Julius Randle
Best Case: Over the summer, Julius Randle worked like a madman to transform his body to great effect. After the trade, he continues to work and evolve, eventually solidifying himself as Utah’s starting power forward for the next decade.
It’s like turning the clock back on Derrick Favors by three or four years, except Randle’s ability to make plays with the ball far exceeds what Faves could do. He’s that 15-10 guy the Jazz have sorely missed for the least two seasons.
He’s not a rim protector, but continues to build upon the defensive improvement he’s shown this season.
Worst Case: It feels like a move just for the sake of making one with results to match. Randle does exactly what Favors did before him, only worse. The Jazz can make him a restricted free agent heading into the summer, but he gets a crazy offer from some team still banking on his potential and, just like that, the Jazz are forced to pay more than they want to or let him walk.
That’s not a great spot to be in.
Next: Mario Hezonja