3 Mock Trades for Rebuilding Utah Jazz to Make This Offseason (2024)

With the Utah Jazz missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year, their future looks bleak in the loaded Western Conference. Utah finished with the fourth-worst record in the West, and they do not look like they are going to be competing for championships anytime soon. They do enter the offseason with the tenth selection in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft and a ton of players that will gain trade interest from other teams around the league.

With Utah looking like a bottom-feeder in the West for the near future, this offseason is the perfect time for them to start a complete rebuild. They have multiple players that they can trade away for young talent or future picks. These players include Lauri Markkanen , John Collins , Collin Sexton , and Jordan Clarkson . There have also been rumors that they would be willing to trade away their center in Walker Kessler, who is coming off of just his second season in the NBA. It all starts, though, with Markkanen, who has been one of their lone bright spots over the last few seasons.

With these players being available for trade, expect many teams around the league to make a deal with Utah this offseason. With a contending team acquiring one of the Jazz's players, they could make a championship push next season. For Utah, the packages that they receive in return may just turn their franchise in the right direction.

Here are three potential mock trades for the rebuilding Jazz to make this offseason.

Orlando Magic

Magic add size while Jazz add another 2024 first-rounder

The Orlando Magic were a surprise team last season. They finished fifth in the Eastern Conference standings and took the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs before being eliminated. With the Magic's rebuild looking like it is over, this offseason they can shift their focus to improving their team's weaknesses. This all starts with adding another big man next to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner .

Orlando does not have a seven-footer on their roster, but trading for Utah's Walker Kessler would change that. Kessler is a reliable inside scorer who averaged 8.1 points and shot 65.4 percent from the field last season. He also adds another great defender to the Magic's top-five defense. He averaged 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks last season in Utah, something that would translate well to Orlando.

In order for the Magic to acquire Kessler, they would more than likely have to trade away one of their young players and a first-round pick. They could easily do this by trading Jett Howard , who did not see much playing time last season in Orlando. They could also include their 2024 first-round pick, which is the 18th overall selection. With the 2024 draft not being the best, trading away a mid-first-round pick for one of the better young centers in the league seems like a win for the Magic. The Magic could also be suitors for other players on the Jazz to help their three-point shooting.

For Utah, they would receive a young forward in Howard, who was the 11th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Howard played in only 18 games during his rookie season in Orlando, something that would definitely change in Utah. They would also receive the 18th pick in the 2024 draft, which would allow them to select another young player or package it and the 10th pick to try and move up in the draft.

New Orleans Pelicans

Pelicans add a point guard

The New Orleans Pelicans are looking to retool their roster around Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum this offseason after being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs last year. There have already been multiple rumors circulating that New Orleans will move on from Brandon Ingram this offseason. If that is the case, then they will have another hole in their starting lineup to replace.

The other hole in their starting lineup is the point guard position. The Pelicans used McCollum as their main point last year, which did not work as well as they hoped. They will more than likely look to bring in a point guard this offseason and adding Utah's Collin Sexton could fill the gap in their lineup.

Sexton, who can play both guard positions, split time with Keyonte George as Utah's point guard last season. In 78 games, the 25-year-old averaged 18.7 points and 4.9 assists while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three. By adding Sexton, McCollum could return to his old shooting guard role from his days with the Portland Trail Blazers . Sexton is a reliable scorer and decent defender who is still only 25 years old. By adding him into the lineup with McCollum and Williamson, as well as whoever they receive in a potential Ingram trade, New Orleans may be at the top of the Western Conference next season.

The Jazz are more than likely going to ask for one or two young players and draft picks for the 25-year-old guard. This is something that New Orleans has and should be willing to give up. In a potential trade, the Pelicans could give up Dyson Daniels and EJ Liddell , two players who have not seen a lot of time on the court during their careers in New Orleans. The Pelicans could also trade away their 2026 first-rounder, which is a swap with the Milwaukee Bucks . By trading away these assets, the Pelicans would add a starting point guard in Sexton, who could be a key part of their future success.

For the Jazz, they would receive Daniels, who still has a ton of potential. He would fit in as the backup point guard to Keyonte George as he still develops and receives more playing time. They would also add Liddell, who was stuck in the G-League last year after missing his rookie season with a torn ACL. Utah would also receive a 2026 first-round pick, which would help them with their rebuild in the future.

New York Knicks

Knicks add former Sixth Man of the Year

The New York Knicks have a huge offseason ahead of them. Despite losing to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs last season, the Knicks proved that they are going to be a team to beat in the Eastern Conference for years to come, as long as they stay healthy. Jalen Brunson has become one of the best point guards in the league and the rest of the lineup is one of the best in the NBA when healthy.

A key piece was missing from their playoff run last season in Julius Randle , who missed the end of the regular season and the postseason due to an injury. New York has some cap space and trade bait to bring in another star next to Brunson this offseason, but adding a key sixth man in Jordan Clarkson could help them win their first championship since 1973 next season.

Clarkson, the 2020-21 Sixth Man of the Year, is coming off of a down season in Utah. He played in just 55 games last season, the least amount of his ten-year career. He also returned to the sixth-man role last season after starting all 61 games for the Jazz in the 2022-23 season. Because of this, he saw a dip in points as he averaged 17.1 points per game, down from 20.8 the season prior. The biggest surprise was his career-low percentage from the three-point range. The career 35.5 percent three-point shooter shot just 29.4 percent from three last season. A change of scenery may help the 32-year-old return to his days of being one of the best sixth men in the NBA, and going to New York may just do that.

New York was reportedly interested in acquiring Clarkson at last season's trade deadline, but instead made a trade with the Toronto Raptors to get OG Anunoby . With Utah looking to move Clarkson this offseason, expect the Knicks to make a move. In order to acquire him, New York would likely have to give up a young player and a first-round pick. The Knicks could trade Jericho Sims and the 25th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft for Clarkson. New York holds both the 24th and 25th picks in the upcoming draft, and they are likely to trade one of them away.

By adding Clarkson, the Knicks would have a key scorer coming off of the bench for them, something they did not have last season. It would also allow for head coach, Tom Thibodeau to give some of his starting guards a rest, something that cost the Knicks in the playoffs last season.

For Utah, they would trade away the 32-year-old Clarkson for Sims and the 25th pick in the upcoming draft. By adding Sims, they would receive a young center who could then replace Kessler if they were to trade him away. Sims did not see much playing time last season due to the emergence of Isaiah Hartenstein . Sims would see much more time on the court in Utah, allowing him to improve his game. Utah would also receive the 25th pick in the upcoming draft, which they could then package in a deal to move up or take a young player that would be part of their future.

With the Utah Jazz looking like they will not be competing for championships in the near future, this offseason is a perfect time for them to start a complete rebuild. They have multiple players like Markannen, Clarkson, Sexton, and Kessler that many teams around the league would be interested in to improve their championship odds. For Utah, their rebuild starts with the 2024 NBA Draft, as they hold the 10th overall selection.