Would you reverse Al Jefferson Trade?

[StocktonShorts]

If today you had the option of reversing the Al Jefferson trade would you do it?

Just to review, the Jazz sent two future first round picks (one of which was used last year on Donatas Motiejūnas and the other is still owed to Minnesota) and Kosta Koufos to Minnesota.

So would you trade Al Jefferson and his contract for Koufos, Motiejūnas and the pick back? Keep in mind you'd also be clearing a ton of salary off the books.

[babyjax13]

I love Al, but I think I'd reverse it. Motiejunas will be an absolute beast. EDIT: at the time though, with Deron still on the team, it made a lot of sense and I wouldn't say that I regret the move, either.

[HolyToledo]

I dont think the picks will amount to much for Minnesota so I would not reverse it because I think Big Al has more trade value now since he has recovered from his injuries.

That being said I would trade him now for whatever I could get and I think we could get something decent, at least a little more than what we gave up for him. Its time to trade away him or Millsap so playing time can be had for Favors and Kanter. In essence, I think we have more trade options now than we would have had if we never acquired him, but of course Im not the one paying his salary.

[StocktonShorts]

Just to clarify, I'm not second guessing the decision to make the trade at the time it was made. I think it was a good gamble.

But as I started thinking about what a Big Al trade might look like for the Jazz this year, it seems like the reverse of the original deal has a lot of the possible ingredients:

1) salary relief
2) serviceable backup center
3) draft pick
4) young prospect

[HolyToledo]

The Big Al Trade allows us to trade away him now or trade away Millsap keeping Big Al. Both are options which help our team more than what we would have had.

[StocktonShorts]

Again, I'm not asking if you would go back in time and undo the trade, I'm asking if the reverse trade were offered today, would you take it?

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

This is an easy no. Jefferson has been our best player since the Deron trade.

[d-will8]

While I also totally get why we made the trade when we did and liked it at the time, I'd revese it without hesitation. Al's a good player, but not nearly good enough to justify the cap room, touches or time he's eating up on the team we have, not with Favors and Kanter waiting in the wings. In the unlikely case that somebody actually was willing to give us cap room, a solid young back up center, a promising prospect and a future first round pick for Al, I'd jump on that, so I'd be all for a reversal.

[MeestR]

hypothetical right? cuz jazz are VERY close to the minimum salary now, so any trade they make would require taking on equal or more salary, not shedding salary.

so salary aside, NO. koufus and a rook and a future rook is the talent your taking back for jefferson. NOT WORTH IT.

if we disregard the minimum salary requirement, i still wouldn't do it. the holes in jazz's offense caused by jefferson is more to do with the offense corbin is running, not jefferson. jefferson is a pro and a team player. from what i have heard from him, he is more than willing to play another role on the team and currently is one of the most competent of all the players involved to do so.

(unfortunately, jazz need more than competence, which this "reverse trade" doesn't offer)

[d-will8]

You're right that the Jazz need more than competence. That's exactly why I'd do a trade like this (assuming it wouldn't dip us below the minimum salary line). Right now, we've (arguably) got a "competent" team, but we're nowhere near contention. So, why waste money, touches and time on Jefferson when we could get cap space, flexibility, young assets and time for our future cornerstones instead? To me, that would be a vastly superior route to something more than competence than this weird "reloading" nonsense KOC and company are trying to sell right now. I might be defining competence differently than you are, though.

Obviously, this is an absurdly unlikely hypothetical, but it does raise some interesting issues about the team and where we are and should be going.

[HolyToledo]

Again, I'm not asking if you would go back in time and undo the trade, I'm asking if the reverse trade were offered today, would you take it?

I would not take it bc Jefferson has more value if not in the trade market at least to the Jazz. If his trade value is that low then keep him and trade away Millsap who seems to have higher trade value.

[BJSmiles]

I would. Montiejunas will be a decent player with a lot of upside, and Koufos is becoming a serviceable big in Denver. The possibility of an extra first round pick would be great as well. It would be nice to have cap space to make a run at someone next year too.

[erudite23]

Here's the pertinent questions:

1) Would nixing the trade have inflamed Deron to the point where we were forced to trade him and take a much worse deal than we ultimately took for him?

2) How much (if any) would it have improved our 2011 pick? Instead of Burks could we be looking at Knight, Biyombo, Jimmer or even Kyrie?

3) Would removing him from the equation hasten the development of Favors and/or Kanter?


If the answer to any of those questions is affirmative to a decent degree, I would say yes.

And I'm thinking that it would be. So, yes, I would probably take the trade back in hindsight. Although at the time it was a no-brainer type deal. Certainly can't blame KOC for trying.

[ColdBlue]

I think Al is an asset in regards to helping Favors and Kanter learn the game.

[StocktonShorts]

I think Al is an asset in regards to helping Favors and Kanter learn the game.

I've seen Favors attempt an Al Jefferson-esque push shot a couple times and it made me want to vomit. I'd really rather not have Al teach those guys how to be giant vaginas on offense.

[blackham9258]

I wouldn't do the trade. Al Jefferson was at a low value when he was traded. His value has gone up since then and we could get more now.

That said I wouldn't have reversed the trade in the past because we would have been a much worse team last year and everyone in the league would have known it, and would have swooped in and started Deron rumors... and we wouldn't have been able to get as good of deal as we did.

All that said... I would swap Jefferson for Kyle Lowry and Dalembert right now, or for Martin and their two picks this year (NY's and their own). I would prefer the former, but would be fine with the latter too.

[reapaman]

No because Favors and Kanter are shooting under 50% on mostly garbage buckets and wide open shot where the defense literally daring them too shoot like OKC did multiple times. I can only imagine the horribleness that we will see if defenses actually planned for them like they do Jefferson. For all of Jefferson and even Millsaps offensive struggle at times, believe me it could be a lot worse.

[Amish Mafioso]

hypothetical right? cuz jazz are VERY close to the minimum salary now, so any trade they make would require taking on equal or more salary, not shedding salary.

This is NOT correct.

2011/12 max salary cap figure: $58,044,000
2011/12 min salary cap figure: $46,435,200

Utah's salary: $57,633,685 (before adding Carroll)

http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages ... s/jazz.jsp

[StocktonShorts]

hypothetical right? cuz jazz are VERY close to the minimum salary now, so any trade they make would require taking on equal or more salary, not shedding salary.

This is NOT correct.

2011/12 max salary cap figure: $58,044,000
2011/12 min salary cap figure: $46,435,200

Utah's salary: $57,633,685 (before adding Carroll)

http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages ... s/jazz.jsp

Thanks for addressing that. I thought the Jazz were right under the max (and not near the minimum) but I didn't have the figures handy.

It would be very difficult for the Jazz to orchestrate a trade that would get them below the minimum salary number.

[MeestR]

hypothetical right? cuz jazz are VERY close to the minimum salary now, so any trade they make would require taking on equal or more salary, not shedding salary.

This is NOT correct.

2011/12 max salary cap figure: $58,044,000
2011/12 min salary cap figure: $46,435,200

Utah's salary: $57,633,685 (before adding Carroll)

http://www.shamsports.com/content/pages ... s/jazz.jsp

sorry for the bad info. i was certain i read something after the okur trade that said getting rid of him took the team from just above tax paying status to just above the min salary. i guess the jazz don't have near the flexibility i thought they might.

ok, let's trade him for peanuts so we can finally sign those big name free agents who block shots and shoot 3's. oh wait...