The Utah Jazz’s roster has been shaped by a chain of moves that keeps circling back to Donovan Mitchell.
That trade didn’t just change one franchise. It set off a series of dominoes that reached all the way to the Jazz’s current group, including the assets Utah sent to Memphis that were tied to the Cleveland package and could eventually be used in a Jaren Jackson Jr. deal. Lauri Markkanen is the obvious success story from that larger picture, but he’s not the only one.
Jusuf Nurkic has become another unexpected winner of the Mitchell deal, even if his path was indirect.
He wasn’t in the original swap. Collin Sexton was. And after three seasons in Utah, Sexton had clearly stopped looking like a long-term answer, which led the Jazz to move him for Nurkic - a deal that left plenty of people puzzled at the time.
A year later, the view in Utah looks a lot different.
Nurkic, now in his early 30s, is no longer the same player he was in Portland. Still, his half-season with the Jazz showed there was more left there than many expected after his rough run in Phoenix and his brief stay in Charlotte.
That was enough for Utah to bring him back at the first chance it got. The Walker Kessler trade also showed the Jazz believed Nurkic could help cover some of that loss.
No one is pretending the season rests on Nurkic’s shoulders. But Utah clearly brought him back with the idea that he could be part of something meaningful, even if plenty of people had already written him off in 2025. He may not have the same burst he once did, but he still gives the Jazz size, rebounding, and a steady passing touch.
For a team that could have gotten very little out of the Sexton-for-Nurkic move, Utah made the most of it. Nurkic may not be around for long, but he showed enough last season to matter in the Jazz’s bigger build.
And yes, that all traces back to the Donovan Mitchell trade.
In Other News...
Jazz Keep Feeding A Lakers Debate Fans Cant Ignore
The Jazz have quietly become a familiar stop on the Lakers roster-building road, turning up in move after move that helped Los Angeles solve problems while Utah gathered assets. From taking on Russell Westbrook in 2023 to serving as a third team in the Luka Doncic deal, the Jazz have often been the team helping the machinery work, even when the spotlight stayed on the purple and gold.
Walker Kesslers move to the Lakers only added to the debate around how often these two franchises have crossed paths in the transaction market. For Utah, the pattern has been about stockpiling players and draft picks in exchange for flexibility and future value. For Lakers fans, it has become hard to ignore how often the Jazz have been part of the answer to Los Angeles latest roster need, even if the full judgment on those swaps is still being written. [Read more 🡒]