The Utah Jazz have been busy working the phone lines with the 2016 NBA trade deadline coming up this afternoon. They have been very busy and one of their main trade chips throughout the entire process has been talented point guard Trey Burke. He has never seemed to fit in Utah, which has them appearing to be “committed” to trading him.
According to a report from Marc Stein on Twitter, the Jazz could be leaning towards trading Burke to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Ty Lawson.
Ty Lawson talks are serious and Jazz have committed to ship out Trey Burke … 12 hours and change left for someone to trump Houston's offer
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 18, 2016
At just 23 years old, trading Burke may seem a bit hasty for a young up-and-coming Jazz team. They are currently eight in the Western Conference playoff seeding, although Burke has been inconsistent at times this year. Lawson has been inconsistent with the Rockets as well and there are character issues surrounding him that are very dangerous for the Jazz to mess with.
Burke has averaged 11.8 points, 2.6 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game this season with the Jazz. He has played in 23.6 minutes per game and has shot 42.3 percent from the field overall and 34.7 percent from behind the three-point arc.
Utah is making moves that they feel will help them get into the postseason this year. They don’t want to wait around any longer now that they feel they have a team who can contend in the conference. Getting into the playoffs as the eighth seed would likely mean a rough ending to the season, however, as the Golden State Warriors appear to be the clear cut favorite to land the top seed.
That being said, this is something to keep an eye on leading up to the trade deadline.
Rumors fly and reports can be blown out of proportion, but the Jazz seem very serious about dealing Burke. It could come back to bite them, but at least they are at the point where they can be aggressive in trade talks.
Expect to hear plenty of news throughout the day and don’t be shocked if Burke ends up heading elsewhere by the end of the day.
