5:34pm: The trade is official, according to press releases from both teams.
2:05pm: The Jazz are trading starting forward Royce O’Neale to the Nets for a first-round pick, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Brooklyn is using a $11.3MM trade exception it created in the James Harden trade with Philadelphia to take on O’Neale’s salary, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. The Jazz will create a trade exeption worth O’Neale’s outgoing salary.
The pick headed to Utah is a 2023 first-rounder, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Brooklyn is sending the lesser of its own, Houston’s, or Philadelphia’s first-round pick, Wojnarowski adds in another tweet.
The Sixers sent their first rounder for next season to the Nets in the same Harden deal. Houston has the right to swap its pick with Brooklyn’s next season, courtesy of the four-way swap in 2021 that landed Harden in Brooklyn.
O’Neale has a $9.2MM salary next season and a $9.5MM salary for 2023/24. However, the last year is guaranteed is only guaranteed for $2.5MM.
O’Neale, noted for his defensive prowess, has been a fixture in Utah’s lineup for the last three seasons. He averaged 7.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 2.5 APG in 31.2 MPG this past season while appearing in 77 regular season games.
The acquisition of O’Neale will likely diminish the possibility of the Nets re-signing free agent swingman Bruce Brown. On the flip side, Utah’s decision to trade one of its starters signals that other moves are on the way. The first-rounder will give it an asset to dangle for another trade.
Marks is a basketball guy to the end. Although here, it might just be him trying to lose himself in his work. Either way, it’s a rearrangement of chairs of the deck on the Titanic.
If he can pull Ayton and Bridges from the Suns, and Harris returns, and (OK, I know) Simmons returns to form, that’s not a bad team at all.
Rookie scale rule. You can’t trade for two players on the max rookie extension rule or something like that.
Simmons is on the rookie max extension and Ayton wants the max rookie extension too. Only way he ends up being involved in this deal is if he signs for less than the max which I can’t see happening
Jokes just seen the update on the previous story
Ayton is trying to get max extension, not max rookie. He can be sign and trade to team with max rookie contract.
What if he signs for like a dollar less than the max?
KD to Utah confirmed!
Conley, O’Neale, Bogdonovic and every pick they can give for Durant and a 1st.
Odd timing …
They couldn’t have known right? Otherwise why do this without KD?
Honestly if Brooklyn handles trades right they could end up with a team that won’t get swept in the 1st Rd and a bunch of future assets
I agree, it’s kinda a fun exercise that could be reasonable pulled off
I made a post a couple days with Irving, Durant, Simmons trades and the end product wasn’t that bad with a lotta youth and a ton of extra picks…..Also as ALL their own firsts are gone I made it a competitive team as well for 23-27 getting back ready now players as well as future players
First rounder for him? Interesting.
It’ll be a late 1st. Gotta think that sixers pick will land somewhere in the mid to late 20s.
Nets fans, please welcome your KD replacement, Royce O’Neale.
Hold our horses. Wouldn’t be surprised if this deal is nixed immediately due to the unforeseen circumstances that followed.
True it is quite the wrinkle –
But fully tanking was never gonna be the route with them not owning their own picks unprotected, and I like the value on O’Niel so perhaps they are separate entities still –
Fascinating
Interesting, okay. Well who knows what the Nets are up to now.
Sixers fans, would you rather have Melton or O’Neale if it only cost a 1st and DGs contract?
It’s a toss up honestly. I’ll take melton depending what they do going forward (if we land Tucker) but might also hate it all depending what they do going forward in typical Sixers fashion
For Philly, probably O’neal for fit reasons, though I’ve been the biggest Melton fan since h was drafted by Phoenix
So a 1st rounder and it creates a trade exception for the Jazz? Or are they saying that the Nets were able to absorb the contract because of the exception? Usually a trade exception is sent to the team not receiving a player.
Nets using a previous TPE to take on O’Neale, Jazz creating one for sending him out.
Yeah, just read it again and saw that. Thanks!
That means the Jazz can then use that exception towards another free agent player(s) or trade for player(s) as long as their total salary is equal to or less than the exception. Now, if the Jazz ended up not being a tax payer because of the Ingles trade then they can use up to 125% of the exception. They just can’t combine the exception with another one. I think they were a tax paying team, however.
I just looked at a current list of teams’ tax bill and the Jazz are currently $11.2M under the tax bill. Royce’s salary was for $9.2M.
125% of that is $11.5M.
That means they likely can use up to $11.5M or maybe only $11.2M? in money towards a trade or players. Plus, they gained a 1st round pick. I imagine this opened up the door for more trade options.
As for Royce, I liked him as well. He’s a solid player. Always plays hard and takes on a tough assignment every night. He’s actually a great shooter. Just needs to be more willing to shoot more. That being said, I hope he does well with the Nets!
Utah losing multiple pieces that fit them…what are they going to do defensively on the wing? That is the most obvious spot they already missed losing Ingles, and now here. They still have Clarkson to move, and they decided not to bring back Paschall as a floor spacing 5
I imagine they bring back Trent Forrest, but what else do they do, and what is really that available for them? There are a few guys in FA, but not that many left. Going to have to be creative/find 1 or 2 contributors in summer league
One would think he’s worth more than just a future first-rounder. That many years a starter and that’s all they get.
If the Jazz wanted a player then they likely could have brought one back. The point of this trade is to free up a roster spot, gain a 1st, and a trade exception. It’s the first step in a series of moves for the Jazz. Just watch The Monty Show on YouTube.
Looking forward to ‘the series of moves’, long overdue. The new coach, an improved roster, a more resilent team.