11:58am: The Thunder have officially confirmed the trade, announcing in a press release that they received Favors and a future first-round pick in exchange for a 2027 second-rounder and cash.
Oklahoma City likely took on Favors’ contract using the $10.1MM trade exception it had available from last year’s Danilo Gallinari trade. The Jazz will create a new $9.26MM trade exception in the swap.
7:10am: The Thunder and Jazz are in agreement on a trade that will send Favors and a future first-round pick to Oklahoma City in exchange for a future second-rounder, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Utah is sending its 2022 first-round pick (top-six protected) to Memphis in another deal, so the first-rounder going to Oklahoma City figures to be in 2024 or later due to the Stepien rule.
6:40am: The Thunder and Jazz are engaged in serious talks on a potential trade that would send center Derrick Favors from Utah to Oklahoma City, according to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Favors, 30, signed a three-year contract with Utah last fall and posted modest numbers in his first season back with the team after a year in New Orleans. Favors averaged a career-low 5.4 PPG to go along with 5.5 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 68 games (15.3 MPG). It was his first NBA season in which he didn’t start a single game.
Favors’ contract isn’t especially onerous — he has a $9.7MM guaranteed salary for 2021/22, followed by a $10.2MM player option for 2022/23. However, it’ll likely be considered a negative asset given his dip in production last season and the fact that the Jazz are facing a serious cap crunch. If Utah re-signs Mike Conley and doesn’t dump any salary, the team will face a substantial tax bill next season.
As a point of comparison, when the Pistons agreed to send Mason Plumlee to the Hornets on Thursday, Detroit moved down 20 spots in the draft to do so (from No. 37 to 57). Plumlee was more productive in 2020/21 than Favors and is owed less guaranteed money going forward.
The Thunder are no strangers to accommodating salary dumps, having used that approach multiple times to add to their stockpile of future draft picks within the last couple years. They could take on Favors without sending any money back to the Jazz by using one of their trade exceptions or by opening up cap room once the new league year begins.
It’s unclear what sort of asset the Jazz might attach to Favors to get a deal done. There were rumors earlier in the week that they were discussing possible trades involving the big man and the No. 30 pick, but a 2021 selection is less likely to be involved now that all of those picks have been made. As such, Utah and Oklahoma City may be discussing a future draft asset.
We’ll always love u Fave! Jazzman for Life! Go mentor an be a great teacher an get u 10, 7 an 4a per game
@luke can we get a thunder pick tracker on the site? Lol it’s so hard to keep up with Presti and his collection of future firsts.
(Kidding of course) but seriously what is this now like 20 firsts in the next 6 drafts?
Why kidding? This would be a great tool!
I’d recommend the RealGM tracker. They do a great job getting all the conditions on traded picks: link to basketball.realgm.com
Thanks!
I think they’re only about four picks away from owning the entire first round in 206…
2026… Type slower, Hub…
Smart move by okc….take a 24 or 26 first rounder when the jazz could possibly implode by then. Either way just another first rounder in the stockpile. Love how presti is rebuilding the team.
I honestly dont get this for Utah, even though they’re obviously trying to open up some money. Favors was amazing last year, and is really, really good, and he took a big discount to go back there b/c he loves it there. Not sure if OKC keeps him, but if not. There are a bunch of teams that could really use him. I’d love him on the Heat, as I’ve said for a few years, although Dedmond was good for them last year
Does open up playing time for Azibuke, if he is healthy, though
Stop hoarding first rounders jerk
He’s making 10 mill to give you…..5 points and 5 rebounds. Jazz could go out n get a guy like Biyombo, Lopez, even resign Tony Bradley for half that price and they’ll still give you the same production.
But he has been amazing defensively, and their offensive efficiency with him on the floor was super high. Him being back there was a big reason they were where they were. I had picked them to do that the previous season, but he was a big missing piece
and 1 block on 15 minutes only. please check his production on 36 minutes to know his worth
thats just it right there. how much do they really need him if he’s only playing 15 minutes a game. and for 10 mill. they can get cheaper production elsewhere
Not only is he insurance for Gobert going down, he allows Gobert to rest without losing anything, and then, in certain matchups, he can also give you minutes at the 4 in a multi big lineup, which obviously isnt generally something you want to do, but it does come up…it was clear how valuable he was for them this year. That being said, I would agree that you could grab a cheaper big, and use that money potentially on another piece at the 4 or at the 2 off the bench, to upgrade on Niang/Oni
It does remain to be seen if they do that, considering their luxury tax implications, and what has been said about that…kind of seems more like they’re just clearing money to not take as big of a hit for keeping Conley
This was a pure money move I feel.
