The Utah Jazz may be sitting tight for now, but that doesn’t mean their roster will look the same once the season gets rolling. With the 2026-27 regular season still about two months away, Utah hasn’t been linked to much on the trade front lately. Even so, this is a front office that has never seemed afraid to make a move if it sees one worth making.
That leaves a few names worth watching before opening night. Around the edges of the rotation, there are players whose futures aren’t exactly locked in, and that makes them the kind of pieces that can pop up in trade conversations quickly.
Brice Sensabaugh is the clearest example. The Jazz can absolutely find a role for him this season after his career year in 2025-26, when he carved out a bench-scoring, outside-shooting lane for himself. He could do the same thing again this year, only now in what should be a more competitive setting.
But the clock is ticking on a decision. Sensabaugh is set to become a restricted free agent next summer if Utah doesn’t work out an extension before July of 2027. So far, there haven’t been signs that the Jazz are eager to lock him up this offseason.
That doesn’t mean a trade is inevitable. If Utah wants to meet his asking price and keep him in that role long term, that’s still on the table. But if a deal doesn’t come together soon, moving him now to secure return value would make sense.
John Konchar is another name that fits the trade-chip profile. He’s a productive wing who could help Utah in the rotation, but he also stands out as the kind of player a team can slide into a larger package or move on his own.
His contract is expiring, and he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. He’s making less than $10 million, and his current $6.1 million deal is the kind of number that can be attached to other pieces without much trouble. The problem for Konchar is simple: with the Jazz’s rotation shaping up the way it is, there’s no guarantee he sees steady minutes, or any at all, on a nightly basis.
That makes him a logical candidate to move now, before he reaches next summer and potentially leaves for nothing.
Then there’s Cody Williams, the 2024 lottery pick. It may still be early to seriously entertain a deal involving him, and even the idea of trading him feels premature. But Utah at least exploring the market would not be a surprise.
Williams had a rough rookie year, then took a step forward in 2025-26. He’s now entering his third season and is expected to have a real role off the bench because of his defensive upside. Still, he hasn’t established himself as a player the Jazz can say with confidence is part of their long-term core.
If Utah doesn’t want to commit to the team option expected to be worth $7.6 million next offseason, or simply doesn’t view him as a future rotation piece, then a trade now or at the deadline would be worth considering.
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It also fits the broader challenge in Utah, where the current group is trying to build something sturdier than the chemistry that came undone with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. The Jazz have talent, but they also know that talent alone does not guarantee a long runway together, and these offseason connections are part of the attempt to make sure the locker room grows in the same direction as the roster. [Read more 🡒]
