Utah Jazz shaking things up…
In the past week, the Utah Jazz traded for Mo Williams and Marvin Williams. They traded away Devin Harris, and are likely to scrap CJ Miles, Josh Howard, and Raja Bell. Does this make the team better overall? I think it does, and I’m happy to see that Jazz making a few moves in the off season. I don’t think these trades alone make them a ton better, but hopefully with Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors maturing and playing more minutes, combined with some better outside shooting from the new guys, they should be a better team next year.
Mo Williams was drafted by the Jazz years back in the second round and had a stellar rookie season, but for some reason the Jazz let him go. Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor calls it his worst mistake in his career. I don’t think they would have ended up with Deron Williams if they’d held onto Mo, so I think it ended up working out. However, the Jazz have been in need of a solid point guard since they traded Williams to New Jersey, and Williams could fit that role. Devin Harris had his moments, but wasn’t consistent enough.
Marvin Williams is the real question mark here. He was drafted ahead and Deron Williams and Chris Paul but hasn’t produced much in his NBA career so far. But he’s a decent spot-up shooter and a good rebounder for his position, and his length could help the Jazz on defense, so he could be a good fit for the team. He’ll definitely be an improvement over Miles, Howard, or Bell.
The only issue with the Marvin Williams trade is the financial ramifications of the deal. The Jazz only had four players under contract next off season, and most of those guys aren’t high-paid players, so the Jazz were set to have a lot of flexibility next summer to sign new players. This trade takes away some of that flexibility because Williams can opt-in for another year at $7.5 million. I don’t think it hurts the Jazz much, but if Williams doesn’t pan out O’Connor could end up looking pretty stupid. Hopefully Williams contributes enough that it isn’t an issue.
I’m glad to see that Jazz shaking things up a bit, and these trades definitely make the coming NBA season more interesting if you’re a Utah Jazz fan.