I like this trade. A lot.
People complain about cake baking. Then they complain about making a move.
You can argue we overpaid. That we have one guaranteed year with Conley, then he could leave on his player option. And that Conley is getting old. Well, if you had the chance to play with Gobert and Mitchell, would you be eager to move on? And the upside of him being old is that it is not clear there will be massive contracts tossed his way at the end of his option year.
Love Korver, but his time as an impact player was over.
Like Jae, but he is not someone who will elevate the franchise. Solid yes, great Jazz attitude yes. The third key piece behind Gobert and Mitchell? No.
I like Grayson and would have liked to keep him. But his ceiling is not sky high to me.
Wasn't terribly psyched for the 23rd pick this year. Hurts to lose another first round pick after this one, but nothing comes for free.
I am still an Exum fan, and we keep him. When healthy (yeah I know, small sample size) he has shown elite speed. And I have to believe he can learn to finish at the rim. But as much as I love Exum, it is too much of a risk to turn the point guard spot over to him until he shows he can finish and stay healthy. This will give at least one year for that. Exum has been ridiculously injured, but they really have been flukes of all different kinds. Maybe he is made of crystal and there is always one more thing waiting to shatter. But I really think he has the chance to finally blossom and I look forward to watching him get the chance.
Glad to still have Favors as a trade option or as a solid piece to keep. He has been a wonderful Jazz man and has performed big when it counted.
Then there is the impact on Gobert. We need to show him the Jazz are serious about winning the championship he craves. Making no moves increases the chance of losing the big man because he becomes frustrated and loses belief.
The impact on Mitchell may be larger. Back to the #2 spot with a point guard who can legitimately create his own shot. This will take so much of the pressure off of Donovan and will prevent a total defensive focus against him. And the Jazz are showing confidence to make moves because we know we are darn close to the top.