NBA Rumors: Jeremy Lin And Kent Bazemore To Utah Jazz In A Proposed Three-Team Trade, Per ‘Bleacher Report’
After a promising performance in the Western Conference Playoffs 2018, the Utah Jazz were expected to make a huge impact in the 2018-19 NBA season. Unfortunately, since the season started, the Jazz have failed to live up to expectations and are currently sitting in the No. 12 spot in the Western Conference with a 15-17 record.
If they are serious about making a deep playoff run this season, the Jazz should find a way to address the issues on their roster before the February NBA trade deadline. As of now, the Jazz should improve their consistency when driving inside the basket and shooting the ball inside the free-throw line. Utah also needs another viable and consistent pull-up threat beyond Donovan Mitchell.
According to Dan Favale of Bleacher Report, the Jazz could solve those problems by trading for Jeremy Lin and Kent Bazemore of the Atlanta Hawks.
“Lin addresses that on his own. He’s shooting 53.7 percent on drives without committing too many turnovers, and his 54.6 effective field-goal percentage on pull-ups would be the second-highest among Utah’s rotation fixtures, trailing only Kyle Korver’s lucrative, low-volume efficiency. He also keeps in theme with the Jazz’s free-throw parade and is a more natural off-ball weapon beside Mitchell than either Dante Exum or Ricky Rubio. Bazemore is not excess in this scenario. His shooting splits are wonky, but he’s one of the league’s more underrated offensive weapons.”
A thankful Jeremy Lin opens up on hurtful Nets trade https://t.co/PHkMAjf1YX pic.twitter.com/aHq7ibZfS4
— New York Post (@nypost) December 16, 2018
To acquire Jeremy Lin and Kent Bazemore, Favale suggested that the Jazz could engage in a blockbuster three-team trade with the Hawks and the New Orleans Pelicans. In the proposed trade deal, the Jazz would get Lin and Bazemore, the Pelicans receive Justin Anderson, Ricky Rubio, and Thabo Sefolosha, and the Hawks acquire Dante Exum, Solomon Hill, Wesley Johnson, Ian Clark, 2019 first-round pick (lottery-protected, via New Orleans), and 2020 first-round pick (lottery-protected, via Utah).
Since Dante Exum just signed a contract in the last offseason, they will need to wait until mid-January to include him in the deal. The suggested trade will not only be beneficial for the Jazz, but also for the Hawks and the Pelicans.
In exchange for absorbing the contracts of Dante Exum and Solomon Hill, the Hawks would be acquiring two future first-round picks that will enable them to add young and promising talent on their roster. Meanwhile, the Pelicans will be receiving two reliable defenders, Justin Anderson and Thabo Sefolosha, who could go up against bigger wings in the league. Ricky Rubio will give the Pelicans a pass-first point guard who has seven years of NBA experience.
