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As there is every year, there’s a lot of talk about teams being willing to deal their upcoming draft picks. But, the 2024 NBA draft is unique in that so many of the teams at the top of the draft are willing to have talks about their picks.
The 2024 draft class does not stand out as one that has obvious high-end talent. Now, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t talent to be had. There are going to be players that surprise us and prove analysts wrong and become stars. But usually there are a handful of players that stand out as having the most obvious path to early stardom. That’s not the case this year.
That’s why it’s been rumored that even the Atlanta Hawks, who ended up with the No. 1 overall pick after the draft lottery, are willing to hear out teams who might want to trade into the No. 1 spot. It’s hard to convince a front office to be ready to pay top-pick salary to a player that they aren’t sure about.
The same can be said of just about any team in the league, including the Utah Jazz. No one is holding onto their draft picks with a death grip.
That being said, because everyone in the league knows that everyone is willing to make deals with their picks, there isn’t a ton of leverage. That leads me to believe that it’s more likely we see draft-night trades (or trades later in the summer that involve recently selected players) that are add-ons in larger deals.
There might be some packaging of players in this draft that involve future picks or packages that are put together to help teams land more established players, but it seems unlikely that teams are going to be willing to part with much in order to move up in the upcoming draft.
The Jazz, who have the No. 10, 29, and 32 picks in the draft, likely want to trade at least two of their picks. But, it’s possible that these picks only decrease in value as the draft nears. If they’re able to get good value out of dealing them, then great. Though, they might end up having to settle for future second-rounders or even keeping all the picks.
Of course, things are always fickle leading up to the draft and things can change on draft night in the blink of an eye. But, I would expect a lot of the draft-night deals to lack excitement.
New with the Jazz
How to pass the time in the offseason
Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik recently had a successful kidney transplant. By all accounts, Zanik is recovering well and even attended a couple of pre-draft workouts at the Jazz practice facility in the weeks leading up to the draft combine.
The reason that Zanik ended up finding out that he was in late-stage kidney failure and needed a transplant was because his wife urged him to have a check up, get bloodwork done, etc. She wanted him to see a doctor, which was something he’d avoided for years.
We can all probably relate to putting things off, especially things that are good for us, as we get caught up in the rest of what we have going on in life. I’m not suggesting that we should all be afraid of having serious illness lurking under the surface that we’re all ignoring.
Instead, what I’m suggesting is that we all take stock of how we’re caring for ourselves. When is the last time you had a physical or a check-up at the doctor? Is there something you’ve been meaning to address but haven’t because you’ve been busy? Well, this is your reminder to make that appointment.
We all want to be around for a long time, so let’s make a little extra effort with that in mind.
From the archives
Extra points
- Five biggest Utah Jazz takeaways from the NBA combine (Deseret News)
- Jazz guard Keyonte George earns NBA honor (Deseret News)
- How Weber State’s Dillon Jones turned himself into a legitimate 2024 draft prospect (Deseret News)
- Would a title change the legacy for Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley? (KSLsports.com)
Around the league
Up Next: NBA Playoffs — Conference Finals
- May 24 | 6:30 p.m. MDT | Game 2 | Dallas Mavericks @ Minnesota Timberwolves | TNT
- May 25 | 6:30 p.m. MDT | Game 3 | Boston Celtics @ Indiana Pacers | ABC
- May 26 | 6 p.m. MDT | Game 3 | Minnesota Timberwolves @ Dallas Mavericks | TNT
- May 27 | 6 p.m. MDT | Game 4 | Boston Celtics @ Indiana Pacers | ESPN
- May 28 | 6:30 p.m. MDT | Game 4 | Minnesota Timberwolves @ Dallas Mavericks | TNT
- May 29 | 6 p.m. MDT | Game 5* | Indiana Pacers @ Boston Celtics | ESPN
- May 30 | 6:30 p.m. MDT | Game 5* | Dallas Mavericks @ Minnesota Timberwolves | TNT
* = if necessary