NBA Draft Rumors: The Utah Jazz are drafting WHO?! | Hoops Nerd Show

let’s talk about all the different options for the Utah Jazz in this draft it’s the Hoops Nerd Show [Music] all right guys let’s just get right into this if you’re a Utah Jazz fan or an NBA fan make sure you like and subscribe to the channel all right so Utah is coming into this draft with the number five pick there are so many options for Utah in this draft there are so many rumors going on right now it’s crazy we’re going to go over each and every different option the Utah Jazz have let’s start first the first option I guess you could say the Utah Jazz have in this draft is to trade up to number three and take VJ Edgecomb it is clear that is who the the Philadelphia 76ers are going to take utah would need to trade up to number three if they want to do that what that’s going to take is bringing on Paul George’s contract and basically you’re trading Lowry Markin for Paul George and the number three now maybe you don’t have to give up the number five pick to make that happen but my guess is Daryl my going to ask for that and the question is is VJ Edgecomb worth that i don’t know if Paul George if you brought him over would ever play a single minute for the Utah Jazz but it’s certainly something to think about vj Edgecomb obviously would fit a culture of drafting the Utah Jazz need to do edgecomb is probably one of the toughest guys in this draft one of the players that plays two-way next to like Cooper Flag and guys like that and maybe guys like Colin Murray Boils with his defensive impact but he is the best athlete in this draft he is a guy that will come in and you know think Alex Caruso with 1% athleticism is kind of what you’re looking at with VJ Edgecomb and that’s a guy you can bring onto your team now he’s not going to be a superstar but if you are as a Jazz team and I think this is something they can take from the Oklahoma City Thunder is that when we talk culture the stuff people talk about with culture and winning and all this stuff is stupid the way people talk about it online as if as if culture doesn’t change immediately when you get a superstar onto your team what Utah needs to do and what teams in general need to do with culture is culture through drafting you draft guys that play a certain way that are a certain way ultra competitive hate losing play to win it doesn’t matter who’s on their team it doesn’t matter who they’re playing or when they’re going to play to win and that’s VJ Edgecomb to me I think it’s probably worth it because I would just like the Jazz players that are on this team to play to win and to be on the right timeline timelines matter they just do if anyone says timelines don’t matter well then tell me how the last two seasons went for the Utah Jazz just keeping players because timelines don’t matter right silliness all right so the next option for Utah Jazz and I don’t know if this player is going to be be available mo a lot of the rumors Jonathan Gabon’s latest boards for ESPN have Kenipple going to the Charlotte Hornets at number four very unlikely i mean those things could change but it seems like that’s what the Charlotte Hornets are doing but there are a lot of rumors out there that there are teams trying to trade into like the number four spot and I think that comes from Gavon as well i’m not 100% it might be Shirania Gavon i can’t remember but there is an element of other teams trying to trade up to number four and the question is for who is is is one of these teams from five through or six through nine trying to get uh Ace Bailey it kind of seems like Jeremiah Fears is also a guy that some of those teams are trying to get because it sounds like Utah is really interested in Jeremiah Fears from multiple reports and so I think there are teams that know that now and there may be and I think my guess is Brooklyn is the team is trying to trade to number four they’re the team that’s been kind of kind of linked to Jeremiah Fears for a while although we’ve also heard reports that that uh Ace Bailey has trying to kind of weave his way to to Brooklyn but recently we also got rumors that he’s okay with going to the Washington Wizards at six so maybe the Ace Bailey camp heard about the fears interest from the Brooklyn Nets maybe they’re trying to change their story or maybe Washington’s just saying we’re taking Ace Bailey if he’s there at six so I think that that Jeremiah fears is possibility taken at four if that’s the case then Kong Canipple falls to Utah at five is that a player that the Utah Jazz want khan Canipple I have no doubt is going to be a nice starter in the NBA maybe he becomes more maybe he’s one of those guys that’s so crafty and so smart he becomes kind of a starle guy kind of like a Desmond Bane level fringe all-star he may be that and that’s very likely I guess i don’t think he’s going to ever be an all-star though but what he is going to be is he’s going to shoot the ball well he’s extremely smart he plays well and he kind of fits that culture we’re talking about that that culture of playing hard defending and also on the offensive end he’s super versatile whatever you need him to do he can do he can playmake he can handle he can drive and he shoots it really well great shooter uh we’ll see but anyways Utah could look at Kong Canipple i tend to think they probably won’t because I just don’t think he has kind of everything Utah’s looking for he I mean I guess in terms of just trying to get like a focal point guy right and I don’t know if there’s star upside to him like there is with guys like Jeremiah Fierce like there is with with uh like a Trey Johnson or someone like that i just don’t know if that’s there so Utah may look at seeing if they can get some sort of trade partner that