And twenty others who don't.
Utah Jazz grade: B+
...
For the most part, this looks like pragmatism on the part of Utah CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge, who has operated patiently since taking control of the Jazz. Given Fontecchio was an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022, getting an early second-round pick in return is a huge win.
I thought he was restrictedPelton:
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NBA trade grades 2023-24: Breaking down the biggest deals this deadline
The 2023-24 NBA trade deadline has arrived. We're handing out grades for the league's most important deals.www.espn.com
Pelton:
![]()
NBA trade grades 2023-24: Breaking down the biggest deals this deadline
The 2023-24 NBA trade deadline has arrived. We're handing out grades for the league's most important deals.www.espn.com
Due to his combination of size and skill, Fontecchio had become a crucial player for the Jazz. Lineups with Fontecchio at small forward had played just about even over the course of the season (minus-0.5 net rating), per my analysis of lineup data from NBA Advanced Stats -- easily the best mark of any Utah player who's seen more than 50 minutes of action at small forward.
Barring another trade before the deadline, this looks like a second straight year a Jazz team in play-in contention will take a step back.
Knox ain't it. He's just a throw in.I'm a bit surprised by the consensus reaction, I like this trade for us. Not sure I get it from Detroit's perspective.
Simone is a good players and could be a "piece" on a contending team, but we are nowhere near that. DA clearly remains laser-focused on acquiring assets with future value to go out and get the franchise cornerstones when the time is right. Obviously we're trying to win come tipoff time, but it's pretty damn obvious the FO has not been trying to win from a roster construction standpoint the last 24 months. If we move JC, Sexton (we shouldn't), KO, etc. nobody should be expecting "win now" pieces in return.
The 2nd this year from Detroit is valuable. It's essentially a late first, has more near-term value than a heavily protected FRP that won't convey for 2+ years (if ever), and puts us in a great spot to trade into the late first if there's someone we are targeting in that range come draft night.
And I suppose I'm higher on Knox than most - the raw material is still there, he's just been on bad, bad teams. Hardy can clearly get the most out of players with good size, length, and shooting ability. It wasn't long ago that Lauri was also massively wasted.
Are we going to become a halfway house for troubled Hawks?I’ll bet Knox gets rerouted. He has no value except maybe for salary purposes. And I think it’s likely the 2nd round pick is traded. Fournier/ Grimes may be incoming. But I wonder if De’andre Hunter could be the target for the Jazz.