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Utah Jazz: 3 reasons to make a trade approaching deadline

By Mitchell Hansen

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 25: The Utah Jazz stares on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 25, 2019 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 25: The Utah Jazz stares on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 25, 2019 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images /

3. Jazz are currently a playoff team riding a second-half hot streak

From the point the 2018-19 NBA regular season began months ago, one thing was apparent: It was going to be hard for the Jazz and basically the rest of the teams in the Western Conference to fight for their spot in the playoff bracket at the end of the year.

Utah, after starting the first half of the year around the middle of the pack in the conference, has hit a hot streak and finds itself as one of those top eight teams set to have a spot in the playoffs when postseason play begins.

Entering Wednesday’s slate of games, the Jazz are 29-22 overall and are in the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference standings, having won nine of their last 10 games. They’ve emerged as one of the hottest teams in the NBA as of late.

Rather than grow complacent with a “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” mindset, Utah needs to push all of its chips to the middle of the table for this season, trying to continue to make a push for a higher seed in the postseason.

The next thing that will get brought up as a counterpoint to that is the Jazz, given they do make the playoffs, still don’t have enough to make a run at the likes of the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and the rest of the packed West teams in the postseason.

Right now that’s the case, but that’s why Utah should attempt to add another unique player that can help push them over the top and make them yet another team to fear in the playoffs.

The Jazz are currently a playoff team and one that is riding a second-half winning wave at the best time of the year. Now they need to continue building on that momentum.

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