might want Kong Canipple at five i don’t know if that’s what they’re going to do all right we just mentioned him but the other option at number five is Trey Johnson and this is a guy that the Utah Jazz have brought in for workouts it’s clear that they have interest in him from different reports that we’ve seen i like Trey Johnson but there’s some things that make me really nervous the good is he is just an elite shooter elite he can light it up he’s a guy that can shoot you know score 10 points in two minutes because he’s hitting threes and mid-range and all sorts of things he’s one of those guys that can go on his own run you know he can shoot the mid-range he can shoot the three he cannot score at the rim at a high level it’s it’s uh it’s it’s concerning so what his game is going to be is three-point shooting which is fine if he’s just an absolutely elite three-point shooter and that includes catch and shoots and shooting off the dribble he is just an incredible shooter it is very appealing if Utah gets him then it’s going to be interesting and you’re going to see him have some nights where things go crazy the other thing outside of not being able to score at the rim very well and he’s not getting free throws is the defense is bad guys it’s not good like really not good to the point where I’m like “Oh my gosh.” Where you’ve got a guy who he’s 6’4 and a half or something like that without shoes so 6’6 with shoes and he’s got a 6’10 week wingspan and in like 34 minutes per game less than one steel guys how do you not get at least one steel per game with that type of physical measurements what it is is effort and mentality and I just don’t know if you want to bring that on to the Jazz to be honest the number one problem with this Utah Jazz team has been defense and some of that has been related to the turnovers which we’re going to talk about with Jeremiah Bears but a lot of that is just defense like who on the Jazz defense has been really good i mean you could say Walker Kesler but when the Utah Jazz the last two seasons have been the number 30 defense in the NBA and Walker Kesler has been on this Jazz team and has played and they’re still the number 30 defense there’s a lot of questions I got for this Jazz team a lot of questions and I have a hard time at this point wanting to draft guys that are not defending the ball i I am tired of bringing guys on and hoping that they decide they want to play defense is that really what we want i’m moving my my thing here but do you know what I mean you know what I would rather do is hope for guys that can like develop certain skills you know improve on the shooting improve on certain elements of their game playmaking whatever i don’t want to improve on effort on defense okay effort is not something you teach motor is not something you teach i want guys that care that are competitive that work hard on both ends of the floor that’s why VJ Edgecomb is really interesting to me really really interesting because yes maybe VJ Edgecom is similar to Canipple that maybe he’s not going to be a superstar i do think VJ Edgecom because of that athleticism has a higher ceiling who knows what that could become he’s just gotten better and better and better i just am worried about Trey Johnson with that defense it’s bad it’s bad and I don’t think it’s going to get better to be honest i I don’t like the idea of hoping the effort gets better or motor gets better sorry yes he can shoot the lights out and maybe he’s a transcendent shooter maybe he’s so transcendent shooting the ball that it overlooks the fact that he’s not defending but man when I watch these finals with the Thunder and the Pacers and you have guys just killing themselves to try to steal the ball defend run in transition stop transition plays just defend their hearts out in every possession of a game it’s hard for me to see that and I I just don’t like it so I if the Jazz pick Trey or Trey Johnson at number five I’m going to root for that guy really hard and I’m hoping that maybe he proves me wrong and he can just turn it on and maybe he’s one of those few guys that decides to become a good defender and sometimes that happens but man I just don’t want to bank on that type of thing anymore we’ll see all right then next let’s say VJ Edgecomb goes three someone trades up to four but they surprisingly take Jeremiah Fears ace Bailey is there at five and this is the option for Utah to just take him and I know there was some report out here today you know Utah’s not his preferred destination so what i don’t think it was the preferred destination for Carl Malone when he was with the Jazz and one of my favorite quotes from Carl Malone or from Larry Miller about Carl Malone is he was a pain in the ass but he was our pain in the ass right that’s what I that’s what I kind of think about with Ace Bailey because you know the shooting numbers and everything are a little troubling but when you watch him play you see certain plays and you see certain things that make you go “Wow there is a player here that if he puts it all together can be that star maybe even superstar that Utah’s been searching for and that all these teams are searching for and honestly the defensive numbers are pretty good pretty decent and you see plays where he’s getting weak side shot blocking you see the length you see the athleticism you know if you were if you were designing a player and saying there’s three things you can have with this player wouldn’t they be size athleticism and shotmaking that’s what he brings now there’s a mental aspect there’s an offthe- court aspect with his agent there’s certain things that are just kind of red flags if it’s a competitive issue if it’s a I don’t care I just want to get my points issue then maybe you better pass