Around the NBA in 15 trades: Day 9, Celtics and Jazz
In the lead up to the Feb. 8 trade deadline, we’re taking all 30 teams and finding mutually beneficial partners. Every day will offer up a new deal with two new consorts. It’s kinda like the 12 days of Christmas, but instead of hens-a-laying and pear trees and other useless nonsense from your true love, you’re getting fake trades from me for a much higher holy day: the NBA trade deadline. Strap in tight, it’s trading season!
Currently occupying the catbird seat of the East and sporting the NBA’s best defensive rating, the Celtics should be looking to fortify any relative weaknesses in advance of the postseason. With Cleveland showing plenty of vulnerability, this could be the year Boston takes the next step into the Finals.
The Jazz, on the other hand, are a sinking ship. They’re tenth in the West without much hope to leapfrog any of the teams in front of them. They have a bunch of pieces that’d be helpful to contenders, so they should be trying to cash in for some future assets.
Why the Celtics do it:
Boston vastly improved their rebounding from a year ago, but they still only grade out as middle of the road. They’re also 18th in the league in blocks as a team, so finding a banger who can clean the glass and guard the cup would go a long way.
Derrick Favors would be the near-ideal deadline acquisition for Boston. He’d be an upgrade to Aron Baynes as the center off the bench or someone to play alongside Al Horford. In the case Horford was to get hurt, Favors is a qualified, reliable big man you’d feel confident about plugging into a starting lineup.
He may not be a true rim protector, but he’s sufficient enough. On the Celtics, he’d barely rank behind only Horford for the team lead in blocks per game.
This would be a win-now move for a team that’s winning now, without mortgaging much (if any) of their future or current rotation.
Why the Jazz do it:
In today’s game, Favors should exclusively be playing center — an impossible scenario in Utah with Rudy Gobert anchoring the pivot. The Jazz are at their best when Favors and Gobert don’t have to coexist in the same frontcourt. Together, they don’t provide the speed or spacing required to have a proficient offense.
Utah invested heavily in Gobert. Favors, however, is an expiring contract and not someone the Jazz plan on bringing back. Utah should get any assets they can before the deadline.
Marcus Morris and Aron Baynes are useful players, both on short, inexpensive deals (Morris — two years, $5 million per season; Baynes — one year, $4.3 million). They’re veterans who can soak up minutes and give you some numbers in the process.
Next: Around the NBA in 15 trades: Day 8, Kings and Pacers
Guerschon Yabusele would be the reason Utah says yes to this trade. Drafted 16th overall in 2016, he was tabbed as the French Draymond Green and the “Dancing Bear,” both for his all-around game and less-than-stellar conditioning. While he’s struggled to get time on a very deep Celtics squad, he remains an interesting prospect with three more years left on his rookie deal. For as much of an unknown quantity Yabusele is, there’s a chance he can be the right frontcourt mate for Gobert and the Jazz. At the very least, they’ll have the French connection.