Knicks pick trade.

[NewWolvesOrder]

NY pick for your pick returned, bobcats pick and rights to Nikola Pekovic?
Is it enough value for you guys? You can draft 2 young players on cheap rookie contracts, Pekovic is known for his pick'n'roll play and is a very physical center entering his best years and wants to join NBA this summer, I would rate him as Scola type talent.

[DelaneyRudd]

No. That kind of trade can get a GM canned. Remember the Jazz traded the 6th pick, the 27th pick and a 2006 first-round draft pick for the 3rd pick. So, two non-lotto picks and a completely unproven Euro won't cut it. Not even close.

[Fido]

All the reports I can find on Pekovic say he should be a solid NBA guy--but his 23 already and while 6'11", probably more like a PF than a C. The two picks will be non-lotto's so I'd have to echo the "no dice" comments.

[Kyben36]

Can I ask what you guys had to do for that pick,. in other words, how did you get ahold of it ??? ?

[DelaneyRudd]

A trade with Phoenix, Ben Handlogden and Keon Clark for Tom Gugliotta and the pick. Phoenix salary dumped. Phoenix recieved it in the Stephon Marbury trade.

[erudite23]

Very similar to the the trade that Detroit made with Memphis to get the pick that turned into Darko. It was a "protected 1st rounder" that had gradually declining protection that was never exceeded for a half decade until the protection ran out and the team was forced to hand over what was then the #6 pick in the draft. They got lucky in the lotto and won the #2 pick (that pick was protected top 1, so had they gotten the 1st pick instead of the second, Memphis would have won LeBron). Would love for history to repeat itself here...sans the whole drafting-an-epic-bust part, of course

[carrottop12]

At this point, with the pick looking likely to be a lottery pick I just don't see the Jazz trading it unless they get back a guy who is in a long term contract who is definitely going to take the Jazz to the next level.

The problem with that is that most of those guys are either going to be FA's this off season and therefore aren't worth trading for, or simply aren't on the trading block.

My guess is the Jazz end up with a #10 pick or better, and thus keep it considering this appears to be a very solid draft 1-12 or so.

[Charlie_S]

All the reports I can find on Pekovic say he should be a solid NBA guy--but his 23 already and while 6'11", probably more like a PF than a C. The two picks will be non-lotto's so I'd have to echo the "no dice" comments.

Not really, he's as pure of a 5 as you can find. A big brute with a nice power post-up game. If/when he comes over he's definitely going to be a useful player in the NBA but I don't know if he's what the Jazz should be looking for, as he doesn't have a perimeter shot, projects to have some defensive struggles and, at least until he can adapt to NBA referees, he will certainly be a fouling machine because of his bruising playing style.
All in all, I agree with the majority here, it's probably not worth it. I'd rather take a chance with the Knicks' pick.

[DelaneyRudd]

Here's one thing about that pick, if the Jazz turn down offers in private it won't ever be learned of. They go on, take the 10th pick and it works out or it doesn't. It not working out wouldn't be known for three years at least. If they do trade it, and it turns into the 1st, it will go down as one of the epic blunders in GMing history. There would be What If columns for decades.

[Ming Kong!]

Knicks current own the 9th worst record in the league, and are dropping like flies after being in the playoff bracket. They sit just 2-2.5 ahead of 5 teams, so they could easily get into the bottom 4-5 soon. It's amazing how the season has turned around, all at the same time we start playing amazing, 10-1 in our last 11, and meanwhile the Knicks are playing terrible. Kirilenko is in a contract year next year, if we get a top 5 pick next year, and Kirilenko plays at this level next year, well it could be a VERY sweet year.