SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - NOVEMBER 11: Malcolm Brogdon #7 of the Indiana Pacers drives past Joe Ingles #2 of the Utah Jazz during a game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on November 11, 2021 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)
Malcolm Brogdon now makes sense for the Utah Jazz for one key reason
The Utah Jazz should consider Malcolm Brogdon but only for the right price.
We’ve sung this tune before. When Malcolm Brogdon was on the Boston Celtics, a trade offer centered around Collin Sexton and Simone Fontecchio was proposed by a writer, which was rejected hard by us. Sexton is a player that should only be traded if he doesn’t want to be with the Utah Jazz long-term.
We did say that Brogdon would be a valuable bench player, possibly a sixth-man type player, and that belief is still true. And now that he’s on the Portland Trail Blazers, a team far more likely to trade him for whatever they can get, he’s all of a sudden in play for many teams and the Utah Jazz should be counted among them.
The team should still avoid trading for him with the idea that he starts. The team should focus either on Kris Dunn or Keyonte George as the starter, depending on who looks best in camp, but Brogdon does have value off the bench as the first point guard. Sure, this means that he’ll be splitting time with Sexton or Jordan Clarkson, whoever is the other guard off the bench, but that’s a combo that could work for the team as a whole.
However, the trade now only makes sense because of one reason; Robert Williams. The Jazz could really use Williams off the bench, as he’s a stellar rebounder and impressive defender. The inclusion of Williams remakes this whole trade and puts someone like Sexton back into play.
So here are two trade ideas that could land Brogdon and Williams.
The Collin Sexton Trade: Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker and a Top-10 protected Utah Jazz first-round pick after 2025 for Robert Williams and Malcolm Brogdon.
This trade makes sense due to wanting to keep Kelly Olynyk as a catch-all big man off the bench. Olynyk really showed his value for the Jazz in the FIBA World Cup, so you don’t necessarily want to move on from him yet.
Or…
The Kelly Olynyk Trade: Olynyk, Horton-Tucker, Ochai Agbaji and a Top-10 protected Utah Jazz first-round pick after 2025 for Robert Williams and Malcolm Brogdon.
Olynyk isn’t as valuable as Sexton, but his contract works as well, you still need to add some money and incentive to the trade. You’re better off keeping the draft pick than Agbaji at this point (that may not be true in a few months), so this trade works for that reason.
Brogdon could start for you depending on the personnel you keep after the trades, and Williams improves the team’s defense by leaps and bounds. Due to his age, 26, he’s not in the Trail Blazer’s window of competition, so he’ll likely be dealt sometime after Nov. 30, when the embargo on moving Brogdon and Williams is up.
