwolves Trade Sends Rudy Gobert To Minnesota
The Utah Jazz has a lot of options now as they have acquired five first-round picks, a sixth if you include Walker Kessler, who was acquired in the Gobert deal and was selected No. 22 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. With plenty of players to match salary and a surplus of picks, the Jazz can be aggressive if they want to begin reshaping the roster around Mitchell.
