Why The Utah Jazz Make This Trade

The Jazz make this deal for a simple reason. It offers them fair value for Rudy Gobert.

Often, that’s difficult to get from a distressed asset. Gobert would qualify as such. If he’s effectively forcing his way out of town, the Jazz will struggle to get a better deal for him than Brunson and a first-round pick.

This deal isn’t without shortcomings for the Jazz. Brunson and Mitchell are an undersized backcourt. We’ve already seen them struggle to navigate that lack of point-of-attack defense with Mitchell paired with Mike Conley. Imagine how difficult it will be without Gobert manning the middle.

Still, it bears repeating: the Jazz won’t find a better trade for Gobert than Brunson and an unprotected first-round pick. The offensive firepower in their new backcourt would be difficult for opposing defenses to contain.

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With Brunson in the fold, they could shop Conley for Gobert’s replacement. They’ll be armed with a new first-round pick to aid that pursuit.

Will the Mavericks be willing to part with one, along with Brunson, to land a defensive anchor in Gobert?