At age 30, Derrick Favors may seem out of place on a rebuilding team, but he said spending this season with the Thunder helped him enjoy the game again, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Favors, who was acquired from the Jazz in a salary dump trade last summer, only played 39 games and sat out the final month of the season with back soreness, but he still says the experience was important.
“It brought back that fun,” Favors said, “that joy of playing basketball and not worrying about the business part, not worrying about personal life stuff, just having fun and … feeling that energy of being around 19-, 20-, 21-year-olds.”
Favors has already indicated that he will pick up his option for next season, which is worth $10.18MM, much more than he would make in free agency. However, that doesn’t guarantee he’ll back. Mussatto expects Oklahoma City to explore a trade this summer and possibly waive Favors to open a roster spot for one of its four picks in this year’s draft. However, Favors said at his exit interview that he “expects to be back.”
“I’m glad I’m here,” he said. “It opened my eyes to a lot of things. I just enjoy watching these young guys. I enjoy watching them come out and improve every game. I enjoy talking to (coach) Mark (Daigneault), and I enjoy being in this atmosphere.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Nuggets might have to consider trading Will Barton this offseason to help upgrade their defense, suggests Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Barton, who has spent eight years with the team, has an expiring $14MM contract for next season and Denver may need a stronger defensive guard to pair with Jamal Murray as he returns from his ACL injury. Singer identifies Monte Morris and JaMychal Green as other players who might be moved.
- The Trail Blazers could be tempted to re-sign Ben McLemore to serve as a veteran shooter, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. McLemore averaged 10.2 points per game and connected at 36.2% from three-point range after signing with Portland last offseason, and he can provide valuable roster depth for a team that hopes to bounce back next season.
- It’s time for the Jazz to break up the combination of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, argues Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports, who examines the potential trade market for each player.
I really like some of those trade ideas from Yahoo Sports. Completely revitalizes the roster while giving the Jazz plenty of draft picks.
The next step then becomes packaging the other players on the roster that become expendable from these trades. Hopefully, they wouldn’t just give the draft picks back out to do so.
The Jazz just need a 2nd 20-a-night guy and a defensive replacement for Gobert. Something like Beal and Capela to the Jazz. Gobert to the Hawks. Huerter, Clarkson, Butler, and a Hawks 1st to the Wizards.
That would be a nice setup for the Jazz. Beal and Mitchell and still have a defensive Center like Capela to pair with Whiteside if they retained him.
Won’t happen tho bc Beal won’t opt in and it would have to be a S&T.
18.2 per night out of Bojan Bogdanović is close enough to 20 ppg, besides they had the number 1 offense in the league this year.
Utah needs keep Gobert and add a big defensive wing and it wouldn’t hurt if that wing could shoot a bit. Jerami Grant would be perfect. Clarkson, Butler and a 1st along with Favors trade exception would work. Then move Conley to the bench to run the 2nd unit in Clarkson’s place so there would be less wear and tear on Conley and they’d have a great facilitator to lead the bench.
Bruce Brown could be the new Joe Ingles… a PG who could add strength and activity inside… could be had with the MLE.
Mitchell is not a great PG.
I like Conley bur he has worn down by the end of the year several times now, and the guard unit needs more size.
They could simply add Jalen Smith as a big 4 that could shoot and defend to play a little of Bogdonovic’s minutes and resign Ingles to come back late in season and be fine. But that’s on the court stuff, locker room stuff is different.
Indy: Conley, Butler
Jazz: Brogdon, Smith
If Favors took a buyout he would have been on one of these remaining playoff rosters… and still made the same amount of money.
Will Barton, the poor man’s Terence Ross, also expiring, who makes $5mil less.
I meant Ross makes less.
PLEASE TRADE BARTON FOR THE LOVE OF GOD