The NBA world has been turned on its head with the news of Kevin Durant requesting a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. But, minutes after that, the Nets did make a trade with the Utah Jazz.
The Jazz traded Royce O’Neale to Brooklyn in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick. The Jazz will receive the least favorable of the picks between the Houston Rockets, Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. Coincidentally, all of those picks are tied to James Harden trades.
It was certainly odd timing for a trade to be completed, especially since the Nets roster is going to undergo a complete overhaul. In addition to Durant, Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris and Ben Simmons could all be on the move as well.
But, it is even odder from Utah’s perspective. The move certainly raised some eyebrows as the Jazz has been at the center of some trade rumors involving their All-Star duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
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The O’Neale move essentially equates to a salary dump for the Jazz. Could this be a sign of things to come? During a recent appearance on ESPN, Brian Windhorst brought up the Jazz and said that it is a situation people around the league are monitoring.
“Why would the Jazz do that?” said Brian Windhorst on ESPN. “Why would the Jazz, who have two stars on their roster, take one of their starters and best defensive players in a salary dump move? Why would they do that?
“What’s going in Utah? And that’s what people around the league are watching right now. What’s going on in Utah? I think the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns need to figure out what’s going in Utah right now.”
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Windhorst also mentioned what the arrival of Danny Ainge could mean. When he took over Boston, he made major changes to the coaching staff and roster. So far, the same formula is being followed in Salt Lake City.
Quin Snyder stepped down as head coach and the Jazz hired Will Hardy away from the Boston Celtics, similar to when he hired Brad Stevens away from the collegiate levels at Butler. A trade involving Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett followed.
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Could that mean that the Utah Jazz is going to move both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert this offseason? That is something that teams are trying to figure out, as Utah could enter a full-on rebuild, directly impacting the negotiations that the Nets could have centered around Durant as other All-Stars could now be on the trade block.