on him but if it’s more that he’s just like he doesn’t want to work out for you because he’s trying to angle him his way to certain teams then so what and I could see someone like Danny H saying so what let’s draft the best player available and why wouldn’t we draft Ace Bailey we missed out on the lottery and he’s going to follow us anyway that’s a win if you think he is that guy if you have had interactions enough with him that make you think that he could be an absolute stud for you and you can bring him into Utah he can be the focal point that he wants to be then why not just draft him if you know that the the behind the scenes is a red flag and you are just not interested in bringing on a guy that’s not interested in playing hard that’s not interested in defending that’s not interested in anything but getting his points then maybe you pass i mean there are red flags in the numbers too i mean one point something it’s like one assist per game on a high usage rate it’s not good it’s like historically low assist rate like 8% or something like that it’s not good but maybe it can be better if you think it can get better if you think that you can just kind of bring him in and make him the focal point and make him the star he wants to be in Utah it might be worth it but we shall see uh the next one we talked about him this is the one guys where I kind of probably a good idea for you to go out and do some Jeremiah Fears tape because every single report out there is pointing towards the Utah Jazz very very interested in Jeremiah Fears multiple visits to the Utah Jazz for workouts very recently we know he’s had two since the draft uh combine two and there may have been more before then he also is someone that there are multiple teams looking to trade up for him there are a lot of great signs with Jeremiah Fears as a player guys and you know some like people online who haven’t watched a single thing and I’m not saying I’m this draft guy but I do talk to a lot of people i talk to a lot of different I would compare him to Kyrie Irving he is kind of the he is like the same age as Kyrie Irving when Kyrie Irving came out from point they are very similar in that they reclassified their younger coming in at like 18 years old played well in college i mean Jeremiah Fears started at Oklahoma and struggled and then got better as the year went on it’s not a long list of players that that played at a high level as reclassified point guards in college and played as well as he did especially in the tournament and what he showed the guy has the basically the scouting report on Jeremiah Fears well and let’s just let’s talk about the cons right now everyone says he’s undersized he was 6’2 and a half without shoes that means he’s 6’3 6’4 is that uh is that a smaller guard in this day and age yeah but it’s probably big enough right it’s not like he’s measuring 5’11 or something like that he’s bigger than Donovan Mitchell at least in height mitchell’s got the weight on him and that’s what made Mitchell impressive was just how physically strong he was but Fears is like I think I was watching an interview with him he’s at 185 he’s 6’2 and a half which is basically 63 6’4 with shoes the size is probably big enough and then the defense when you watch him play he averaged 1.6 steals per game that’s more honestly that’s a more impressive number than Trey Johnson he’s trying hard he he he steals the ball he’ll jump passing lanes he tries and honestly with time he may become like if he’s just an average or maybe even a slightly above average defender that’s an absolute incredible win we saw in this in these playoffs that guys like Nemhard can defend really well if the effort’s there the conditioning’s there and the want and the competitive competitiveness is there and my guess is Danny A who tends to like and I’m guessing Austin H too who helped draft Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum these guys lean towards wings that is they know that winning archetype if they’re willing to take Jeremiah Fears that’s got to tell you something right if they’re willing to take those guys when you know that those guys tend to lean towards the wings it means they like something about Jeremiah Fierce it probably tells you that that that dog in him factor is good the competitive competitiveness is good and the guy you want to compare him to is likely a Kyrie Irving type he has the scouting report is he has the best handle in the draft the best handle he can get to anywhere he wants on the floor he has an elite first step he can get to the rim he scores at the rim at a high level he’s very Kyrie Irvingesque now people are saying can’t shoot well maybe he shot 28% from three but when you go watch the workouts and all the reports are from the Jazz workouts with Fears is that he was absolutely awesome awesome in his workouts so he’s shooting the ball really well i feel like my shirt is like look like a slough what do I What am I doing anyways he looked awesome apparently he’s shooting great in workouts he got better as the season went on he can get to wherever he wants on the floor he’s one of the youngest players in the draft with Cooper Flag from reclassification he proved himself in college he’s got that dog he might be special like he might be really special and there is a archetype to winning titles or being a finals team with that if you bring in fears and then you know you’re going for AJ Debonsa next year that’s a winning that’s a winning formula having like your superstar on the wing and then an elite playmaking scorer at the point is great and then if you talk and fill all the gaps with defenders Taylor Hendris I guess if they keep Walker Kesler then you’ve got defense there and then you’ve got to find other two-way players to