The Utah Jazz was rolling right along, but have recently hit a snag as the NBA trade deadline nears. Before their victory over the Nikola Jokic-less Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, they had lost five games in a row and 11 of their previous 13 games.
A lot of that has come without key players in their rotation. Donovan Mitchell has been sidelined by a concussion and Rudy Gobert is dealing with a calf injury. To make matters worse, the team also lost reserve wing Joe Ingles to a torn ACL.
The Ingles injury hurts the team in multiple facets. He has been productive for the team, as he was runner up for Sixth Man of the Year last season behind teammate Jordan Clarkson. He was also the player that the Jazz was looking to attach a first-round pick to on the trade market to try and upgrade their starting five.
Utah has been clear in what they want to achieve ahead of the deadline. They want to upgrade their defense, especially on the wing. It would go a long way in improving their outlook, as they are lacking a true stopper on the wing.
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The teams they are chasing in the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies, all have numerous players that they can throw at you on the wing. The Utah Jazz wants to match that, as they get run off the court when opponents go with smaller lineups.
Looking for an upgrade, Utah has its sights set on two players. According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the Jazz is looking into acquiring Harrison Barnes of the Sacramento Kings and Jerami Grant of the Detroit Pistons.
Of the two, Barnes is likely the more attainable. He would cost considerably less than Grant would and make a more seamless transition to a new team. Barnes has experience as a glue guy on a contending team.
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Jerami Grant has experience from his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Nuggets, but he has made it clear that he is looking for an opportunity to get paid and remain a go-to option on offense. He could be the No. 2 option behind Donovan Mitchell, but he would cost considerably more than Harrison Barnes would.
The only thing working in the Utah Jazz’s favor is that the Kings and Pistons are both unlikely to make the postseason. So, they could be more open to taking on Ingles’ expiring contract with draft compensation than other teams would be.
