Al Jefferson

[Rapsfan07]

Raptors fan here. Just wondering what the Jazz is looking for for Jefferson..Cap relief?

[Soul Patch]

A quality swingman.

[carrottop12]

A quality swingman and six bags of milk.

[Rapsfan07]

Barbosa? lol

[mjvile]

Raptors fan here. Just wondering what the Jazz is looking for for Jefferson..Cap relief?

Utah is not in the position to need to move a quality big guy like Al away for cap relief. If Al is involved in a trade it will have to improve our team on the court and not off the books.

Top needs

LEADER
SG
Sixth man
3 point shooter
Proven defensive big (Favors Hopefully)
Point Guard

So if you can find a player that can fill multiple items on that list then we will see Big Al involved in trade talks.

[Jazzfan12]

I think the team would move Al for cap space. Hopefully could get back a second-round pick or two as well though.

[carrottop12]

I think you are underestimating what Al would bring on the trade market because of what the Jazz gave up to get him.

Truth was we were in a unique position to get Al because of our cap space and the fact that we had multiple picks to get him, and Minny was trying to speed up their offense built around Love.

Similar to the Eric Maynor trade, OKC didn't give up much to get him, but what they gave up was very valuable for the Jazz. Doesn't mean he is worthless on the trade market.

If you really break down the Al trade we gave up Ronnie Brewer who was a legit starting SG pre-trade, a future first without great protection, a back up C, and a large trade exception which has value.

If we were to trade Al now I'd expect the Jazz to get back a starting caliber player, a decent first rounder, and likely some cap space as well. I actually think he's a better trade piece now that he has shown he can recover from his injury and has worked to get himself in shape.

[QuantumMacgyver]

Cap space?! Uh.... no.

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

Pretty much what everyone else said. Quality wing and/or high draft picks.

Honestly though, I don't think we're really looking to trade him. Not unless it's for something we can't say no to.

[Jazzfan12]

Pretty much what everyone else said. Quality wing and/or high draft picks.

Honestly though, I don't think we're really looking to trade him. Not unless it's for something we can't say no to.

We just got two top 3 pick big men yet we're not looking to trade the veteran big man who is the biggest cap drain of all the vets on the team? Maybe you're right, but that just seems like an odd strategy to me.

[J_Ray]

Valanciunas

[Neon Black]

Yeah I don't think we're trying too hard to trade the guy. I'm sure they wait it out and see what he brings this season...it's way too soon to give up on a guy with so much potential, especially after how ridiculously hard he's worked this off-season. Same goes for Millsap.

Jazz FO are always open to trades, but there's a difference between waiting for the right thing and actively trying to get rid of someone.

[Luigi]

Utah's willingness to let Jefferson go is similar to Millsap. I'd expect them to fetch a similar type of player (something a little below Danny Granger or Rajon Rondo, so Utah would sweeten the deal a bit to get one of those guys), but Millsap's appeal is his great contract, and Jefferson's appeal is his superior and rare offensive contribution.

Jefferson doesn't have the fan favorite factor going for him like Millsap does. But you can build an offense around Jefferson, and you can't say that about Millsap. Jefferson is getting paid a lot more, but I think Utah is willing to pay him that for his contributions.

So both he and Millsap are available, and hopefully would bring back a piece that will be a permanent fixture in the plan moving ahead (like Rondo or Granger level guys...maybe Iguodala?). Otherwise, I'm cool with playing them and letting them expire, at least for now.

[The59Sound]

Let the Granger madness stop.

[Paper Face]

Let the Granger madness stop.

+1

[Luigi]

What Granger madness? I was just setting a talent level for a return. Put some thought into your posts.

[Jazzfan12]

The last three times Jefferson has been the centerpiece of an offense, his teams finished 29th, 25th, and 27th offensively.

[StocktonShorts]

The last three times Jefferson has been the centerpiece of an offense, his teams finished 29th, 25th, and 27th offensively.

True, but you're ignoring what he adds on the defensive end of the court.


Oh. Right.

[erudite23]

Great point. Let it be known that all three teams had a dearth of talent around him, though.

I'm not a big Jefferson fan, and I get frustrated with the homeristic view that some Jazz posters have of his relative value, but I do think he's a quality player and could be a very big contributor to a championship level team if he was in the right position.

You can't expect him to defend the other team's primary post option, you can't expect him to rotate the ball quickly and effectively, and you can't expect him to convert shots at a highly efficient rate.

However, he can create decent-to-good shots at will, but most importantly WITHOUT RISKING A TURNOVER. That is his #1 attribute by far. He creates shots without turning it over. Ever.

And if you have deadly shooters around him, he is capable of throwing the ball out most of the time, as long as he doesn't have to do it cross-court or through traffic. Put shooters and an elite defensive player next to him--like in Boston or Orlando for example--and his strengths would suddenly outweigh his weaknesses by a large degree.

Unfortunately, the Jazz have neither the shooters or the big time defender around to make this work, and we have what could be potentially a much better post scorer waiting in the wings for an opportunity. What this means is that Jefferson's days are numbered, but that there is no rush to trade him now. This should, in theory, allow us to extract the most possible value out of him. People always need shot creators, they always need post offense, and they always need quality bigs. Jefferson is all 3.

You would think that would bring something nice back in return.




.....right? Please?

[eLo]

Big Al is awesome person, and very talented player period. His post skills are at top NBA level so that example that @JazzFan12 gave it's quite silly, at least for me. I wouldn't gave him even for package of Derozan and future firs round pick.