Utah Jazz

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly targeting a trio of Utah Jazz players in trade conversations amid Utah's rebuild this offseason.

According to Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Lakers covet Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley ahead of the start of the 2022-23 NBA regular season next month.

After reaching the playoffs in each of the past seven seasons, but failing to get past the second round, the Jazz decided to tear things down and start from scratch.

The most notable moves have been trading All-Star center Rudy Gobert and All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively, for huge packages of first-round draft picks and players.

Utah now has something of a franken-roster made up of holdovers from last year's team and players acquired in the Gobert and Mitchell trades, and it seems likely that they would be willing to ship out more players for future assets.

The Lakers and Jazz have already done business once this offseason, as L.A. sent Utah both Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson for veteran guard Patrick Beverley last month after Beverley was picked up in the Gobert trade.

L.A. missed the playoffs last season with a disappointing 33-49 record due largely to the fact that LeBron James and Anthony Davis missed significant time due to injury.

The Lakers likely don't have a championship roster even if LeBron and AD remain healthy this season, though, and that is primarily because Russell Westbrook opted into the final year of his contract in 2022-23 and made it difficult for Los Angeles to free up the money needed to make any other notable moves.

Landing a third star to play alongside James and Davis likely isn't possible right now, but bringing in a significant amount of depth would still be helpful to the Lakers' playoff and championship chances.

The 33-year-old Bogdanovic has spent the past three seasons in Utah, and he has played at the highest level of his career during that time.

Bogdanovic averaged a career-best 20.2 points per game in 2019-20, and last season he put up 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 three-pointers made and 1.7 assists per contest, while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Clarkson, 30, broke into the league with the Lakers in 2014 and spent parts of four seasons in L.A., but like Bogdanovic, he has been at his best in Utah over the past three seasons.

He won the 2020-21 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, and last season, he averaged 16.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 three-pointers made.

The 25-year-old Beasley, who was part of the Gobert trade, has spent six seasons in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets and Timberwolves.

Beasley averaged a career-high 19.6 points per game in 2020-21 and followed that up last season with 12.1 points, 3.0 three-pointers made, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

Bogdanovic, Clarkson and Beasley are all offensively gifted players who would give the Lakers some much-needed offensive punch in support of James and Davis.

It is unclear if the Lakers are aiming to land one, two or all three of those players, but if they can find a way to bring in all of them without giving up too many current assets in return, they would have the look of a far more complete team than they are right now.

The Utah Jazz probably aren't done wheeling and dealing.

With the team in a full rebuilding mode and trades involving Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Patrick Beverley already completed, the Jazz may turn to trading away some of their veteran role players, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne:

Shelburne added that the Jazz feel they could get a first-round pick in return for each of Bojan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley Jr. and Jordan Clarkson but "are not in any hurry to make these decisions now."

In other words, the team is going to extract every last drop of value it can out of trading veterans who would bolster a number of contenders. As the NBA season gets underway and contenders naturally face some injuries and roster questions, it's possible all three could only see their trade value increase.

Bogdanovic, 33, would make sense for teams looking to add perimeter shooting and scoring. He's a career 39.2 percent shooter from beyond the arc and averaged 18.1 points per game last season.

Conley appears past his prime, but the 34-year-old still averaged a solid 13.7 points and 5.3 assists in 72 games last year, shooting 40.8 percent from three. Teams in need of a savvy veteran playmaker make sense as potential suitors.

Clarkson, 30, is pretty firmly in his prime. The 2020-21 Sixth Man of the Year award winner is one of the league's best bench scorers, putting up a solid 16.0 points per game on 41.9 percent shooting from the field last season. Perimeter shooters who can find their own shot are always valuable come the postseason, and Clarkson should be very much in demand on the trade market.

The Jazz have 13 first-round picks, with varying protections, through the 2029 draft after the Mitchell and Gobert trades. Inevitable deals for Bogdanovic, Conley and Clarkson should add to that haul.

Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge saw internal problems with the team before starting the rebuild this offseason.

"What I saw during the season was a group of players that really didn't believe in each other," Ainge told reporters Monday. "Like the whole group, I think they liked each other even more than what was reported. But I'm not sure there was a belief."

Ainge added that he gave the team the "benefit of the doubt" during the regular season, but the squad did not perform in the playoffs.

Utah has reached the postseason in six straight years but has never advanced beyond the second round. The 2021-22 squad lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

The Jazz are now looking for a fresh start after trading away franchise cornerstones Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

Ainge provided a different perspective for the organization, arriving in December as an alternate governor. He had previously been the general manager for the Boston Celtics, helping build the team that reached the NBA Finals this past season.

Though Ainge said he was "curious and optimistic" about the Jazz going into the job, it's clear he didn't think the squad could win a title as currently assembled.

