New Orleans Pelicans: 3 trade possibilities for Nikola Mirotic

2. Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz have been another team expressing interest in a trade for Nikola Mirotic. After a bumpy start to the season, they have found themselves back in position to return to the playoffs. They aren’t looking to get comfortable, though, instead gauging the market for a player that will give them some extra help down the stretch of the regular season. The team is well known for their defensive effectiveness, which ranks fifth in the league, but could undoubtedly use some help shooting.

Sitting in the bottom third of the league in team 3-point percentage, only two of their players, Kyle Korver and Joe Ingles, are shooting over 33 percent from deep with at least two attempts per game. Mirotic, who has only played two games this season where he took less than two attempts beyond the arc, would be an obvious boost in scoring. His floor-spacing would be a nice balance to pair with either Rudy Gobert or Derrick Favors, both of whom operated predominantly on the inside.

What makes Utah interesting is its ability to offer a first round pick and a young player in return. A package for New Orleans could include Utah’s own 2019 first round pick, Tony Bradley for salary purposes, and Dante Exum.

Only 23 years old, Exum hasn’t quite lived up to the hype he received early on in Utah, but still has some game to offer. His role with the team has been inconsistent, especially with the emergence of Donovan Mitchell last season. He is under contract for two more seasons at a flat rate of $10.6 million. While the money isn’t rough, that could help the Jazz feel ready to move on from him for the right deal.

This trade would allow the Pelicans to get back the pick they want as well as a young, 6’6″ point guard who has shown flashes of being an unique and productive player in the league. They would most likely have to part with Elfrid Payton as well in order to keep Utah from being too depleted in the backcourt. If needed, they could try to squeeze a second round pick out of the Jazz too.