Are any Jazz players untradable?


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SALT LAKE CITY — The NBA’s trade market is about to open up. The draft is June 25 and a flurry of trades generally follows, or preempts the night’s first pick. Last season, there were 15 trades made on draft day, not counting the blockbuster trade made later in the summer that saw No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins get traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love.

Utah Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey has stockpiled assets in the form of young talent, and first- and second-round draft picks. The Jazz own all of their future first-round picks and are owed future firsts by the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder.

In addition to owning all of their second-round draft picks, the Jazz are owed seven second-round draft picks acquired in various trades, including Cleveland’s 24th pick of the second round this year.

It’s safe to say the Jazz most easily tradable pieces are the second-round picks, often bought and sold, traded, or packaged to move up in the second round. Jazz fans shouldn’t be surprised to see these picks used in draft-night trade discussions.

But if the second-round picks are the Jazz most likely tradable assets, which asset should the Jazz value most highly?

Looking down the roster, a few names jump out immediately as high-value assets that will have a bright future if they remain with the Jazz. Gordon Hayward just completed the first year of his max-money contract. He averaged a team-high 19.3 points and 1.4 steals per game. He was second on the team in assists and finished fourth on the team in rebounds per game. Hayward has evolved into one of the league’s most valuable players and has All-Star potential.

But is he the most valuable?

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Making over $15 million a year, Hayward’s price tag ranks among the top 30 players in the league. More proven stars, like the Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol made similar money last year and provided better production on better teams. While it’s unlikely either of those players would be made available, the Jazz would have to strongly consider moving Hayward for a player with an equal salary and better production.

Derrick Favors has a similarly bright future, but comes with a better price tag. At $12 million a year over the next three years, Favors is a bargain for his production. A legit starting caliber power forward, Favors came into his own to end the 2014 season. After Enes Kanter was traded midseason, Favors saw a career-high scoring average for any month in his career with 17 points per game in February, which he topped again in March. His ability to defend at the rim and on the perimeter are what teams look for in every young big man, while his shooting touch appears to be improving with age.

However, Favors lacks any truly elite skill. While he still has room for growth, he’s yet to display the one special talent that makes him untradable. He’s a high-level starter, but not an All-Star. He’s got good athleticism, but not elite. He’s making strides in his game, but at 23 years old, he’s more likely to see his growth slow than continue to at its recent pace. Favors is a highly valuable piece, potentially more so than Hayward, but if the right package of assets were to present themselves Lindsey and the Jazz would have to consider a deal.

Dante Exum has an argument for the Jazz most valuable trade piece. At 19 years old, Exum will once again be one of the youngest players in the league. With elite size, and potentially still growing, Exum is one of the few Jazz players with a truly unique build for his position. During last year’s NBA combine, Exum showed elite speed not just for his size, but for his position, with recorded drill times better than some most of the league’s quickest guards.

With Exum’s highs noted, his rookie season also featured a series of notable lows. Exum shot a miserable 35 percent from the floor and 31 percent from the 3-point line. Despite showing glimpses of an offensive skill set, he must greatly improve his production next season to be thought of as having elite potential. Exum’s rookie contract gives him added value because he is signed with the Jazz for several more seasons at a very low cost, especially for a starter. But there are other young players in the league, still on their rookie deals that have displayed better production, with equally high potential. Exum’s superstar potential makes him an enormously valuable asset for the Jazz, but for the right, albeit high price, an Exum deal would likely be moved.

The 2013 NBA draft was thought to be among the weakest in decades with no true superstars to be had with the top picks. The Jazz bought the 27th pick from the Denver Nuggets hoping to find a future rotation player in their lineup, and may have found the top talent in the entire draft.

Rudy Gobert has quickly become an NBA darling emphatically block shots on one end and dunk the ball on the other, he’s a game-changer every time he takes the floor. Like Exum, Gobert has truly unique size for his position. His 7-foot-9 wingspan, and 9-7 standing reach are among the best ever measured at the NBA combine, and his 7-2 height places him in rarified air among NBA big men.

Gobert finished sixth in the league in total rebounds, and second in total blocks despite not starting for the majority of the season, making him a defensive juggernaut. Only he and the Los Angeles Clippers' DeAndre Jordan finished among the top 10 in both the NBA’s offensive, and defensive ratings this past season. All the while, Gobert is only 22 years old and has one of the league’s most valuable contracts. Since he was drafted in the first round, Gobert’s rights belong to the Jazz for at least the next three seasons. Having been selected toward the end of the first round, Gobert is owed an average of only $2.1 million over the remainder of his contract.

Gobert's unique blend of size, production, cost and potential rank among the league’s most valuable assets, potentially only behind the league’s truly elite players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, and comparable to upcoming superstars in Anthony Davis and Andrew Wiggins.

Considering the Jazz acquired Gobert in exchange for the rights to the 46th overall pick of the 2013 NBA draft, and $3 million in cash, it's likely the team got their one untradable asset in exchange for some of the league’s most easily tradable pieces.


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About the Author: Ben Anderson ------------------------------

Ben Anderson is the co-host of Gunther in the Afternoon with Kyle Gunther on 1320 KFAN from 3-7, Monday through Friday. Read Ben's Utah Jazz blog at 1320kfan.com, and follow him on Twitter @BenKFAN.

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