The NBA trade deadline is around two and a half months away. Now is the time for teams to consider their options and either blow up what they have or chase the pieces they need. What should the Utah Jazz do in the trade market?
Everyone loves NBA trade rumors. The NBA is the one pro sport where one player can entirely change a team’s future. The best example for Utah Jazz fans was the 1994 trade deadline deal with the Philadelphia 76ers that brought in Jeff Hornacek for Jeff Malone.
The move raised the ceiling for the Jazz and ultimately resulted in two Finals appearances. Utah was able to recognize the need and found the perfect player to compliment what they had in place.
Other than a team need, the other main cause for trade deadline deals is frustrated and unmotivated players. The Jazz were forced to move on from Deron Williams after he became such a distraction that the legendary Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan preferred riding tractors over coaching him.
A more recent example, and a part of that DWill trade, was Enes Kanter burning every bridge between Salt Lake City and Oklahoma City (RIP Grantland). The only thing he claims to have missed from his time in a Jazz uniform is the mountains.
Last week, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report fame posted an article detailing the player each NBA team should pursue at the trade deadline. He included 3 deals involving Utah Jazz players that deserve exploring.
Dec 8, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles (2) dribbles the ball as Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia (27) defends during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Golden State won 106-99. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Ingles to the Houston Rockets
Alleviating Corey Brewer’s workload should be the main priority. He’s shooting just under 20 percent on three-point looks, and his defense has long been a tick overrated.
Joe Ingles is a more suitable option for what Houston needs. He has swished 38 percent of his triples since entering the NBA in 2014-15 and is a decent defensive option at the 3 and 4. He has even guarded some 2s during his time with the Jazz.
Utah isn’t in the business of dealing players mid season, period. But Ingles is buried behind Gordon Hayward and Joe Johnson, he will be a free agent this summer, and the Jazz probably won’t be able to foot his bill after paying George Hill and Hayward. Rodney Hood will be extension-eligible too.
Enticing Utah with K.J. McDaniels and a 2017 second-round pick (via Denver or Portland) should get Houston somewhere. General manager Daryl Morey can also see if there are enough second-round sweeteners for the Jazz to take on Brewer.
I recently wrote an article around fake trades, and whenever player X starts performing well team Y will start speculating on how to trade for player X. Joe Ingles has recently been playing the best basketball of his NBA career.
The Jazz could not be more grateful that he’s able to fill in so adequately for Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood. He attributes his good play to his family finally joining him in the US after Visa issues in Australia. Whatever it is, don’t stop doing it!
Ingles has become the most reliable bench rotation player. He has the best microwave on the team, meaning he doesn’t need to touch the ball a couple times to warm up and get going. Joe can jump right in and contribute regardless of the guys he’s playing with. He is taking the open looks generated by the motion of the offense with much less hesitancy than he did at the start of the year.
For a team that struggled mightily at shooting the three last season, he is making 48% of his attempts from long range this season. Quin Snyder will always find time on the court for Ingles with that kind of production.
Now for this trade idea, it makes little sense from the Utah prospective. K.J McDaniels is playing two-thirds of Ingles’ minutes per game and shooting 33 percent from deep. Ingles has been making his bread at being able to play and defend three positions. When considering win shares (an estimated amount of wins a player contributes per 48 minutes), the league average is .100. McDaniels is .076 while Ingles is .163.
For a team that is struggling with health, McDaniels would be a significant downgrade as a Hood/Hayward backup. I do not see Snyder signing off on any deal moving Ingles for a wing with a career field goal average of 40 percent no matter how many 2nd rounders are thrown in.
While I agree that Utah probably won’t be able to afford Ingles after this season, I see them getting everything they can out of him this year. Also, don’t forget Ingles is Hayward’s best friend on the team. If you are trying to re-sign your best player on the team, don’t trade his best friend.
Players with a .600+ TS%, a 15+ AST% and a 2+ STL%: Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Stephen Curry and…..
….Joe Ingles. pic.twitter.com/qA7YjLmk3o
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) December 2, 2016
Next: Raul Neto to the Charlotte Hornets
Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Raul Neto to the Charlotte Hornets
Here is Dan’s quote on trading Neto to the Hornets:
Signing Ramon Sessions and bringing back Brian Roberts seemed like a good idea for the Charlotte Hornets. They lost Jeremy Lin in free agency and needed more options at point guard behind Kemba Walker.
Neither Sessions nor Roberts has been very good, though. The former is shooting under 25 percent from deep, and the latter doesn’t get playing time. Charlotte’s offense craters whenever one of them is on the floor.
Raul Neto has canned 40.0 percent of his three-pointers since entering the NBA last year but can’t find spin with the Utah Jazz. Dante Exum and (for some reason) Shelvin Mack are in front of him. George Hill’s starter minutes are too valuable to trim when he’s healthy.
Though the Hornets don’t have much to offer, the Jazz won’t need a ton to part with Neto—their depth chart is stacked top to bottom. Roberts and a second-round pick could get a deal done. Neto doesn’t break the bank, but he’s signed through next season, and Utah will approach luxury-tax territory if it extends Derrick Favors and then re-signs Gordon Hayward and Hill.
