Utah Jazz: J-Notes staffers evaluate every NBA trade deadline deal
By Ryan Aston
Tyler Zeller to the Bucks
TO NETS: Rashad Vaughn, 2018 second-round pick. TO BUCKS: Tyler Zeller
Hayden Van de Maat: This deal shows that the Nets are all-in on the rebuild and want to really unleash Jarrett Allen. Zeller has started a few games recently for the Nets. but Allen’s superb play won the starting role over. It’s a surprising deal from a Bucks fan’s perspective because you really want to see Thon Maker get back into that starting unit to develop, and this deal just buries him deeper in the rotation.
Padmore: Milwaukee has been active in the trade market looking for a big, and Zeller is a nice, low-end option for them. Meanwhile, Brooklyn gets an extra draft pick. They want to get as many picks as they can after losing so many to Boston over the years. Under the radar deal, but it works.
Woodcox: I actually really like Rashad Vaughn and when he first was moved to Brooklyn, I thought if he could follow in the footsteps of the likes of Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris and could blossom in Brooklyn, it could be a big win for the Nets. They ended up dealing him, but it was still a win for the Nets because they got a much-needed pick while the Bucks somewhat filled their need for a big with Zeller.
Thorpe: This won’t be a move that gets talked about much, however, Brooklyn MUST find ways to re-accumulate draft picks, and to get a young asset in return is just icing on the cake.
Aston: Vaughn’s strange deadline saga begins; from February 5 to now, he technically spent time on four different rosters. That aside, this deal was all about Zeller and the Bucks’ playoff push. I actually thought Milwaukee could be a landing spot for Derrick Favors, but they really didn’t have the means to make a deal with Utah. Zeller isn’t quite the same caliber of player that Favors is, but he will give him the big body and rebounding they need.
Next: The Knicks deal Willy Hernangomez