The Trail Blazers and Jazz are have been teams of similar ilk the past four seasons. Their records are not comparable. Neither are their playoff standings. But the similarities really begin with each teams’ potential. Portland decided to blow up their roster a quarter of the way into this season and trade away every asset to prepare for the future. They had hit a wall in terms of their success (4-6 seed in the playoffs and bounced in the first round). The Jazz are similar, but have been hovering around great for the past four seasons. Their ceiling is higher, but still exists.
This is the perfect time for both teams to benefit from each other and complete a trade. That trade would send Rudy Gobert to Portland.
Gobert’s contract has four years remaining and aligns perfectly with the cap space Portland will be able to create. He would be the steady defensive presence needed on a team that’s spotty, at best, when it comes to interior D. The Jazz are also one of the best pick-and-roll teams in the NBA, aligning perfectly with Damian Lillard’s style of play.
It’s an idea that doesn’t come without issues. Portland would need to dump Jusuf Nurkic’s contract to create space, and Gobert’s price might be too rich for new GM Joe Cronin. But it’s obvious something big needs to happen with both teams and this is an opportunity for Utah to gain assets into the future, and Portland to get better right now.
Whatever occurs with Gobert heading into next season, his value will be something other teams key in on for future success. It's something the Trail Blazers should capitalize on soon.