fill those gaps but it makes sense and you can win with a guy like this at a high level championship level if you make the draft but you’ve got to get that next star next to him and obviously Utah missed out on Cooper Flag next year there’s three or four guys that are number one pick quality and Utah needs a chance to get one of them as well they’ve got to and if they do and Jeremiah Fears is next to him it’s going to be pretty incredible pretty pretty awesome so just go take a look at Jeremiah Fears the tape is great now I’ve been sharing online that the other option is to take common Kaman Malawatch i think Utah could trade back and get Kaman Malawatch still like maybe Utah can trade back one spot if they don’t want to get Ace Bailey maybe you trade back one spot with Washington get some sort of other asset and take Come on Malawatch now why would you do that well it’s interesting utah has brought him into a workout it was reported they tried to keep it a secret they tried to keep it a secret mountain Dew Baja Blast but guess what the Utah Jazz brought in Come on Malawatch they’re looking at him malawatch in his workouts is also shooting the lights out and his shot looks good and I personally was frustrated with Duke because before he went to Duke we saw that he could shoot the ball if Utah wants to be on the same level as some of these championship teams that were there now they need to have a center that fills it’s basically the unicorn mold and what that is is the center that shoots the three on one end and defends the rim on the other man am I getting sick ah not feeling great guys but anyways that is the unicorn mold utah could fill that mold with Kam Kaman Malawatch i don’t One thing I have a hard time with and this is something I’ve thought about is I will hear people say “Why would we draft Kaman Malawatch you don’t even know if he’ll be as good as Walker Kesler how do you know he’ll even be as good as Walker Kesler?” Well for one thing he’s already better than K than Walker Kesler at the free throw line walker Kesler a 50% or 51% free throw shooter after three seasons kaman Malawatt shot 75% from the free throw line this last season okay so we know he can shoot the ball walker Kesler they tried to have him shoot the three for like do you remember that two or three week period when he was shooting threes he hit one come on malawatch can hit the three and he did shoot some with Duke it wasn’t at a high percentage but he only took like a a handful of shots if he can get a season where he just is allowed to shoot the three with regularity and get comfortable doing it and start knocking them down like he is in workouts and and in practices then he becomes a really special player and you watch the NBA finals I don’t know how many of you did if you did you’ve got to count how many possessions those teams play with five out offenses and I was counting and it got to the point where it was literally every single one and even on possessions where you did not have like a stretch big like the Thunder did with uh with their new center that they brought in to play next to CE cuz a lot of times they play Chet at five to spread the floor uh who’s their new I forgot the name of their center they brought in but he would be running the pick and roll high to spread that floor to have space down low it makes things so much easier for offenses when you have that five out it’s why Miles Turner on the Indiana Pacers is a big deal yes is he there is he a superstar no but what he does do is allow you to run off that create superstars if you have no one in the paint because they’re all spread out because they have to guard the center who can shoot threes it makes your better players it makes your your stars even better because they have all that room to work with if you have Walker Kesler just plopped near the basket in the dunker spot that is a clogged lane and that allows guys like Rudy Gobear and players like that to just be near next to the rim and do exactly what they do best and that is roam and block shots and cause havoc and make things harder for your stars and so that is why you would take Kamalatch is because not necessarily he is going to be the star but he lets you play the stars offense i hope that makes sense it is much more likely to succeed and become a star when you’re playing a system that allows you to be that than if you’re in a system that you have to overcome all right and honestly he plays every single style of defense switching hedging drop you trap you name it he did it and he moves really well and he’s 7 foot2 he’s a monster and he’s only scratching the surface and yes he needs to improve as a rebounder the defensive rebounds in that final four game were not great but his offensive rebound rebound rate is elite and there is no one in the league that likes offensive rebounds and crashing the boards more than Will Hardy and there is a lot that Will Hardy could do with Kam Malawatch with his ability to both shoot the three and also crash the boards i’m telling you right now I think Will Hardy would love to have a a unicorn like Kaman Malawatch on the Jazz and by the way he would just make the current Jazz players that much better that much better it’s just a fact all right guys those are basically the options let me know what you think in the comments i want to give just a huge shout out to the Allstars all right let’s give a shout out to Baby Elliot Ed Madson Ryan Edward Perry the legend Christian House Money to Hos Robert Hall of Fame Cam Bam thank you ma’am Camchin 3 I believe in Steve Jazz exile see you Alexa later Jordan the goat best roll Austin our grand editor extraordinaire KG10 to TH5 and Patrick Aubo the connoisseur guys like and subscribe to the channel i will talk to you next

