The case for trading Kanter is as follows. . .
A.) He's an offensive big who is young and still improving/developing, so he has value - even as a RFA.
B.) Rudy Gobert has made him (and his future contract) expendable, putting him firmly inthe tradeable asset column instead of the "player we have to keep" column.
C.) He's a RFA, but he's still not Unrestricted. Don't underestimate the value of being able to match his contract. Jazz already proved that they're willing to match contracts. I could see other teams feeling the same way with the cap expected to jump in two years.
D.) The Jazz have time to get him healthy and rehab his trade value. The easiest way IMO is to bring him off the bench AND have him play most of his minutes with Gobert. Rudy makes everyone look better.
E.) Trading him at the deadline will free the Jazz up from his $12.4 million cap hold and allow them some cap flexibility to be players in free agency.
F.) Originally thought that 2016 was the year to make a blockbuster move, but have re-adjusted that timeline due to Gobert showing he's a potential franchise big. There's a limited window of opportunity to utilize the Jazz assets most efficiently if they package Kanter, Burke and draft picks. I'm not looking for spare parts though. If I trade Kanter (and Burke), I'm going all in on a potential home run wing to pair with Hayward. Nothing else moves the needle enough for me to give up my assets, but I'd pay a premium price to get the right guy.
G.) I really wouldn't mind holding on to Kanter and just matching his contract, but I don't like the idea of Kanter making big money in Utah while Rudy starts over him. I'd say that they could match his contract and trade him next offseason, but I hope the Jazz learned that contracts become more complicated when someone else negotiates them for you and can add player options and trade kickers. If nothing develops on the trade front, I start Gobert for the rest of the season, play Kanter off the bench and re-evaluate during RFA.
H.) I think that having cap space and flexibility NOW before the TV money kicks in could really benefit the Jazz if they want to attract a player or two. They look to have a solid core of young players in Gobert, Favors, Hayward, Burks and Exum. Getting a legit starting PG and a better bench will make this a very solid team in the near future.