If the Jazz finally start using Neto over Mack, the Hornets shouldn’t shy from chasing the latter.
Again, from the prospective of the Utah Jazz, this is another trade that doesn’t do much for the improvement of the Jazz. Just off the top, outside of All-Star talent i.e LeBron, I’m not a fan of trading 24-year-old prospects for 31-year-old journeymen.
While Neto has seen his playing time slashed with the addition of George Hill, he is a known commodity and as Dan points out he is a knock down 3-point shooter. On the season he is shooing 71 percent! Fine, it’s a super small sample size as he’s averaging five minutes a game but he’s great at shooting from range.
Neto has shown flashes of being a solid backup point guard, and even a capable spot starter when needed, and the Hornets would do well if they could acquire him as a back up to probable All-Star Kemba Walker. But it will cost them more than a second round pick and a career 41 percent shooter if they are serious.
Besides, rule number 1 in trading players in the NBA. Never give up the best looking player in the trade.
Raul Neto drains it from downtown for your second #MACU3! #SACatUTA pic.twitter.com/ylwlQZ7okA
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 11, 2016
Next: Kosta Koufos to the Utah Jazz
Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Kosta Koufos to the Utah Jazz
Finally, here is Dan’s target for the Jazz to pursue before the deadline:
The Jazz almost earned the “No One” label and for good reason. They have the net rating (plus-6.7) of a 55-win squad, and their depth chart is overrun with guys who need to play:
PG SG SF PF C George Hill Rodney Hood Gordon Hayward Derrick Favors Rudy Gobert Shelvin Mack Dante Exum Joe Johnson Trey Lyles Jeff Withey Raul Neto Alec Burks Joe Ingles Boris Diaw Joel Bolomboy Name the players who wouldn’t see burn on any other roster. (If you come up with more than one, it’s time to reassess your life choices.)
Utah can justify leaving its roster untouched, but there is value in chasing extra depth at center.
Diaw can soak up minutes at the 5, but he is 34, has already missed some time and doesn’t have a guaranteed salary for next year. Favors is nursing a bone contusion in his left knee and will be a free agent in 2018. Lyles won’t work long at center on defense.
Most importantly, Withey is slated for free agency in July. Another team will steal him; that’s a fact. He is better than most realize, and the Jazz cannot match his eventual market value with max(ish) money devoted to Rudy Gobert and the prospect of paying Exum (extension-eligible), Hayward, Hill, Hood (extension eligible) and Favors.
Kosta Koufos is owed a reasonable $25.2 million over the next three years (player option in 2018-19)—backup money in the new cap climate. Sacramento has too many bigs, so Utah might be able to get him for this year’s Golden State first-round pick and a player of its own choosing—Mack, Neto, maybe even the injured Burks.
I agree more with the sentiment that Utah should stand pat, as we’ve seen too many times that the pursuit of the missing small piece could lead to chemistry issues to the whole down the road. Dan has identified a legit need for the future of the Utah roster.
Jeff Withey has been better than most people realize, mainly filling in for Gobert. With the emphasis on rim protection in most defensive schemes this year it’s easy to imagine a team throwing substantial money at Withey banking on his development with added opportunity.
The other potential back up center is the long awaited Ante Tomic who was drafted back in 2008 by Kevin O’Connor. As Tomic is currently under contract until the end of the 2018 season I don’t imagine him being willing to change his mind and try his hand in the NBA.
Utah is very familiar with its former draft pick, and for that reason I don’t see them willing to move any of its current PG depth in exchange for future depth at the center position. Koufus is a solid backup center, and would be an asset behind Gobert. But I would venture a guess that Utah will be far more willing to try out Joel Bolomboy and see what shakes out in free agency should Withey get pulled away by a Brinks truck.
Next: What Should Utah do at the Trade Deadline?
Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
What Should Utah do at the Trade Deadline?
The answer is hopefully nothing. The obvious exception is a long-term injury to one of the core pieces, but even in that case this early run of injuries (72 games missed) has proven the system is capable of adjusting to different players’ strengths.
Here is the one interesting point that could lead the Jazz to the phone lines in February. Let’s imagine that Ingles continues this incredible shooting which provides the Jazz with unique roster flexibility. As we covered before his ability to defend three positions allows for Utah to switch on defense and maintain offensive fire power when Hayward, Hood, and Hill are off the floor.
While all that is going on Alec Burks is going to come back and hopefully soon. For those of you that don’t remember, Burks was averaging 14 points per game with a 40-38-82 split. But those numbers were with him as the 3rd banana after Hayward and Favors. Now he would find himself somewhere after Hayward, Hill, Hood, and Favors.
Utah has invested heavily in Burks and believes he still has a place on this team. He will probably step in and take over the Joe Johnson and back up PG minutes but Ingles has taken over the role he presumably would have filled. It isn’t hard to foresee a time where Burks’ biggest asset is his trade value.
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Big wings (Alec is 6’6″ remember) who can score in this league will always have a market. If Burks puts together several weeks of solid play where he establishes his athleticism and that he is still the player he was before all of his lost time to injury, he could easily draw a first round pick from a playoff bound team. That is a trade this Utah team could make.
But for now, more than likely, we can expect the usual from this Dennis Lindsey-led organization. A slow and steady burn.
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