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Utah Jazz: Four Bold Predictions Before the Trade Deadline

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:01 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Jared Woodcox/FanSided via Purple and Blues

Nov 2, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) reacts after a play in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Utah Jazz defeated the Dallas Mavericks 97-81. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

As the Utah Jazz prepare for a 17-game stretch leading up to the All-Star Break and trade deadline, here are four bold predictions of what they can accomplish over that span.

With the Utah Jazz 40 games into the season, one contest away from reaching the halfway point which they will do tomorrow against the Detroit Pistons, there’s plenty to be excited about when looking ahead to the second half of the season. Utah sits at an impressive 24-16 record, good for fifth in the West.

And looking at the Jazz’s schedule between now and the February 23rd trade deadline, and judging by the overall caliber of teams they’ll be facing, they could definitely be poised to go on a big run to start off the second half of the season.

While there’s been plenty of ups and downs this season and there’s bound to still be some tough games and unforeseen obstacles along the way, Utah’s win over Cleveland on Tuesday likely instilled a lot more confidence in this Jazz team. And if the way they played in that game is a better indication of how they’ll play to finish the season, the Jazz could be in great shape.

So while the Jazz still have a lot to prove and the team has plenty of room for growth, I have some pretty high hopes for how they’ll play in the coming month and a half. With the All-Star Break and the ensuing trade deadline drawing ever nearer, it will be important for the Jazz to make a push to those points and then finish the season strong after that to ensure the best possible playoff positioning.

And as they seek to do so, I have four bold predictions regarding the Utah Jazz that I believe will happen between now and that rapidly approaching February 23rd trade deadline.

Feb 29, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder (right) speaks to forward Gordon Hayward (20) during the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Gordon Hayward Will Be an All-Star

Although the Jazz haven’t fared all that well in the recent All-Star voting returns, about as much is to be expected. Utah doesn’t have the big market prowess or the commonly touted star names that would draw in an immense number of votes. Therefore, Hayward’s chances of being named an All-Star starter are more than likely slim to none.

However, luckily for Jazz fans, the All-Star reserves aren’t selected by a mere popularity contest but rather are picked by coaches across the league. And particularly if the Jazz still find themselves in fifth place or better in the West by the time reserves are announced on January 26th, the coaches will be hard-pressed to leave a Jazzman off the ballot.

But beyond that, Hayward has certainly played like an All-Star this season. He’s averaging 22.2 points on 45.9 percent field goal shooting and 38.6 percent three-point shooting while adding 5.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He’s been key to Utah’s success this year as their leading scorer on several occasions and an overall leader on and off the court.

And he further solidified his legitimacy as an All-Star in Tuesday’s contest against the Cavs as he matched superstar LeBron James blow for blow in that hard fought bout. He finished the game with 28 points on an incredibly efficient 10-of-12 shooting night that included four made threes in five attempts.

He also notched nine rebounds and was simply reliable and solid in every aspect of the game. It was a great performance for Hayward against one of the best teams in the league.

Therefore, while there’s plenty of stiff competition in the Western Conference for All-Star spots, given Utah’s success so far this season and the role that Hayward has had in it, I expect him to get his first nod as an All-Star and become the first Jazzman to do so since Deron Williams in 2011.

Dec 31, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Shelvin Mack (8) dribbles the ball during the first quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz Will Make a Trade

The Utah Jazz aren’t typically known as a team involved in flashy, high-profile trades, but when the time is right, they’ve struck while the iron was hot and made some underrated moves to get key players such as Jeff Hornacek, Kyle Korver and most recently George Hill.

There was a lot of squabbling about the Jazz last season around the trade deadline as several rumors arose that Utah was going to make a run at some big-time point guards to try to make a late playoff push. Instead they ended up with former Atlanta Hawks third string point guard Shelvin Mack. Pretty big time, huh?

But in all seriousness, Mack was and has been solid to some extent in patching up Utah’s lack of depth at the point position and it wasn’t a bad trade by any means. Mack deserves a lot more credit than he gets for his efforts on this Jazz squad.

Nevertheless, as the Jazz get closer to the 2017 trade deadline, many may suppose that they’ll stick to their typical quiet selves and not make a move, particularly given that Utah has been successful up to this point and may not want to break up the chemistry that they’ve developed.

However, call me crazy, but I think the Jazz are going to pull the trigger and in someway be a participant in or before the trade deadline madness.

They have four point guards and several capable wings that will be hard to assign minutes for such as Rodney Hood, Alec Burks, Joe Ingles and Joe Johnson and they have ample cap space and could potentially take on a salary dump type trade or simply seek to add some additional veteran experience or depth. While it’s unlikely that some of those aforementioned guys would be moved, others, particularly the back-up point guards, are pretty expendable.

And although the Jazz are definitely having a successful season, especially in comparison to recent years, it’s pretty obvious that they’re still a couple of pieces away from becoming true contenders.

Since his time with the Spurs, general manager Dennis Lindsey has been a mastermind at finding diamonds in the rough and constructing high-caliber rosters that simply work together. If he has his mind set on a deal that could significantly help the Jazz, you can bet he will make it happen.

