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Jan 25, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy talks with center Walker Kessler (24) during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

3 Late Offseason Trade Candidates for Utah Jazz

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 12:30 PM ET

In all likelihood, the Utah Jazz roster is mostly complete with their offseason moves and ready to roll into the 2025-26 NBA season with a bit of a refreshed unit from how they entered the season opener just one year ago.

But what if the Jazz aren't done making tweaks to the roster?

There's less than two months to go until the NBA season officially tips off, but we've seen a few late offseason trades transpire in recent memory that don't take a last-minute shift off the table for the Jazz. Players like Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard have seen themselves moved in the final weeks of the offseason in the past, so perhaps there's a world where Utah does the same with one of their own.

If they do make a deal late in this offseason, here's three names to watch on the Jazz roster as potential movers.

Kyle Anderson

One of the many veterans to land on the Jazz roster from their flurry of moves this summer, perhaps Anderson sees himself re-routed once again to find a better fit on the floor in what will be his 12th year pro.

Coming aboard from the Miami Heat, Anderson may have a spot towards the end of this rotation in the frontcourt, but will likely be one of the many veterans the Jazz decide to set to the side in favor of developing young talent down the line of this season for guys like Taylor Hendricks, Kyle Filipowski and wings like Brice Sensabaugh and Cody Williams as well.

If if that's his ultimate fate for this season, perhaps Utah could look to flip him early.

Anderson has two years left on his current contract valued at just under $10 million a season, which may be a bit harder to move in the new era of CBA constraints, but if there's any recently acquired veteran on the Jazz's roster with the best chance to be moved, Anderson is likely the top candidate to watch.

Walker Kessler

This one's tricky, and really depends on one factor: Walker Kessler's pending rookie extension.

Right now, Kessler is on the final year of his rookie contract worth $4.8 million, scheduled to hit restricted free agency next summer if he and the Jazz can't agree to an extension ahead of October 20th. All signs point to the Jazz and Kessler hashing something out in the coming weeks, but so far, we've got nothing on the two sides having a deal in place.

But Kessler's definitely seen his name involved in a few lingering trade rumors across the past year or so, with teams like the Los Angeles Lakers being interested in filling him in as their center of the future, and potentially willing to send multiple draft choices in exchange for the Jazz big man to make it happen.

Other teams around the league would likely have similar interest in the budding defensive anchor, which makes the idea of a big move at least plausible if Utah and Kessler can't come to terms on a new contract. Although it would have to include a return that wows this front office, led by new president Austin Ainge.

This is all for argument's sake, though, as it'd be pretty shocking to see the Jazz skip out on extending their tenured center and ship him out in a trade that had less than a stellar return for him. It'd have to take a true premium offer for an opposing team like the Lakers to pry Kessler away from this front office ahead of his new extension, and even then, seeing that come to reality might be wishful thinking for LA.

Lauri Markkanen

Like Kessler, the chances are overwhelmingly in favor that Markkanen at least starts on the Jazz roster for next season, despite any and all trade rumors that may include his name across recent months.

However, if an opposing team were to get truly aggressive in a pursuit for Markkanen and offered a package that couldn't be refused, it'd be difficult to see the Jazz double down and decline those efforts with the right return in place, right?

Markkanen has been a rumored trade chip for the Jazz for some time now. He's a bit distant from Utah's younger timeline at age 28, is a win-now player who could be a strong supporting piece to contending teams, and thus, has the look of someone Utah would get a decent package in return for.

So far, though, that aspired offer that it would take for Utah to actually pull the trigger on has yet to come to fruition despite some external interest, and following an up and down third season, finding that deal might not be in the cards for this offseason, leaving him projected to stick in Salt Lake City for his fourth year pro.

But if an interested team were to get serious about a trade for Markkanen, to call him a completely untouchable asset would be a stretch, so it's hard to take your eye completely off the possibility before the regular season gets off and running.