FanPost

Brooklyn-Utah-Portland Trade

Normally when looking at trades, one assumes that they will be for the beginning of the offseason, after July. The following is a trade that can actually be done at this time, right at the draft, and rights will not have to be held for a longer period of time. Here is one trade that I would like to see done on draft-day, and it involves two teams that have the necessary cap room for this previous season to finalize the trade immediately.

Nets get: F/C Meyers Leonard, SG Alec Burks, 2017 2nd Round Pick (from Detroit through Utah), 2018 1st Round Pick (from Oklahoma City through Utah; lottery-protected through 2020)
Jazz get: F/C Festus Ezeli, SG Sean Kilpatrick, 2017 1st Round Pick (#15, from Portland)
Blazers get: PF Trevor Booker, SG K.J. McDaniels, 2017 1st Round Pick (#24, from Utah)

Why do the Jazz make this trade?

Here are the Jazz: a team that should be able to contend for the Western Conference over the next few seasons, but one that is in a small market with two of their best players approaching free agency. With Gordon Hayward entering free agency again and expected to entertain maximum contract offers from all teams interested, the Jazz will have the added bonus of being able to offer the most years and salary; the same can be said for George Hill, the point guard who simply flourished in Utah's system and is entering free agency with an eye on his (likely last) next big contract.

In order to re-sign both of these guys and stay below the luxury tax threshold, the Jazz will need to move out some bigger contracts to help ease salary concerns. With this trade, Utah is able to move out Alec Burks from their crowded backcourt (along with his $22 million over the next two seasons), acquire a replacement in Sean Kilpatrick at a fraction of Burks' cost, and move up 9 spots in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft (from #24 to #15).

The price of Oklahoma City's 2018 1st Round Pick may seem high at first glance, but with the savings of salary cap room that can be used for the upcoming season (Festus Ezeli will be bought out for $1 million against their cap, per his contract stipulations), being able to keep George Hill and Gordon Hayward in the fold automatically makes the trade a win for Utah; and they have a top #15 selection as well as another late first round pick (from Golden State) that will be on a cheap contract if not stashed away overseas.

Why do the Blazers make this trade?

Portland is in a tricky spot going forward: they are a team that has a payroll that does not match where they have fallen to standings-wise. Paying out luxury tax payments for a #8 seed is not a smart use of resources (even for a billionaire owner, as the Nets can attest to), so looking to move out some salary this year should be priority number 1.

Festus Ezeli and Meyers Leonard are two players that the team can look to move out (Ezeli due to his contract not being guaranteed for 2017-18 but not wanting his $1 million buyout on the cap; Leonard due to the length of his contract and wanting to upgrade the PF spot he occupies), but the key is trying to get back players who don't have a lot of term left on their contracts. Acquiring Trevor Booker (on an expiring contract) would help solidify the PF spot for the Blazers, and it would also enable the team to get out of the three years left on Leonard's contract. Also, adding K.J. McDaniels into the trade helps Portland rid themselves of Ezeli, and also saves them money on next season's payroll because McDaniels has a non-guaranteed contract that can be waived for no cost just after the NBA Draft, saving the team $3.3 million on the 2016-17 luxury tax and opening up a roster spot for the upcoming season.

Yes, trading down from #15 to #24 may seem like a big drop (especially in this draft), but having three cheaper 1st Round Picks can keep Portland's options open should they decide to either stash a prospect or two overseas or even trade down to accumulate more draft picks. All in all, Portland is trading away close to $17 million in contracts for the upcoming season, but will end up saving over $30 million (before luxury tax) between the 2018-2020 seasons by ridding themselves of Meyers Leonard's contract; and the price they end up paying is a drop of 9 spots in the NBA Draft - this trade looks like a win from Portland as well.

Why do the Nets make this trade?

For the Nets, the main goal since Sean Marks was hired was to keep all options open while also trying to maximize assets (now and future). With that in mind, this trade accomplishes everything; armed with two first round picks already in the draft (and a 2nd round pick from Boston at the bottom of the draft), this trade enables the Nets to use two of their cheaper contracts in McDaniels and Kilpatrick to help their new respective team's needs (Portland to waive McDaniels and save luxury tax money; Kilpatrick to fill the roster spot of Alec Burks at a fraction of Burks' salary), while also getting good value on Trevor Booker.

Adding Alec Burks ($22 million owed over next two seasons) and Meyers Leonard (a little north of $30 million owed over next three seasons) does eat into the Nets potential cap space this upcoming season; however, this trade does provide some upside with the players involved. Burks has become a pretty decent three-point shooter and has good size at 6'6"; giving Burks the opportunity to play with more minutes as well as in Kenny's offensive system, there is always the chance that the Nets could rebuild his value at a price tag/salary that may not seem so outlandish. For Meyers Leonard, the Nets acquire a big man who can back-up the PF and C spots when Kenny chooses to go small, and has the draft pedigree that one can hope will show itself with a fresh start in a new environment.

Now one might ask: If Portland is trading the #15 pick overall, why wouldn't the Nets attempt to just make it a simple two-team trade of Ezeli and Leonard (along with #15) to the Nets for Booker, McDaniels, and #27 overall? And while that is a valid question, the lack of assets for 2018 is a main driving force to make the three-team trade. Acquiring a relatively high 2nd Round Pick (from Detroit through Utah) gives the Nets options for taking advantage of the new rules for extra roster spots and D-League, and in a deep draft they should be able to find some solid value at this spot. And then there is the 2018 1st Round Pick from Oklahoma City; yes the pick is lottery-protected due to previous agreements when the Eric Kanter trade went down, but it's still a very valuable pick. And for a team that has no protections on their traded pick for the 2018 Draft, this will ensure that (barring another trade) the Nets have a pick next year.

All in all....

This trade works out well for all parties involved: the Nets get some draft picks as well as take advantage of their cap space by acquiring two younger players already signed to long-term deals; the Jazz clear cap space to re-sign both George Hill and Gordon Hayward while also moving up 9 spots in Round 1 of the 2017 Draft; and the Blazers end up clearing money off of the upcoming season's payroll while also slashing $30+ million off their future payroll from 2018-2020 in the first of what could be many moves for their organization.

Thoughts?