Things could not be going much worse for the Utah Jazz as the NBA trade deadline approaches. They are dropping in the standings, as they have lost eight consecutive games and eight of their last 10.
Their All-Star duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have both been sidelined for a majority of the games. Mitchell has missed seven games recovering from a concussion, while Gobert has missed four and counting because of a calf strain.
Now, they are going to be without another key member of their rotation in Joe Ingles. Ingles tore his ACL in his left knee during Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. His knee buckled on a drive to the basket in the second quarter and he will now miss the remainder of the season.
This is a tough blow for Utah, as Ingles has been a mainstay in their rotation for eight seasons. Playing on an expiring contract, it could be tough for him to land a multi-year deal coming off of an ACL tear as his production was already beginning to wane.
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This also throws a wrench in the team’s plans with the trade deadline approaching. There were rumors that the Jazz was shopping a package of Ingles and a first-round pick in hopes of landing a defensive-minded wing player to add to their starting rotation.
With Ingles now sidelined for the duration of the season, that package will be an even tougher one to sell to other teams around the league. There likely won’t be many teams willing to take on an injured Ingles, unless it is a team that has already conceded this season and has an eye toward the offseason already.
One team that comes to mind is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have a perfect target for Utah in Kenrich Williams. The Jazz has been linked to Jerami Grant of the Detroit Pistons as well, but it is hard to imagine Detroit not finding a team with more value than an injured Ingles and a future, late first-round pick.
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Another thing the Utah Jazz have working in their favor is that they have a trade exception worth nearly $7.5 million. That will help them on their mission to upgrade their wing defense in the starting five, as they can aim for a player with a larger contract than the one Williams has.
Utah will still try and make a deal ahead of the deadline, but they may have to adjust their package with Joe Ingles being injured. But, there are likely teams out there who wouldn’t mind taking on an injured player, along with draft pick compensation, that is looking to better position themselves in the NBA Draft Lottery.