The Utah Jazz has gone from the No. 1 overall team record-wise in the NBA a season ago to a team that has a ton of question marks entering the playoffs this season. 

Between injuries and players being in and out of health protocols this season, the Jazz has had a hard time finding stability on their roster, and outside of Donovan Mitchell, their offense has been very inconsistent. 

Utah still ranks first in offensive rating this season, but Mitchell truly is their only source of scoring. 

Since the All-Star break, Mike Conley has really taken a step backward, averaging just 12.2 points per game and while Bojan Bogdanovic has been productive, he has missed Utah’s last nine games with a calf injury. 

Jordan Clarkson is another key scoring weapon for this team off the bench, but they no longer have Joe Ingles and as a team, the Jazz really does not have much scoring depth on their bench outside of Clarkson. 

For years now, the Jazz has been building themselves into something special to try and contend for a championship in the Western Conference. However, they seem to be stuck right now, leading to questions about what they will potentially do in the offseason, especially since they are not expected to advance past the Western Conference Semifinals once again this season. 

Should they make the Western Conference Finals and possibly the NBA Finals, all of the questions about the future of this team will go out the door, but as of right now, there has been speculation about the futures of All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert with the Jazz. 

Both players are under contract long-term with the Jazz, but should this team fail in the postseason once again, the front office could explore trade opportunities for Rudy Gobert.

With his upside on the offensive end of the court limited and with Gobert winning Defensive Player of the Year three of the last four years, now could be the best time for the Jazz to capitalize on his value. 

Pairing another offensive weapon with Donovan Mitchell could be the difference in this team making deep playoff pushes moving forward, which is why Rudy Gobert could surprisingly become available in trade talks. 

Heading into the offseason, nobody is expecting Rudy Gobert to be on the move, but these three teams should be monitoring his long-term status and trade availability. 

Brooklyn Nets

With James Harden gone, all eyes in Brooklyn are on the new trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons to see if this can possibly equate to a championship for the Nets. 

However, Ben Simmons has yet to make his debut with the team due to a back injury that is not getting any better, leaving his status for the remainder of the 2021-22 season and the playoffs in question.

There really is no telling what the future holds for Simmons at this point and should the Nets exit the playoffs or play-in tournament prematurely, there could be a ton of speculation about them possibly looking to move Ben Simmons for a more established star with less injury concerns. 

The need for a true defensive-minded center is very apparent on the Nets’ roster right now and with Andre Drummond set to become a free agent, pursuing Rudy Gobert could be highly advantageous for the Nets.