Why It Makes Sense For Utah Jazz

This deal is entirely dependent on how highly the Utah Jazz and Executive Danny Ainge view Ben Simmons. If they view him as too risky of a prospect to bet on, then they could easily find a much safer return in exchange for Donovan Mitchell in a trade.

While there are plenty of young players with a safer floor than Simmons, he might present the Jazz with the highest-ceiling building block available.

When healthy and confident, Simmons is a 6’10 behemoth that can impact the game at an elite level on both ends of the court.

On defense, he can guard all five positions with the agility to chase guards down on the perimeter and the size and strength to bang down low with opposing big men. He has the basketball IQ and athleticism to be a menace in the passing lanes and as a weakside shot-blocker.

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On offense, he’s a monster in transition who can glide his way to the rack and finish with both finesse and power. He’s also one of the most gifted passers in the league and is more than capable of orchestrating an NBA offense with the size to find open shooters and cutters all over the court.

If Ben Simmons can return to full strength, the Utah Jazz will be hard-pressed to find a better player available in a trade to build their next era around. In addition to the Australian guard, they also receive two fliers in Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Payne that could add to their new young core. They would also tack on Philadelphia’s first-round pick in the upcoming draft.

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Moving Donovan Mitchell is almost sure to lead to an accelerated rebuild, but this trade might present the quickest route back to the playoffs. The best version of Ben Simmons is almost a guaranteed playoff berth by himself.