With the next update on where James Harden is headed pending, and several swaps around the league going through, the biggest trade of the deadline has made an appearance: Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Jock Landale, and Vince Williams Jr. to the Utah Jazz for Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang, and several first-round picks.
Furthermore, eight players and draft capital in one deal is no small conversation, yet with the star of the deal, Jackson Jr., going to the Jazz, the LA Clippers are directly affected in the Western Conference Standings.
Currently, the Clippers are 8.5 games ahead of the Jazz, who are in 13th place. This may seem like a gap, but remember when LA was about to hit the 15th seed, then turned around, and got as high as ninth?
Thus, mid-season turnarounds are realistic, and in reality, the tenth seed is still within reach for the Jazz, who have a solid, star-packed core to lean on.
The Utah Jazz will come climbing up in the Western Conference
Given the Utah Jazz made a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, and snagged their prized defensive power forward, it is clear which front office is headed where; the Grizzlies are aiming to rebuild, with 13 first-round picks in their hands over the next seven years, which essentially drops them out of the play-in race and gives Utah an advantage, who trail Memphis by five games.
Moreover, Jackson Jr., alongside two all-star talents in Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George, is a young and powerful trio. They have everything from scoring, playmaking, and defense, and keep in mind, Kyle Filipowski exists, Jusuf Nurkic exists, and their 2025 lottery pick, who has been dominating, Ace Bailey, is also in the mix.
Playoff basketball in Salt Lake City might officially be back, and all things considered, the Clippers need to keep their head up, win games, and not turn back to see which team is behind them.
The order needs to be wins, and only wins, from here on out, as the Jazz have taken control as winners of the deadline, as of now.
That said, it is a scary sight, but the competition in the play-in tournament just got increasingly difficult. The Clippers must land a seed higher than ninth or tenth, as single elimination against a possible opponent like the Jazz, with three stars and a genius head coach, is not a desirable position to be in.