With head coach Quinn Snyder stepping down after eight years with the team, there will be a lot of changes going into 2022-23.

The Jazz now have a long list of first-round picks over the next seven years, including three in 2023, as well as exciting young players like Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker, Ochai Agbaji and Walker Kessler.

The question is if they can develop on the court and create the right type of chemistry needed to create a winner.

The Utah Jazz reportedly believe guards Jordan Clarkson and Malik Beasley and wing Bojan Bogdanovic are worth first-round draft picks in trades.

That's per ESPN's Zach Lowe on his latest Lowe Post podcast (h/t Brad Sullivan of Ahn Fire Digital).

“The second package is Clarkson, Bogdanovic, Beasley,” Lowe said. “From what I’ve been told around the league, the Jazz feel all three of those guys are worth a first-round pick. If that’s the case, then there’s no deal, that’s out.”

The Jazz are in rebuilding mode after trading All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. All told, the Jazz have amassed 13 unprotected or lightly protected draft picks through 2029, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. That's in addition to a host of players, such as guard Collin Sexton via sign-and-trade and big man Walker Kessler, a first-round pick in this year's draft.

Naturally, it makes sense for team president Danny Ainge to clean house entirely to completely sever ties with the Mitchell-Gobert era.

All the remaining veterans on the team are best-suited to play for contending teams anyway as opposed to scuffling through losing seasons as Utah gets back on track.

As Lowe noted, though, it appears first-round picks for any of those players would be non-starters, even if they all contributed to playoff teams last year.

Bogdanovic, 33, averaged 18.1 points on 45.5 percent shooting last year. Clarkson, the Sixth Man of the Year in 2020-21, posted 16.0 points in 2021-22.

Beasley was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Jazz in the Gobert trade. He had 12.1 points per game last year.

They're all reportedly on the trading block at this point, but for now, the trio remains part of the Jazz with the beginning of the season approaching in October.

Utah Jazz CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge believes the organization is putting itself in position to compete for championships after trading away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

Speaking to reporters after the Mitchell trade was officially announced, Ainge said the Jazz "have a plan in place to help us assemble the championship team our fans deserve" following their two major moves.

"It will take time to craft our roster," he added. "We all understand the work ahead and are committed to our vision."

The Jazz certainly have plenty of future draft capital to build out their roster for years to come.

Trading Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves brought back four future first-round draft picks and a pick swap, as well as 2022 first-rounder Walker Kessler, to Utah.

The surprise move that sent Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers got the Jazz three unprotected first-round picks, two pick swaps and young players in Collin Sexton and Ochai Agbaji. They also received Lauri Markkanen in the deal.

As things stand, the Jazz could have up to 16 first-round draft picks between 2023 and 2029 if all of them convey. They look to have placed themselves firmly in the mix to get the No. 1 overall pick next year in what's widely considered a loaded class, led by French sensation Victor Wembanyama.

The Jazz led by Mitchell and Gobert were incredibly successful during the regular season. They made the playoffs in each of their four seasons together, including being the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a 52-20 record in 2020-21.

Postseason success was more difficult to come by. The Jazz only won playoff series during that four-year run, beating the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round in 2021.

Rather than try to run things back for one more year, Ainge and the front office decided to pivot with a plan designed to build around young players and the draft with the hope of becoming a Western Conference powerhouse in the near future.

The Los Angeles Lakers are interested in three Utah Jazz veterans who could be available for trade ahead of the 2022-23 season.

L.A. has "some interest" in Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. However, the Purple and Gold "also want to preserve cap space for next summer and aren't that interested in taking contracts beyond 2022-23," Zillgitt added.

Of the three, Bogdanovic is the only player whose contract is up in 2023.

Mike Singer of the Denver Post added that "numerous" sources said the Lakers might have interest in Utah's veterans.

After dealing Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Jazz are still looking to offload other veterans in a trade to continue building for the future.

The Lakers could be an interesting trade partner for the Jazz as they are trying to deal veteran point guard Russell Westbrook.

Any deal for Westbrook is expected to have first-round picks attached to it, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported last month that the Purple and Gold are willing to attach their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks in "the right deal."

Jazz CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge has been stockpiling first-round draft picks this offseason, and it's possible he could take on Westbrook's contract in order to add draft capital. He already has 15 first-round draft picks over the next seven drafts.

Conley should be among the most desirable players for the Lakers among Utah's available veterans. The point guard is coming off a solid 2021-22 campaign in which the 34-year-old averaged 13.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 72 games while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and 40.8 percent from deep.

The Purple and Gold have been searching for perimeter shooting, and he's the type of player who can provide outside scoring.

Clarkson would also provide the Lakers some solid perimeter shooting. The 30-year-old averaged 16.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 79 games last season while shooting 41.9 percent from the floor and 31.8 percent from deep.

