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Jaren Jackson Jr. traded to the Jazz

Yup, so adding a DPOY player who spaces the floor seems like a no brainer given the asset cost was fairly minimal.
True but the balance on what was given is still an open variable. It’s like when everyone said John Collins was free [not likening this to the JC situation, just that there’s a bigger context than Rudy Gay and a second rounder]. It will primarily come down to:

1. The affected value (or existence) of the 2026 pick.

2. Retentional or relinquishment value of Walker Kessler.

Even in the event that Kessler is retained, the amount of cap money that’s occupied will cause further squeezing in other future decisions, so it’s kicking the can down the road. The money and cap space don’t come from nowhere and it’s not turtles all the way down.
 
Considering that Utah isn't a top-tier FA destination, trading for JJJ on a long-term deal is the right move.
But this is why I was yelling to just work to sign Walker to a deal in the offseason... they didn't even discuss it because they wanted to preserve precious cap space... which was always a lie imo.
 
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