As the Utah Jazz are on their way to a much-anticipated rebuild following the trades of their centerpieces in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, the Los Angeles Lakers are meanwhile keeping their eyes focused about the availability of their remaining key players.
As told by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski in his The Woj Pod podcast, the Lakers are monitoring the “spare part” veterans left in the Jazz which can be aimed for a potential deal prior to the start of the 2022-2023 season.
The Lakers notably hammered an initial transaction with the Jazz, gaining Patrick Beverley while transferring Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson to Salt Lake City.
Still, Utah remains filled by high-caliber role players which can be relied on by playoff and title contenders. The likes of Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Bojan Bogdanovic, Rudy Gay, Malik Beasley among others will certainly lure opposing clubs that are hoping to add further depth within their lineup.
A trade remaims possible for both West teams. As L.A.’s highly valuable 2027 and 2029 pick still on their side, there is no doubt that Jazz lead exec Danny Ainge will demand for them to follow the intent of the Lakers to surround LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook with more impactful contributors. Ainge already expressed his desire on these picks which Los Angeles have already made available in the marketplace following the contract extension of the four-time league MVP.
The Jazz will continue to approach their ongoing process with much consideration of capitalizing the worth of their remaining tradeable assets, and the Lakers has to keep in mind if sacrificing their future selections will be worth it in the long run.
