Recently, the Utah Jazz traded John Collins and Collin Sexton, and they cut Jordan Clarkson. In return, they got Jusuf Nurkić, Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, and a Clippers 2027 second-round pick.
Is that underwhelming? Absolutely – but only if you evaluate those moves by the players and assets that came to Utah. These decisions were not made to win trade evaluations, but rather to open space for Utah’s future.
Mismanaged assets
To be clear, in the years since breaking up the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert core, Utah’s front office has deserved some criticism on how they’ve managed their veteran assets.
Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jared Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley — three of whom played significant playoff minutes last year — gave Utah a protected 2027 first-round Lakers pick with questionable value, given Luka Dončić’s surprise arrival in L.A. In retrospect, that’s a net loss.
Bojan Bogdanović turned into Kelly Olynyk. Olynyk, along with Ochai Agbaji, turned into Isaiah Collier. While it’s still unclear what Collier will become, multiple NBA-level rotation players turned into a young, albeit flawed, guard.
In the summer of 2023, the Jazz extended Jordan Clarkson to a three-year deal worth $55 million. A trade market never existed and he was bought-out.
Throw in the Sexton and Collins trades, and Utah has gotten very little value from a large number of assets.
Toronto Raptors v Utah Jazz Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Expectations and benefits
But if you’re expecting that any of these recent moves would return valuable assets, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
Utah’s attempts to move off of Sexton, Collins, and Clarkson have been known for years. Each player has posted empty-calorie stats with minimal defensive impact in a Jazz jersey. On top of that, the new CBA has made teams much more wary of adding bloated salary. Try selling something you don’t want to people who don’t have money, and you’ll get an idea of what Utah was working with.
As such, we have to look at ancillary benefits of these trades. Primarily, swapping these players for Nurkić, Love, and Anderson gives Utah some veterans who won't complain much when riding the pine. As Austin Ainge said in his opening press conference, the Jazz are not looking to manipulate rotations to lose games. These trades achieve that goal.
NBA Salt Lake City Summer League - Philadelphia 76ers v Utah Jazz Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images
Youth movement
Utah’s depth chart now reflects a commitment to their youth. If you want a sneak peak into next year’s rotation, look no further than the Jazz’s summer league roster: Brice Sensabaugh, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, Cody Williams, Ace Bailey, and Walter Clayton Jr. will all get real minutes. Throw in Walker Kessler, Taylor Hendricks, and Keynote George, and nine players 23 years-old or under are fighting for rotation minutes.
The value in buying out Clarkson and trading Sexton and Collins for next to nothing is in the opportunity it gives to the Jazz’s future. Utah has enough first-round picks – eight of them are already on the roster, trying to prove themselves.