It was another disappointing season last year for the Utah Jazz as they finished with the worst record in the NBA.
Of course, Utah has been stuck in a rebuild over the past handful of seasons, though they have built a solid core led by Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George and Walker Kessler.
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Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen© Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images
Utah also added another key young player to their roster this offseason during the 2025 NBA Draft as they selected Ace Bailey fifth overall.
Despite this, the Jazz are likely heading towards another underwhelming season and they could choose to move multiple players on their roster to add more young talent and draft capital.
Jazz Could Look to Move Walker Kessler This Season
One player who has continued to be in trade rumors is center Walker Kessler, though it has been reported that the Jazz have a high asking price for him.
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Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24).© Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Despite this, many teams around the NBA could show interest in making a move form Kessler ahead of the trade deadline and the Boston Celtics could be among them due to their lack of frontcourt depth.
Of course, the Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks and allowed both Luke Kornet and Al Horford to walk in free agency, leaving them an extremely thin frontcourt that could cause them to target Kessler.
Mock Trade Sends Kessler to Celtics for Anfernee Simons
In a potential trade, the Jazz could send Kessler and Jusuf Nurkic to the Celtics in exchange for Anfernee Simons.
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Boston may also need to throw in draft capital to pull off this deal with the Jazz, though they may not have to due to them taking on Nurkic’s salary.
Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) shoots over Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33)Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
For the Jazz, moving on from Kessler would be a tough decision as he has been one of their lone bright spots over the past few years, especially on the defensive end.
Despite this, adding Simons to their backcourt would give them another young guard to build around and would also upgrade the offense in their starting unit.
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Last season, the 26-year-old guard averaged 19.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 42.6% from the field and 36.3% from three.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1)
Simons is a great shooter who could fit well alongside George in the backcourt while also giving the Jazz another key offensive weapon who could come up big later down the line if they decide to move Markkanen as well.
While that may be the case, the Jazz could also hold off on this deal to see if another team would offer them more for their young big man.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.