Of course it isn’t likely at all that the Jazz would be able to make a move between now and the trade deadline that would instantly propel them to title contender status, but as I said, they’re in need of a couple more pieces and if one of those is available, I could see Utah snatching it up and making a move in the right direction.

Nevertheless, with Utah’s young core finally getting things rolling and converting into a playoff-caliber squad with help from this offseason’s newly acquired vets, I have a hard time seeing the Jazz engaging in any kind of monumental blockbuster trade.

Still, with plenty of talent across the roster and some guys who are somewhat expendable, particularly at the guard positions, I’m projecting that in some way Utah is going to be a trade participant this season.

If I knew exactly who that player would be, this wouldn’t be such a bold prediction, but I believe one way or another the Jazz are going to surprise and make a move. It won’t necessarily be an earth-shattering one, but you can bet that if they do indeed make a trade it will be with that subtle and sneaky Lindsey brilliance that will quietly make the Jazz just a little bit better.

Dec 18, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Will Barton (5) defends against Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks (10) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz won 97-88. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Alec Burks Will Be Playing Significant Role By All-Star Break

It’s been a long time since Alec Burks has had meaningful time on a basketball court, over a year in fact. Since breaking his leg in December of 2015 it’s been a slow process of healing and recovery mixed in with other setbacks.

Yet, he’s now apparently fully healthy and though he clearly still has a lot of rust to shake off as evidenced by his mediocre shooting night in his recent stint with the Salt Lake City Stars, his speed looks good and as he gets his shot and touch back, he could still very well be an effective weapon for the Jazz.

So effective, in fact, that I’m going to project that by the All-Star Break, Alec Burks will be logging significant minutes and playing a key role as a reserve for this Jazz team. Does that mean he’s going to be averaging double figures and become Utah’s leading bench scorer? Not necessarily.

There will be ups and downs but I think by the time the All-Star Break rolls around, Burks will have logged some big games and have contributed to at least a handful of Jazz wins.

Of course once he gets fully re-acclimated to the NBA game, there’s the question of how the Jazz can best utilize him and find minutes for him. One option that several folks on Jazz Twitter have alluded to is to have him take over Mack’s minutes at the back-up point guard spot.

And while I admit I’m intrigued by that proposal as utilizing the quick and versatile Burks as the primary ball handler would make for some electrifying second unit offense, I’d be a little worried about his tendency to turn the ball over (not that Mack’s turnover rate is anything to write home about either, though, I suppose).

Nevertheless, I fully expect Quin Snyder to make the best choice regarding Burks once he’s back and ready to go and regardless of whether he’s backing up Rodney Hood or George Hill, I expect that he’ll be providing a lift for this Jazz team sooner rather than later and well before the trade deadline.

He definitely still needs some work on his shot as well as in other aspects, but Alec is most known for his athleticism and ability to attack the rim and early indications, such as in the video above, seem to show that he’s not far from getting that part of his game back. And once it is, Jazz fans may finally get that versatile and dangerous second unit we’ve been waiting for.

Feb 9, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) celebrates with guard Rodney Hood (5) and forward Derrick Favors (15) after making the game winning shot in overtime to defeat the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

A 12-5 Run Will Put the Jazz in 4th Place

This could very well be the boldest of these four predictions. Nevertheless, when looking at Utah’s schedule between now and the trade deadline it really is possible.

Yes, there are some tough teams in there such as the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Jazz won’t face any of the top five teams in the league over that stretch and will also have quite a few favorable match-ups that should make for very winnable games.

And now that Utah is entirely healthy, as long as they can get their rotations figured out, repair and maintain some of the cohesion that was shaky on their five-game road trip and avoid any surprising slip-ups, a 12-5 record over that stretch looks very possible.

Don’t get me wrong, it won’t be easy in the least, but I truly think the Jazz are capable of it. Such a streak would put Utah at 36-21 going into the All-Star Break, 15 games above .500. To put that in a little perspective, the Jazz went on a phenomenal run last season where they won seven of their last eight leading into the All-Star Break, but even that still only put them at exactly .500 with a mediocre 26-26 record.

And while the 6.5-game gap between Utah and Houston may still be a little hard to catch up to even with a 12-5 stretch, if the Jazz can truly accomplish that kind of run, surpassing the injury-riddled Clippers who hold a narrow 1.5-game lead would be very doable and it would thrust the Jazz into an impressive fourth place in the Western Conference.

So if the Jazz can string together wins against beatable opponents and prove themselves against at least a handful of their tougher foes, that fourth place spot and a 36-21 record will be well within reach by the All-Star Break and trade deadline.

More from Purple and Blues

There’s no denying that the Utah Jazz have been an incredibly fun and exciting team to follow this year as they’ve gone from playoff hopeful to now a true playoff contender. Now that they’re finally healthy, it’s quite likely that they will continue to impress even more.

And hopefully that will result in some of my bold predictions, especially the final and most important one, truly coming to fruition.

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