However, considering the Lakers don't want to take on a contract that runs past the 2022-23 season, Bogdanovic might be the team's most reasonable option.

The 6'7" forward averaged 18.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 69 games last season while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and 38.7 percent from deep. The 33-year-old has a $19.6 million cap hit for the 2022-23 season.

Clarkson has a player option for the 2023-24 campaign worth $14.3 million, and Conley is under contract through 2023-24.

The Utah Jazz accepting the Cleveland Cavaliers' offer for Donovan Mitchell was a blessing in disguise for the New York Knicks.

Picture the Knicks locked into a core of Mitchell, Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and two unprotected first-round picks weren't enough. A time machine taking us into the future shows us a world with pundits and fans laughing at the Knicks for "Knicks-ing" in 2022, when they traded a chest full of assets for a single player who barely moved the needle and limited the front office's flexibility to improve the roster.

Even a core of Mitchell, Brunson, Barrett and Randle has a capped ceiling. And given what they'd be paying each cornerstone, forget about landing another difference-making free agent.

Looking back, the Knicks may have actually caught a break when Utah initially declined an offer of Barrett, Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson and three unprotected first-rounders, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Given what Cleveland eventually gave up for Mitchell, a time machine taking us back to early July might show Jazz CEO Danny Ainge accepting New York's initial offer (before Robinson and Barrett re-signed) or Knicks president Leon Rose proposing a weaker deal to initiate negotiations.

Regardless of whoever the Knicks would have had to give up to get the 6'1" scoring guard, the roster's upside wouldn't have been close to Cleveland's with Mitchell. The Cavaliers went all in on a core of Mitchell, All-Star Darius Garland, All-Star Jarrett Allen and (likely) eventual All-Star Evan Mobley. That group's ceiling feels like it reaches the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Knicks' ceiling with Mitchell—minus the departures—might not have even been higher than a roster with Barrett, Quickley, Toppin and Grimes if each continue to develop on their current trajectory.

From a fit perspective, the biggest question worth asking was whether a frontcourt of Barrett, Randle and Mitchell Robinson could offset the defensive issues likely to surface once the Knicks paired Mitchell and Brunson. While Robinson is a shot-blocking machine and Barrett is an improved two-way player, it's difficult to picture a team defense that can rank in the tier with most contenders or serious playoff threats.

The other worry about Mitchell in New York concerned Barrett's and Randle's roles with more off-ball reps. Barrett graded in the 36th percentile as a spot-up player. Randle was in the 22nd. Mitchell finished No. 7 in the NBA in usage last year. Brunson and Mitchell dominating ball-handling touches would have meant too much of the team's core forwards (who'll together make over $50 million a year) uncomfortably standing around the arc, playing to their weaknesses.

Still, one of the biggest talking points of the entire trade discussion didn't even include Mitchell, Barrett or draft picks. It was Grimes' perceived value and potential.

According to the New York Post's Marc Berman, the Knicks withheld Grimes from all offers. That may seem wild for a 22-year-old who averaged 6.0 points as a rookie. The Knicks clearly value last year's flashes, his tremendous summer-league breakout and Grimes' character, something scouts and executives were high on before the 2021 NBA draft.

There isn't much debate over his shooting, based on his 40.3 three-point percentage at Houston, his 38.1 percent mark last year and an eye test that detects no flukiness. But if the flashes of creation from Las Vegas were real—and the former McDonald's All-American and U-18 FIBA MVP definitely showed more off-the-dribble skill and playmaking than he did early in college—the Knicks may have a real steal and quality starter.

Throw Grimes into a mix with Quickley, who averaged 16.4 points, 5.4 boards and 5.0 assists over his last 22 games, and Toppin, who averaged 17.2 points in the 19 games he played at least 20 minutes, and the Knicks could have three very valuable prospects who keep getting better on rookie contracts.

Instead of Rose throwing all the teams' eggs into a basket that includes Mitchell, Randle and Brunson, the Knicks will be better off betting on the development of their last three-first round picks while keeping Barrett and those unprotected picks Utah coveted.

And maybe another star becomes available over the next season or two. If the Knicks' young players keep making new strides each season, their trade values will also increase.

After an aggressive first offer, Rose ultimately demonstrated some restraint, and it could wind up saving the team from being locked into a mismatched, expensive roster with fewer, valued draft assets. He could have easily given in to the pressure and fan expectations created by media narratives that suggested New York acquiring Mitchell was only a matter of time. Caving to Utah's demands and acquiring Mitchell may have earned Rose short-term love and approval as his first major move to convert previous draft decisions into a star.

But not grabbing the shiny object was a disciplined, executive decision, at least in this case for this particular roster.

