The Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to a trade that adds another future Draft asset to Oklahoma City’s coffers.
The Jazz have traded veteran center Derrick Favors and a future first-round Draft pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a future second-round Draft pick and cash considerations. The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and will allow Utah to fall about $13 million below the luxury tax. Doing so should help it fiscally in terms of trying to re-sign All-Star point guard Mike Conley.
Favors spent 10 of his 11 seasons with the Jazz and re-signed with Utah last offseason after spending the 2019-20 season with the New Orleans Pelicans. He was originally moved in the 2019 offseason to help the Jazz acquire Conley from the Memphis Grizzlies, but returned to the Jazz as a free agent and served as Rudy Gobert’s primary backup.
The 2020-21 season was Favors’ worst statistically in the NBA, as he averaged 5.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game — averages that were on par or below his rookie season in 2010-11.
As for the Thunder, they continue to acquire Draft assets. They picked up two future first-round picks in the 2021 Draft by dealing No. 16 pick Alperen Sengun to the Houston Rockets. Heading into the 2021 NBA Draft, the Thunder owned 36 picks over the next seven years.