The Utah Jazz are coming into this 2025 NBA Draft with a lot of options with their #5 pick. They can trade up, trade back or pick between Kon Knueppel, Ace Bailey, Jeremiah Fears, Khaman Maluach, or Tre Johnson. There’s a lot to think about with each of these draft rumors and trades. One thing’s clear, the Utah Jazz are honing in on some very specific options.

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20 comments

  1. i’m tired of the speculation at this point. whoever we draft tre, kon, jeremiah, ace. i’ll be wary but trust the decision. i like some more than others but im gonna trust the front office and hope they know what they’re doing

  5. i feel like it almost doesnt matter. just because we know they want Dybantsa and Boozer and clubs have to play a really long game in this league. everything is probably all about putting together a good package to get the best picks for next draft. i imagine whatever we're doing this offseason is all about gearing up to hit the next draft properly. that's gotta be it right? everything seems to be about those 2 kids.

  6. Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel

    I believe Khaman will become a better player than Walker Kessler. He's more agile, is quicker off the bounce, runs the court extremely well and is also a better shooter than Walker. Maluach is 18 years old, Kessler 23.

    It's also important to remember that the Jazz have only until October 20th to re-sign Walker to an extension. After that, he becomes a Restricted Free Agent at the end of the season. That extension is going to cost the Jazz somewhere between $25 and $30 million per year. It just doesn't make sense to pay a player that much money when they can't shoot (55% ft, 17% 3-pt). 🫣 In close games, Walker will become unplayable because opposing teams will just "hack-a-shaq" him to death — knowing he's going to miss half his shots.

    Trading Kessler and drafting Malauch resets the Jazz's timeline and gives the Jazz a center who can grow alongside the team.

    Kon Knueppel
    For what Kon lacks in athletic ability, he more than makes up with his understanding of how to play the game. His strength, shooting and passing abilities are top notch. He sees passing lanes extremely well, is deadly in the pick and roll — and plays adequate defense. No, he's not going to be a lock down defender, but I believe he is going to be a lot better than most sports pundits think.

