Utah Jazz: 3 potential trade destinations for Rudy Gobert

By Jacob Zakheim | Apr 21, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 25: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz looks on during a game against the Dallas Mavericks at Vivint Smart Home Arena on January 25, 2019 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. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /

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Utah Jazz, Rudy Gobert (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Utah Jazz, Rudy Gobert (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Utah Jazz trade with the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks

Utah gets good value here for a guy that could be on his way out either via trade, or through the 2021 free agency moratorium. While Anfernee Simons struggled this season in spot-starts due to injuries to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, he sporadically portrayed flashes of his upside as an on and off the ball guard, making him still viewed as one of the best young assets across the league.

With Mike Conley battling the injury bug and turning 33 at the beginning of next season, Utah can look to lock down their backcourt of the future in Simons and Mitchell. Furthermore, with the additions of Zach Collins and Dwight Powell, two lanky big men with different skill sets, Utah can retain some of the shot-blocking ability they’ll lose with Gobert gone, but also adapt their offense to one with more spacing and outside shooting.

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As for the Portland Trail Blazers, the search for a legitimate third piece comes to a close. While Portland loses its prime assets in Simons and Collins, they add the defensive anchor to place next to Lillard and Mccollum. Additionally, Lillard, a superb pick and roll player, would flourish when operating around Rudy Gobert screens.

Portland also stocks up on another first-round pick in a draft where people around the league believe are more valuable than ever in the upcoming draft. Portland will receive Utah’s first-rounder as long as it finishes between the 15-30 range, and assuming Utah finishes the season in a playoff position, it will.

As for the future of Gobert in Portland, with Hassan Whiteside’s monstrous deal coming off of Portland’s books in 2021, Portland can explore the possibility of extending Gobert.

The Dallas Mavericks would benefit greatly from a Jusuf Nurkic for Dwight Powell swap. With Kristaps Porzingis being adamant about playing the power forward position and doing most of his damage from the perimeter, Nurkic gives Dallas a superb pick and roll partner to pair with Luka Doncic, and another talented passer to find Dallas’s plethora of outside shooters.

Nurkic has been sidelined all year due to a fractured leg he suffered last season, but assuming he can get back to form, he adds another dimension to Dallas’s already high-powered offense.