Utah Jazz: 25 years of the best (and worst) trade deadline deals
By Ryan Aston
8) Jazz send Ronnie Brewer to the Memphis Grizzlies to save $$; February 18, 2010
Utah receives a first-round draft pick (and cap relief) from the Grizz in exchange for Ronnie Brewer.
When O’Connor decided to trade Ronnie Brewer, you could see the logic in the move. You probably didn’t like it, but it made business sense. The team was in a bind at the time with a logjam on the wings and a luxury tax payment staring them in the face.
Following the move, former Jazz GM had this to say—
"“We felt like we gain an asset for drafts coming up. We felt like we had a lot of players that were similar.”"
In hindsight, however, Utah never saw much of a return on the “asset” they acquired. It was eventually tacked on as a tertiary part of the deal that brought Al Jefferson to the Jazz and was later used to draft Donatas Motiejunas in 2011. Meanwhile, Jefferson’s run in Utah didn’t live up to expectations.
Moreover, the team’s decision to trade Brewer — who was a good friend of Deron Williams — drew the ire of Utah’s franchise point guard. In response, he made his infamous, “That’s why I signed a three-year deal.” statement, referring to his decision to forego a full, max-years extension with the Jazz.