Utah Jazz set "high asking price" for Jarred Vanderbilt in trade talks

After emptying the cupboard of all its top-end talent over the offseason, many expected the Utah Jazz to tank the 2022-23 season away in hopes of landing the highest odds to draft 7-foot-3 international sensation Victor Wembanyama. One of the many players that Utah acquired in the deals that sent out multi-time All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert was former Kentucky Wildcat, Jarred Vanderbilt, who has started all 18 games he’s played for the Jazz so far this season.

Vando has been a huge addition to Utah this year, averaging 7.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in 24.9 minutes per game.

One month into the schedule, Utah sits on a surprisingly good 12-8 overall record, good enough for fourth-best in the Western Conference. Now, the Jazz front office has some decisions to make. Does the franchise press its luck and continue on its path of fighting for the postseason? Or, do they follow the original plan and gun for a top pick in 2023?

NBA insiders seem to be leaning toward the idea of Utah seeing how far this core can go. But at the same time, there are several pieces on the roster with higher trade value right now than even one month ago. Lauri Markannen and Jordan Clarkson went from career role players to high-usage, efficient scorers with All-Star Game aspirations. Mike Conley, Malik Beasley, Kelly Olynyk, and Collin Sexton all have decent trade value, too.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports!, Jarred Vanderbilt is another name Utah is floating around as available in trade talks, but any interested franchises will have to present a sizable package.

“Utah has so far signaled an intent to keep breakout star forward Lauri Markkanen plus franchise favorite Jordan Clarkson, and have established a high asking price for Jarred Vanderbilt, sources told Yahoo Sports, leaving Malik Beasley and Kelly Olynyk, along with Conley, as the obvious veterans the Jazz could move before the Feb. 9 trade deadline

Jake Fischer, Yahoo Sports!

Vanderbilt, who is only 23 years old and in his fifth NBA season, is one of the more unique players in the entire NBA. He found his niche with the Minnesota Timberwolves the previous two seasons, playing alongside Karl-Anthony Towns as the defensive stopper to Towns’ offensive prowess. Vanderbilt isn’t a high-level scorer, but at 6-foot-9, 215 pounds, he can do things that no other forward in the world can. He’s one of the league’s top defenders, possesses an endless motor, rebounds at an elite level, and has an impressive basketball IQ (although he does foul at an unsustainable rate).

It's hard for me to contemplate watching Jarred Vanderbilt and not thinking that dude freakin rocks

He's so good man

— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) November 19, 2022

But what exactly constitutes a “high asking price” for a guy whose career averages sit at 5.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game? In this writer’s opinion, at least one first-round draft pick, and probably a young prospect thrown in there, too. This time last year, that’s probably a reach, but Vanderbilt has added to his game since then — most importantly, he’s expanding his outside range.

Vando came into this season just 3-21 from downtown for his career. So far in ’22-23? He’s connected on seven of his 19 attempts, good enough for a 36.8 percent clip. All while still shooting 60 percent from 2-point range. All of this has Utah, according to Fischer, contemplating how much it would be willing to accept in return for Vanderbilt. The franchise clearly likes what he brings to the floor, and won’t part with him just because they feel like they have to make a move.

Now five years removed from his admittedly forgettable year at Kentucky, I’m not sure many expected Vanderbilt to be a player in high trade demand at this stage. An untimely injury during his time in Lexington prevented him from making a significant impact. He wasn’t drafted until the middle of the second round in 2018 and was an end-of-bench player his first two years with the Denver Nuggets and Timberwolves.

But the last two seasons? He’s established an identity as a gritty, smart, and defensive-minded starter. If the jumper continues to come along, Vanderbilt’s stock is only going to rise.