Before I dive in, thank you for your patience as we’ve migrated to the new, updated site. It’s taken a little time to get everything working but it’s looking like things are moving along smoothly now. Now, to the article.
According to multiple sources, the Utah Jazz have traded for Georges Niang along and two second round picks.
What did it cost them? Undrafted pickup, RJ Luis Jr. and part of their John Collins trade exception.
In a vacuum it’s a solid move for the Jazz who get another expiring deal in Niang and also gain two second round picks. Everyone worried about the second round pick they gave to Charlotte in the Collin Sexton deal can now rest easy.
It’s a move that, paired with all other moves they’ve done this summer, show the trends of what the Jazz are doing. They’re bringing on draft capital when possible and they’re doing it with expiring deals that keep their books clean for potential moves after the upcoming offseason.
Niang is just good enough that he will bring some competition to what is becoming a pretty crowded power forward spot for the Jazz. That said, Niang is not as good of a player as John Collins and won’t likely cement his role in the rotation. If he does, that means the Jazz young players are struggling. If you can’t beat out Georges Niang for minutes, you’re probably not starter quality.
When you look at the roster, it’s probably Taylor Hendricks that will compete the most with Niang. The hope would be he comes off his injury ready to go and can be a permanent part of the rotation this season. That said, Niang and Kyle Anderson are not likely to be happy just riding the bench, they’ll be playing for minutes too. If they play well, Utah can just trade their contracts if they want, or move forward with them
All in all it’s a trade that seems to fit what the Jazz are doing, as long as it doesn’t hinder the youth development. If it does, it means something is wrong with the young players on this Jazz team.