NBA Trade Deadline: Breaking down Utah’s haul in the Luka Doncic trade

The Utah Jazz were just happy to be involved when the Mavs and Lakers broke the NBA world.

The Utah Jazz have just made a significant splash in what’s being called one of the most controversial trades in NBA history.

Indeed, you can now breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that Danny Ainge has been hard at work behind the scenes, staying connected through all possible means to monitor the trade deadline situation. With keen awareness and perhaps a carrier pigeon, the front office at the Delta Center has been diligently maneuvering through the chaotic landscape of basketball trades.

As some of the greatest strategists in the game, the Jazz have mastered the art of navigating the trade deadline’s unpredictability.

In this case, the Jazz seemingly did little while the fallout from Luka Doncic’s trade landed conveniently in their hands. Amidst Anthony Davis’s departure to Dallas, the Jazz welcomed the addition of young guard Jalen Hood-Schifino and a couple of second-round picks that came over the Salt Lake Valley.

Without hesitation, the Jazz accepted this unexpected gift.

The Los Angeles Lakers are acquiring the incredible Luka Doncic in exchange for Anthony Davis (31 years old), Max Christie, and a first-round pick. To facilitate this deal, both teams are sending a second-round pick to Utah, and the Lakers even included a young guard from Indiana who has mostly been warming the bench.

With these two transactions, the Jazz effectively traded away veterans Patty Mills and Drew Eubanks for three second-round picks, another young player to nurture, and PJ Tucker, who may be on the move as soon as another deal is struck.

Farewell to my hopes of a Mo Bamba revival.

Hood-Schifino is an intriguing player in my view, and I believe his addition merits more consideration in Utah’s overall strategy. Jalen, who had a standout single season with the Hoosiers, is a 6’6″ shooting guard whose playing time has dramatically decreased from nearly non-existent as a rookie to almost no minutes as a sophomore.

This decline is puzzling, especially when you examine his stat line—Jalen boasts a perfect shooting percentage from both the field and the free-throw line this season!

Granted, those numbers come from just two appearances during garbage time in the first half of the season, and he has only made one appearance in the G-League to go along with his limited NBA experience… but what’s my point?

The reality about JHS is that he remains relatively unproven in the NBA, and I doubt he’ll have a significant impact on the struggling Jazz beyond being additional depth for their rebuilding efforts. Utah’s backcourt is already crowded with promising young guards, making it challenging for Will Hardy to find minutes for Hood-Schifino with players like George, Collier, and Sexton in the mix.

It’s possible that Sexton could be traded soon, which might create more opportunities for JHS in Salt Lake City. Regardless, he should see more playing time with the Jazz than he did with the Lakers, though how many minutes he’ll actually get remains uncertain.