Apparently, the Utah Jazz think they’ve got enough
When the NBA’s 2021-22 trade deadline passed, the Utah Jazz did very little. Many observers felt that the team would benefit from adding a 3-and-D wing. Many more assumed they’d package the recently injured Joe Ingles‘ contract with a pick or young player to acquire one.
All of those assumptions proved wrong. Instead, the Jazz acquired two players who, unsurprisingly, have not been part of the team’s 2021-22 rotation. Nickeil Alexander-Walker may have some potential. NBA title runs happen in the now.
Regardless, some rationalized that the deadline wasn’t the be-all-end-all. The buyout market provided several quality options.
That is, until yesterday, when the deadline for playoff eligibility passed. The Jazz came up empty handed again.
Utah Jazz hold steady on buyout market
To a large extent, this isn’t the organization’s fault. Gary Harris never was bought out, and neither was Kent Bazemore. The buyout market is notoriously scarce. Big impact players rarely find themselves there.
Some of the bigger names to relocate wouldn’t have made sense on this Utah Jazz team. Goran Dragic would have been superfluous. Same with Tomas Satoransky. Tristan Thompson would have been utterly pointless.
Still, there were options. We hope the Utah Jazz at least explored them.
Utah Jazz miss out on potential contributors
For example, we hope they at least made overtures towards DeAndre’ Bembry. He would have been the perfect defensive wing for the home stretch.
Abdel Nader isn’t a marquee name, but he’s got a Defensive Box Plus Minus (DBPM) of 2.0 this season. He would have been distinctly worth a look.
Even athletic forward Sekou Doumbouya was worth a flier. While he’d have been unlikely to crack the rotation, the Jazz could have taken a look at him in practice. He at least has the physical qualities of a defensive wing.
Arguably Doumbouya wasn’t worth a contending team’s time. So why was Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who the Jazz surrendered actual assets for? It just feels like this team should have added an impact player
Instead, the team is left hoping that they’re good enough as currently constructed.
On the bright side, that remains entirely possible.
Utah Jazz may have cornered buyout market early
Sometimes, players get waived long before the buyout deadline. Such was the case with Danuel House Jr. The rebuilding Rockets have outgrown House Jr. The Utah Jazz saw an opportunity.
So far, he’s been a solid 3-and-D contributor in Salt Lake City. House Jr. is hitting 45.5% of 3.0 three-point attempts per contest. His DBPM of 0.2 is solid as well.
House Jr. has developed a league wide reputation for both erratic play and behavior. Still, the same could be said of Hassan Whiteside, who’s been the model of consistency for the Jazz in 2021-22.
Sometimes, all a player needs is a change of scenery. We’ll see if House Jr. was a sufficient answer for the Jazz as 2021-22 wears on.
The Utah Jazz are a powerhouse when healthy. They’ve proven that much this season. Hopefully, they’re enough of one to make a championship run.
