Utah Jazz: Possible trade options from every other NBA team
By Ryan Aston
Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves
Trading with a divisional foe is often something less than a good idea. Just ask the Denver Nuggets, who all but gifted the Jazz Gobert and Mitchell. As such, I don’t know that the Minnesota Timberwolves would be the first team on Utah’s Rolodex or vice versa. Even if the two teams did pull off a Rubio swap last offseason.
The players the T-Wolves are probably most willing to move are Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad. I’m not feeling the latter (and you shouldn’t either), but Dieng’s case is a little less clear-cut.
On the surface, he seems like an awkward fit with Gobert. Another offensively challenged rebounder and defender. However, there are a couple of things we can grab onto to try to justify Dieng’s acquisition.
He’s shown himself to be a high-level mid-range shooter, knocking down better than 50 percent of his shots from 10 to 16 feet from the hoop over his career. That’s something Favors has yet to do despite occasional flashes. Dieng is also shooting more 3-pointers recently, although that aspect remains a work in progress.
That could mean more room for Gobert to operate down low. If only a little.
Next: New Orleans Pelicans