1 New Year’s resolution for every team in 2024: Northwest Division
By Tyler Key
Jazz: To trade Jordan Clarkson and Kelly Olynyk.
Utah needs… to trade Jordan Clarkson and Kelly Olynyk. The bigger rumor is that the Utah Jazz could ship All-Star Lauri Markkanen away for a huge haul, but there are just as many reasons to keep Markkanen as there are to trade him. He is on a very team-friendly salary next season, he is Utah’s best player, and he is still just 26 years old. Olynyk and Clarkson are both desirable rotation pieces for playoff-caliber teams and the Jazz have other players that could use more court time at those positions.
At guard, Keyonte George (20) is the priority, but Ochai Agbaji (23) and Collin Sexton (24) are also both still developing and should be soaking up more minutes. Clarkson is 31-years-old and clearly does not fit Utah’s timeline.
Meanwhile, in the front court, Taylor Hendricks (20) has only played in 11 games and the Jazz have other contributors at PF/C such as John Collins, Walker Kessler, and of course, Markkanen if he is not traded. This means that Kelly Olynyk is not irreplaceable and getting some assets for him while opening up more playing time for Hendricks would be a good use of resources.