    I also like Kon's leadership abilities. During Duke's season, he was often calling out to other players directing them where to go. And during the ACC tournament when Cooper Flagg was injured, it was Knueppel who stepped up and led Duke to victory. To me, it's like having a coach on the floor. If the Jazz draft him, fans are going to love having him on the team. He will quickly become a fan favorite.

    Why not Tre Johnson, VJ Edgecombe or Ace Bailey?
    While Johnson and Bailey are great shooters, they don't play defense. I've watched both play and while their offense is impressive, their defense is awful. Can they learn to play defense? Maybe, but I have a lot more faith in players that already exhibit those abilities. To me, it's like trying to teach your spouse how to cook after you married her. It's particularly disturbing that Rutgers had both Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper on their team and yet didn't make the NCAA tournament. 🤔 Yes, I know Harper was injured for awhile. But still, you have two of the top players in the NCAA and you don't make the tournament? To me, that's a red flag.

    If I had to pick one of the three, it would be Edgecombe because he already plays defense, and while he's not as good a shooter as Bailey or Johnson, he's more than adequate at hitting 3-point shots, 2s and free throws. He's also a willing passer and has great athletic abilities.

    Yes, I have to admit that Tre Johnson and Ace Bailey have a higher potential upside than Edgecombe. But the question is will they ever reach it? As I have watched them play, I think they lack the mental drive and toughness it takes for them to get to that level. The Jazz need players who are mentally tough, can shoot and defend.

    What Would I Do At 21?
    Hands down, I want Cedric Coward. Unfortunately, I think he'll be gone by then. However, I want the Jazz to do whatever they have to, to move up and draft him. Why? He blew the socks off a lot of the observers at the NBA Combine with his speed, athleticism and shooting abilities. That made me curious and I went and watched highlights of the six games he played this past season for Washington State before injuring his shoulder. His defense, athleticism and shooting are impressive. If you want to know more as to why I want him on the Jazz, read the comments below he made during a CBS Sports interview a few days ago (June 20th).

    "If I'm going against you on the court, I'm trying to kill you. I'm trying to take your head off. That's all it is . . . When I step on the court, now it's go time in between those four lines. It's a battle. And you don't win battles by being friends."

    "For me, it was never about the numbers I was getting, . . . I was just trying to do what I could to help us win. I remember I had a game where I had like 25, 16 and seven steals and we lost by 40 at home. It was one of the most frustrating things. It wasn't the fact that I had a great stat line, it was the fact we lost by 40. I don't care about my stats. I could have had two points, five rebounds and one block. I don't care. I just want to win." — Cedric Coward

    The rest of the Cedric's interview is available online. It's a long read but worth it. His backstory is frickin' amazing. By the way, he is going to accomplish something that has never been done by any NBA basketball player.

    No one in the history of the draft has gone from D-III, to low-major, to mid-major, playing fewer than 10 games their final season of college and been a first-round pick in the NBA.

    The Jazz need this guy.

  8. Vj edgecombe not worth the jazz trading up for if he goes before the jazz pick we win cause we can get ace or tre thoughts two i want one of them to fall to us ace would be crazy

  10. How in the hell some believe that all drafts want to stay in jazz their whole career? And be successful for that matter?
    Quite a wishful thinking, dreamer stuff I would say

  11. Tre Johnson is exactly what the franchise needs. Actually watch his games box score watching is very misleading his defense is fine. College has no spacing so its very hard to drive it will open up in the pros for him. He was asked to be the guy as an 18 year old in the best conference in college.

  12. at this stage i would cop most of these guys and hope for the best – they all have upsides / downsides and all the potential. not all top 6 players will be all stars, i feel like its just a gamble really – we arent looking for a final piece but hopefully we get an allstar out of this one

  14. If Ace is there at 5, you’ve got to take him—worst case, you use it to trade back. Something like 5 and 21 for 6 and 18 with Washington could be a win-win.

  17. If the Jazz shamelessly tanked all season and end up with knueple…knnueeplle…nippleman…whatever, I'm gonna be mad. What a stunning waste of a season

  19. No one wants to come to Utah. These lotto picks think they are in a position to dictate where they want to go. We usually arent drafting this high so we arent used to players saying that we arent their "preferred" destination. Once the fan base figures that out we can move on.

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