The New York Knicks offered the Utah Jazz a package of three players, including RJ Barrett, and three unprotected first-round picks for shooting guard Donovan Mitchell when the two teams began trade talks in July, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:

That obviously did not come to fruition, and Mitchell is now a Cleveland Cavalier after the Cavs engineered a blockbuster trade for the three-time All-Star.

Mitchell, 25, averaged 25.9 points and 5.3 assists per game last year.

The Jazz trading Mitchell to the Cavaliers instead of the Knicks leaves all three teams on completely different paths.

Utah is in full-on rebuilding mode after dealing its two stars in Mitchell and Rudy Gobert for a treasure trove of picks and players.

The Knicks look like they'll be in contention for the playoffs after adding guard Jalen Brunson over the offseason, but adding Mitchell could have given them another boost.

On the other hand, the Knicks won't mortgage their future by going all-in for Mitchell. They can now develop their young players and keep adding to the roster with their own first-round picks. Championship contention doesn't appear on the horizon, but the Knicks at least appear to be going in the right direction for once.

The Cavs may have been a better landing spot for Mitchell regardless. Cleveland made the play-in tournament last year with a 44-38 record. The Cavs have a solid core featuring a pair of All-Stars (Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen), a big man who will be one shortly (Evan Mobley) and a Sixth Man of the Year candidate in Caris LeVert.

Now they'll work with Mitchell, who could very well turn the Cavs into an Eastern Conference title contender.

Donovan Mitchell could remain with the Utah Jazz after the team paused its trade talks with the New York Knicks.

"The Jazz aren't seriously engaged elsewhere on a Mitchell deal now," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

The Jazz and Knicks were reportedly involved in several weeks' worth of negotiations, but the potential deal stalled after passing Monday's deadline set by New York president of basketball operations Leon Rose. The Knicks instead signed RJ Barrett to a four-year extension, effectively removing the guard from any trade package.

Neither team is ruling out restarting trade talks, per Wojnarowski, but the Jazz clearly aren't close on any other deals at the moment.

The Jazz are seemingly in rebuilding mode after trading away Rudy Gobert, as well as veterans Patrick Beverley and Royce O'Neale. After six straight trips to the playoffs, the squad could have an uphill battle to reach the postseason in 2022-23.

It doesn't mean the team feels any pressure to deal away Mitchell, who is still just 25 years old and remains under contract for at least three more seasons.

The three-time All-Star ranked ninth in the league with 25.9 points per game last season, adding 5.3 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He has also proved the ability to take over in the postseason with a 28.3 career scoring average in 39 playoff appearances.

Tony Jones of The Athletic reported the Jazz are "comfortable with going into the season with Mitchell on the roster" and will only trade him if another team reaches the asking price. Mitchell also hasn't asked for a trade, per Jones.

It could allow the two sides to move forward together despite an offseason's worth of trade talk and other speculation.

The Los Angeles Lakers changed their tune on Talen Horton-Tucker when they traded him to the Utah Jazz in a deal for Patrick Beverley.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported Sunday the Lakers "were clearly resistant to the idea" in July. They decided to move Horton-Tucker in part because Kyrie Irving appears all but certain to remain with the Brooklyn Nets. In addition, LeBron James committing to the team for at least the 2023-24 season gave L.A. an incentive to execute a win-now move.

A lot of Lakers fans will probably remember Horton-Tucker mostly for being the player Los Angeles refused to include in a trade for Kyle Lowry.

The Athletic's Jovan Buha and Bill Oram reported in March 2021 the Lakers were prepared to send Dennis Schroder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Toronto Raptors but remained steadfast regarding Horton-Tucker. Negotiations fell through, and Lowry wound up with the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade.

At the time, one could justify the Lakers' position by arguing Horton-Tucker had shown some promise and was a potentially emergent talent on a roster devoid of much youth. That Beverley was the asset L.A. acquired for the 21-year-old showed how much the situation failed to pan out.

Horton-Tucker became an even worse shooter in 2021-22, hitting just 26.9 percent of his three-pointers. His inability to stretch the floor made him a terrible fit in an off-ball role, and he couldn't play to his strengths as a facilitator and slasher because he was often sharing the floor with Russell Westbrook and/or LeBron James.

Because of his age, it's too early to give up on Horton-Tucker. Assuming the Jazz eventually trade Donovan Mitchell and go into a full rebuild, they could be a great situation for him to rebound.

The Lakers could look foolish if Horton-Tucker thrives in Utah, but it's doubtful any improvement he makes would've happened in L.A. given the organization's priorities.

The optics of this trade aren't great given where THT's value was last summer and around the 2021 trade deadline. But swapping him for an experienced veteran was clearly the best tactic for strengthening the supporting cast around James and Anthony Davis.