Favors is a luxury, Conley is a necessity.
Presti on another level
Why does everyone think that collecting more draft picks than you can possibly use is a good thing? The Thunder just used two first rounders on overdrafting two guys that play basically the same position as their two current best players. Team are not trading known top 10 picks much anymore. The only one dealt since the draft order was set was New Orleans’s #10 pick. So having a collection of twice as many first rounder as roster spots, what can you do with them other than continually tread water and constantly trade them for more future picks.
Other than possibly the Knicks, I don’t think anyone did as poorly on draft night as the Thunder. At least Minnesota was smart enough to completely sit out an event in which they usually fare poorly. Instead OKC has put themselves at the forefront of it.
Never hurts to accumulate more assets, and have versatility. The way I see it, OKC could potentially trade for almost anyone in the NBA, and grab multiple big pieces, whenever they’re ready to…
As for this move, they added a really good player and got a free 1st round pick to do it, which is pretty impressive
Accumulating assets is a good thing IF you use them well. If you don’t then you just have a large pile of nothing.
If I go to an orchard and buy a large supply of apples, I will do great if I sell them in bulk to various applesauce factories. But I try to sell them individually on the side of the road, I will probably end up with a lot of rotten apples along with a few that I am able to sell.
In theory they could. ie. They could offer 12 firsts for Dame, but to what end? Unless they coordinate with another disgruntled star simultaneously, which again in theory sounds somewhat plausible. But when stars rig their destinations it’s not usually to cities like OKC.
This is basically The Process 2.0 in OKC. There’s merit to the philosophy no doubt. But it might not be as foolproof as it’s most ardent proponents tend to believe.
The problem is that The Process 1.0 wasn’t really that successful. I mean, yes the Sixers were the #1 seed last year, but is there any proof that wouldn’t have happened had they not tanked for so long? A lot could have happened in the decade since the Process started.
Anyway, to your point yes they could get Damian Lillard with a bunch of firsts (I doubt it would take 12), maybe 7 or so + Kemba for salary reasons. Then you could get a forward like Siakam with another few. Then you probably still have enough to pick up a SF like DeRozan in a S&T and a C like Myles Turner and STILL have several firsts left over to play with.
Lillard/SGA/DeRozan/Siakam/Turner would easily be a contender in the West, if not the favorite. But instead of trying to compete, OKC is content to sit back and basically just take up space in the league. It is the exact antithesis of sportsmanship. Even if they don’t go to that extreme, OKC has enough ammo to put together a competitive team, but they are choosing not to. I hate that.
You dont think it’s a little early to assume they’re doing nothing?
I haven’t seen any evidence to the contrary, so I don’t consider it an assumption.
Yup. 12 firsts was hyperbolic but yeah—my point was that without an existing infrastructure the assets mean a lot less. You need some level of competence before you can cash in your chips for a Dame or AD.
I mean even the Knicks have failed again and again to use their “asset” of playing in the largest mkt in the country to acquire a star – largely bc the organization stinks. Stars more or less dictate where they go. They’re not going to ask out of one crap situation into another, no matter how many picks Presti has.
The Process in Philly is interesting. I mean, Hinkie, to his credit, got his franchise centerpiece in Embiid. To some extent I think that was a result of hoarding all the die rolls.
Yet at the same time we’re almost a decade in and the Process doesn’t even have one Finals appearance to its name, in the weaker conference. Despite Hinkie rolling out a G League team for multiple seasons.
The biggest problem with “the Process” and really all forms of tear down rebuilds is that some of their fans might not be around when they decide to try again. Sure massive rebuilds do not mean much to teenagers and twenty-somethings because they think they will live forever. But as I get older, I realize that a lot of people don’t have 5 years to wait to watch people try.
My grandfather is 85 years old and a huge Cubs fan. They just traded away everyone and are going to be bad for a few years now. How can I look my grandfather in the eye and say they aren’t going to be trying much for the 2.5 seasons. He doesn’t care that the Cubs might be better in 2024, because odds are he might not be around to see 2024. And I’m sure there are some Thunder fans in that same boat.
It is just disgusting that these people make the obscene amount of money they make off of US and they don’t even bother trying to compete, let alone win.
