Sacramento Kings Receive: F Bojan Bogdanovic
Utah Jazz Receive: G Derrick White, 2023 First-Round Pick (Top 10 Protected – SAC)
Boston Celtics Receive: F Harrison Barnes
If the Utah Jazz find themselves hosting a much-rumored fire sale this summer, the Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics could both be in prime position to take advantage.
Bojan Bogdanovic is not a distinct upgrade over Harrison Barnes. He does not pack the same defensive punch. He is, however, a decidedly better three-point shooter. Barnes’ career three-point percentage of 37.9% is great, but it’s no match for Bogey’s 39.2% mark. The Kings could justify that maximizing the spacing around Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox is a higher priority than defense.
As for the Jazz: this is not a position they wish to be in. If they’re doing this deal, rest assured they were forced to trade one of Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert elsewhere, if not both. No team opts to trigger a rebuild if they can avoid it.
Landing a first-round pick for Bogdanovic is good value from that perspective. They’ll sleep well knowing the Sacramento Kings are doing everything in their power to ensure the pick doesn’t fall under that top 10 protection.
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Meanwhile, Boston gets their guy without even having to part with Theis in this package. Bringing the Jazz into the fold makes this trade much more straightforward for them and Sacramento.
Often, targeting veterans on rebuilding teams has that effect. We can be confident that Boston and Sacramento will be hunting wins in 2022-23. The Jazz’s future is far less certain.
