The Utah Jazz are a team that are in a constant flow of criticism. No matter what they seem to do, critics seem to come out of the woodwork about Utah’s playing style and lack of postseason success. Utah finished 1st in the West last year, and still, the critics would not let up. They might have had a point because the Jazz faltered in the second round to the Los Angeles Clippers who did not even have Kawhi Leonard available to play.
- The Warriors Complete A Perfect Starting Lineup
- Utah Rebuild With Young Players And An All-Star
- Both Teams Win The Trade, Especially If Utah Collapse Yet Again
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Fast forward to this season and the duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are under scrutiny. Reports about Mitchell hardly passing to Gobert have come out, especially following the almost neverending chatter about how their underlying beef is affecting the Jazz in big games. While we will never quite know the extent of Mitchell and Gobert’s beef, there is generally no smoke without fire.
Currently, Utah is locked in a playoff battle with the Dallas Mavericks, a team that has missed Luka Doncic for the first 3 games of the series. A Mavericks roster without Luka should have no shot against a team that finished 5th in the West with two All-Star performers available to play. But they faltered to a 2-1 deficit after Game 3 because they could not find an answer for a 6’1” point guard Jalen Brunson. Of course, they barely scraped by in a 1-point victory in Game 4 which ultimately saved their season thus far.
The Utah Jazz have disappointed us for a long time now, and if they fail to advance to the second round, changes will be made. The main target will have to be Rudy Gobert, a 3-time Defensive Player of the Year winner. The Frenchman is a dominant paint presence, but he will have to be moved for a complete team reset. The best destination? None other than the Golden State Warriors. Here is the trade package that must be offered if Golden State want to take a risk and build one of the most complete teams in the NBA.
Trade Package: Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman For Rudy Gobert
This blockbuster deal will completely alter the Western Conference next year because the current Warriors will acquire the best big man that they have ever had while Utah kickstarts a rebuild with two talented young players and an All-Star. Here is how this deal will impact both teams.
The Warriors Complete A Perfect Starting Lineup
The Warriors might want to have the best inside and outside game in the league, so grabbing Rudy Gobert would give them just that. Gobert isn’t a dominant post scorer, but he is arguably the best defensive center in the league. His length and size also mean he attracts attention on offense because he can clean up misses and finish layups too. What Gobert brings to the Warriors is what Draymond Green brings, albeit in a much larger frame and incredible shot-blocking. The Warriors will stifle defenses while Curry and Klay go off, so he will be a very good target for them.
Gobert alongside Draymond Green will be almost impossible to score against because they protect the paint better than most players in the league and have Defensive Player of the Year capabilities. Having Gobert in the paint also means Draymond can take more of a versatile defensive role by guarding the perimeter more often.
We have seen Draymond compete spectacularly well against Nikola Jokic in the playoffs, and he will likely need to take turns defending elite big men including Joel Embiid as well. Gobert will solve a ton of problems for the Warriors because of his size, and Golden State will still be able to run the floor once the Frenchman grabs rebounds.
Losing Andrew Wiggins will hurt most, especially since the swingman was an All-Star starter in the West this year. But knowing the Warriors’ ability to find gems in the drafts and also the emergence of Jordan Poole means he can be expendable. While Wiggins is a great player for the Warriors, he is not as impactful as Gobert.
With Jordan Poole slipping into the starting lineup and Klay Thompson moving to the 3-spot, the Warriors can field arguably the most complete starting lineup in the league. Curry, Poole, and Klay will form another Splash Brothers trio while Green and Gobert play stifling defense. James Wiseman was supposed to be the center for the Warriors who has an impact in the paint, but he hasn’t played all year and will seemingly not be a consistent performer with regards to health.
Utah Rebuild With Young Players And An All-Star
The Jazz are a team that consistently disappoint, and that will likely never change. Utah cannot seem to find the consistency on the floor on both ends, and that often leaves Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert frustrated. Seeing that Mitchell and Gobert might not be enough to win a title in Utah, changes might have to be made.
There are already rumors swirling about how the famed New York Knicks franchise wants Donovan Mitchell on their squad, and it will be hard for a shooting guard in his prime to resist. After all, why accept failures with the Utah Jazz when he can have a chance to become the face of one of the most renowned franchises in sports history?
The Jazz might feel the risk of losing Mitchell, and moving on from Rudy Gobert (age 29) for a package of young players and an All-Star could be the best option for an immediate rebuild. Jonathan Kuminga is an exceptional talent because he has the skills and athleticism to defend 4 positions, while James Wiseman can one day become an All-Star.
Utah can afford to wait on Kuminga (19) and Wiseman (21) to develop since they will be moving on from their squad which usually faces a second-round exit. The Jazz cannot afford to keep banging their heads against the wall, and acquiring young players could be the way out of constant frustration and mediocrity. But there is one more major piece that the Jazz are getting in return for their All-Star center, and that is Andrew Wiggins.
They will also acquire an All-Star in his prime in Andrew Wiggins, an excellent defensive wing who can further be moved for picks and more young players. While Wiggins has not become the superstar player expected of him when he was taken No. 1 overall, he is still young at age 27 with at least 5 more years at peak athleticism.
If the Jazz decide to keep him for the long haul, he fills the wing position because he does a lot of good things on the court. There are certainly a ton of teams that would love to have him as well, so the Jazz can trade him again for more picks and young players to continue to build around Kuminga and Wiseman. What this deal gives Utah is a ton of flexibility in Wiggins and two young players that will likely end up becoming their future.
Both Teams Win The Trade, Especially If Utah Collapse Yet Again
Taking a loss with Wiggins and losing out on Wiseman who has not played, acquiring Gobert to help the Golden State Warriors win now makes a ton of sense. Losing Jonathan Kuminga won’t be easy since he is a budding starter in the league, but the Warriors must take advantage of Stephen Curry’s prime. The point guard is 34, and Golden State cannot afford to wait a few years for Wiseman and Kuminga to develop their games.
Rather, Gobert makes Golden State a legitimate factor in the West for the next 2-3 years and it would not be outside the realm of possibility that they make the Finals each time. With LeBron James and Chris Paul on their last legs, the West is Golden State’s for the taking and they must strike a blockbuster deal as soon as possible to win as many titles as possible while Curry is in his prime.
For Utah, they kickstart a quick rebuild because Kuminga and Wiseman can be two franchise cornerstones for years to come. They just need time to develop, because they are not ready to lead a team or play significant minutes for a playoff contender. But they might be players that can lead the Jazz to a deeper playoff run at some point because the fans of Utah cannot go through another epic collapse.
The Jazz are struggling against the Dallas Mavericks, and are extremely fortunate to not be in a 3-1 hole. Even without Luka, Dallas plays better team basketball than the Jazz and have an identity built around togetherness. The stories of beef around Mitchell and Gobert could be taking its toll on the Jazz franchise, and the best way out of it would be to move on from the Frenchman for a fresh start.