When you’re rebuilding you want as many bites of the apple as possible to get a legit star
So you get picks and you draft you think is the best at that spot
Or you can trade multiple picks to move up higher if there is someone you really like, teams aren’t against trading down.
They just got another first rounder and will probably flip favors later for another pick, especially some needy team in the season has an injury
Yeah, can’t say I liked their picks. And Presti’s recent track record of drafting is a mixed bag. We’ll see what happens.
Presti uses his stockpile to take fliers on risky picks… I’m not a big fan of taking the kids than waiting some years. The NCAA is the best showcase for development, and has been, in the world, for any sport. For some reason the apprentice system has not taken hold. :D
But is was UTAH’s choice to take this action. Of course it was about running it back with the same core… but I would have liked to keep Favors in it.
If Utah, with a new GM, goes with a small-ball 5 to replace Favors, they will have to change their defense when the replacement comes in. Maybe that’s desirable to make them more flexible, and being veterans, they can revise themselves. Best-laid plans ha.
I was one of those blasting them for the bad reaction to the corner-3 demons LAC in their playoff end. So I guess karma says I should not complain about the corporate reaction.
and 1 block on 15 minutes only. please check his production on 36 minutes to know his worth
Pry for a Kemba trade package if I had to guess
So happy that my thunder got Favors he’s such an underrated player and always has been
OKC seems to have their own version of The Process, but will it work any better than what the Sixers had somewhat limited success with?
I’m still holding out hope for 1 of the names I threw out there for you
Always a good thing for a team to acquire draft assets. But, seriously, it’s not a hard thing to do if you’re not concerned about the quality of your team, and view the roster as a warehouse for dumped contracts. Presti is doing what he has to do, and doing it well, but it doesn’t make him even a good GM. Of course, he’s done some other things over the course of his career, good and bad, and those have generally defined him positively (though certainly not elite), but anyone could do what he’s been doing the last few years.
Agreed. He’s generally been pretty good, but he got extremely lucky with the PG-13 and Westbrook hauls. Just happened to be in the right place at the right time with respect to desperate teams willing to significantly overpay for talent.
He was born (as a GM) lucky too. The David Griffin of his day. Ping pong balls gave him Durant, and he inherited trade assets named Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. Then tanking and more ping pong balls – more than acumen – got him RW and Harden.
He’s respected and should be, but if he wants recognition beyond that, he has to build a championship team. He’s still young enough to do that at OKC, but he won’t get there by salary dumps alone.
The theory is sound. The execution is dragging.
At some point there has to be an aim to the asset accumulation. Easier said than done but that’s why these dudes get paid top dollar.
Like, you’re looking to move SGA, a 23 year old, because he’s probably not going to fit your timetable, and you’re 2 years into your rebuild, then that might be an issue.
Edit: typos.
They have a pretty deep, young and versatile roster, with a ton of assets to potentially move, and they still have a couple of veterans there, so the young guys arent left alone. They’ve been able to grab undervalued pieces.
It’s a very good point.
Ofc media sells papers, well clicks now, so they have to build him a stage and dust him with gold flecks
** But I think Silver enjoys having an OKC or 2 around year to year to help facilitate movement in the league…. It won’t be OKC forever but as long as the rules/cap stay the same there will always be someone in that role and it doesn’t take an advanced degree to execute it as to your point so suitors won’t shy away…. Is it a problem…Maybe…but I don’t see how to circumvent it….Maybe place a cap on how many picks can be held over 7 yr stretch..IDK
Will you guys be creating an offseason trades page soon?
Yeah, it’ll probably be up tomorrow.
@ Luke Adams do you think that this is a good move by my thunder. Or do you think he’ll be gone
The trade was more about the first-round pick than Favors, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s flipped in another deal within the next week or two.
Having said that, if they keep him, he’ll probably play pretty well and maybe they could eventually trade him for more value at the 2022 deadline or next summer.
I mean UTA was never really competing for the championship & now they made it general knowledge that they don’t wanna compete, when you weaken your already average team just to save $$$, teams that wanna win they spend as much as they can to do it, UTA is just penny pinching which is the opposite to compete, right?
Favors is a fan favorite. I just think he seemed a bit stiff out there. He has built great instincts. He definitely helped against most teams. They just need a bit more versatility with their bench. Can get multiple pieces for the same amount of money.
I suspect the Jazz will either make another trade or will use the TPE they have to sign a FA or 2. Could be rookies that play well on someone’s SL team.
The new owner has shown the front office that he’s willing to spend. So I wouldn’t judge this move until the roster is finalized.