Utah Jazz opt to keep Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson

• Magic trade J.J. Redick, 3 others at deadline

• Josh Smith staying in Atlanta after all

Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap will both be free agents this summer. Utah has to decide whether they’ll be able to keep both - and if not, which one they can get something quality in return for.

It’s not that the Jazz are a bad team: they’re the seventh seed in the Western Conference, pretty safe at this point in the season from falling out of playoff contention. And that success is almost entirely due to a strong frontcourt Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. Both guys are gifted scorers and strong rebounders, giving Utah a decent season.

Coincidentally, Williams played perhaps his best game as a pro against the Jazz in the T-Wolves’ final game before the All-Star break. He scored 24 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds.

Millsap is averaging 15 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in his seventh NBA season.

“Although two sources with knowledge of the Clippers’ thinking insisted during All-Star Weekend that Bledsoe would not be moved in coming days and strongly predicted that L.A. would stand pat, two other sources indicated that the Clippers and Jazz will at least discuss the feasibility of a trade headlined by Bledsoe and Millsap before the deadline,” Stein and Shelburne reported.

Bledsoe has been valuable as an injury fill-in and defensive standout for the Clippers this season. He’s averaging 9.6 points and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 45 percent.

The Nets aren’t in a hurry to make any trades as general manager Billy King has said on numerous occassions that he has faith in his team as constructed. But growing pressure to make it to the NBA Finals brought on by ownership and other targets falling through, may cause the Nets may make a move for Milsap before the Feb. 21 deadline.

Smith would likely be too expensive given his desire for a max deal when he becomes a free agent this offseason, while Gordon is seen as a potential defensive liability, despite being a capable scorer off the bench. The Nets are currently ranked fifth in the NBA in opponents points per game (94.4), and it’s a big part of what makes them successful.

It’s also a wonder how willing the Suns would be to take on Jefferson’s contract worth approximately $14 million, especially considering he brings a limited skillset to the table as a pure post-up player, as Bright Side of the Sun’s Seth Pollack notes.

Jefferson is averaging 17.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while Hayward is averaging 13.5 points in just 26.6 minutes per game.