- The Los Angeles Lakers traded Adrian Dantley to the Utah Jazz in 1979.
- The Jazz acquired Donovan Mitchell in a draft night trade with the Denver Nuggets in 2017.
- Utah dealt Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022.
The Utah Jazz have made many moves to give them a better shot at winning games and improving their championship basketball odds at a sportsbook.
The Jazz have never made good on their short NBA championship odds, but they got to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.
With that said, what are the seven biggest trades in Jazz history? Let’s find out.
7 Biggest Utah Jazz Trades in Team History
1. Spencer Haywood for Adrian Dantley
The Los Angeles Lakers traded Adrian Dantley to Utah in 1979.
The six-time All-Star immediately broke out, averaging at least 30 points per game on over 55% shooting from the 1980-81 season to the 1983-84 season, finishing seventh in MVP voting in 1984.
Dantley is third in points in franchise history.
2. Three First-Round Picks for First-Round Pick
Utah traded the No. 6 and No. 27 picks in the 2005 NBA Draft and a 2006 first-round pick for the No. 3 pick in 2005, which became Deron Williams.
“D-Will” had a killer crossover, challenging Chris Paul as the best point guard in the league in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Williams helped the Jazz get to the Western Conference finals in 2007.
3. Trey Lyles and First-Round Pick for Donovan Mitchell
The Jazz traded Trey Lyles and the No. 24 overall pick in 2017 for Donovan Mitchell (No. 13 overall).
“Spida” immediately became one of the most exciting players in the league, given his high-flying dunks and high scoring efforts.
Mitchell helped the Jazz get to the playoffs in all of his five seasons in Utah, putting up 50-plus points twice in the first round of the 2020 playoffs.
4. Second-Round Pick and Cash for First-Round Pick
The Jazz traded the No. 46 pick to Denver for the Nuggets’ No. 27 pick in 2013, which helped land Rudy Gobert in Utah.
Gobert became arguably the best rim protector in the league, winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards in Utah.
The center from France averaged 12.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 611 games with the Jazz.
5. Keon Clark and Ben Handlogten for Tom Gugliotta, Two First-Round Picks, and Second-Round Pick
The first-round pick the Jazz acquired in this 2004 trade ended up becoming Gordon Hayward with the No. 9 overall pick in 2010.
The one-time All-Star averaged 15.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game in his seven years in Utah, helping the Jazz get to the playoffs in 2017.
6. Rudy Gobert for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt, Four First-Round Picks, First-Round Pick Swap
Gobert was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022, as many fans and media members criticized Minnesota for giving up all of these first-round picks.
However, Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns proved critics wrong and thrived as a big man duo, helping the Timberwolves get to the Western Conference finals in 2024.
7. Donovan Mitchell for Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, Three First-Round Picks, and Two First-Round Pick Swaps
Mitchell was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2022, as they landed future All-Star Lauri Markkanen in this trade.
Collin Sexton has provided solid scoring for the Jazz, but neither player has contributed to winning basketball nearly as much as Mitchell.
The real payoff for Utah could be Cleveland’s first-round picks in 2027 and 2029.
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