Utah Jazz should keep Derrick Favors until the trade deadline (if not longer)

Despite several potentially enticing alternative options, the Utah Jazz should keep Derrick Favors this summer and see what he can do with Mike Conley.

With the start of NBA free agency nearly upon us (commencing on Sunday at 4:00 PM MT), the Derrick Favors debacle has taken center stage for Utah Jazz fans. Favors’ contract becomes guaranteed if the Jazz don’t decline his team option by July 6th, which means they’re facing several tough decisions.

If they keep him, they’ll pretty much be out of cap space, save for a $4.8 million room exception and minimum contracts. However, if they let him walk, they can create right around $18 million in space to replace him with a different player, i.e. a stretch-four, or perhaps they can divide that money up to net a pair of contributors.

Then there’s always the option of exercising the option to keep hold of him with the intent to ultimately trade him away in some sort of deal for a player that isn’t currently on the free agent market and may not otherwise choose to join the Jazz. Along that vein, there has been speculation among Jazz fans that Utah could orchestrate a sign-and-trade for the likes of Tobias Harris which would have to include Favors.

Unfortunately, while such is a nice dream, the logistics of doing so are far from easy and probably not even feasible, unless the Philadelphia 76ers and another random team owe Dennis Lindsey some unknown favor. But I’m going to guess that such isn’t the case. Plus, for the sign-and-trade to come together, Harris would also have to want it to occur. And even though it’s been reported that the Jazz are a team that interests him, there’s no guaranteeing their his top choice.

So let’s push any thought of a blockbuster sign-and-trade out of our minds for a moment. Even with that out of the way, the Jazz are facing some tough decisions with Favors. Keep him, let him walk and sign one key free agent, let him walk and sign two contributors with that money, or trade him away this summer for someone else that wouldn’t otherwise be available.

Obviously, trying to advise the Jazz on what to do would all depend on who is truly available. If players were beating down the door to sign in Utah, perhaps the argument to let Favors walk would be stronger because of the abundance of options. However, though we may never know specifics, there could always be that chance that the Jazz were open to parting ways with Favors, but the right interest from other parties simply never occurred.

However, based on what we know about who is available and what their pricing will be, I’m of the opinion that the Utah Jazz would be wisest not to part with Derrick Favors. Not only has he been an incredible performer for them in both the regular and postseason, excellent insurance as a backup center for Rudy Gobert and one of the most hard-working and accepting of his role on the team, but I think Utah would be hard-pressed to find someone at his salary level that would push the needle as much as Favors does.

Yes, some have brought up names like Danilo Gallinari or Thaddeus Young as players Utah could add at that price point to fill Favors’ spot. And there’s even an argument that the stretch abilities those guys bring could be a better fit for Utah, even if in a vacuum they aren’t as good of players as Favors. However, if it’s a one-for-one switch, I believe Favors is too skilled, too valuable as a versatile rim protector and perimeter defender, and too dependable in the postseason to be dealt so hastily.

Now, if the Jazz were able to add a Gallinari/Young type AND an impactful wing with the nearly $18 million in space, then we might be on to something that could be worth dealing Favors for. If that becomes possible and the Jazz pull it off, then I’ll trust them and likely eat my words about keeping Favors being the best path.

But it’s so rare that a team can have its cake and eat it, too. And I just don’t see Utah being able to pull off a “two-fer” with only $18 million. There’s a lot of money to be spent on players this summer, and very few (if any) that would take a discount to play with the Jazz. So while there’s an argument to be had that adding two players for Derrick’s salary is the best way to use that money, I just don’t see it as a realistic option at all because I don’t see any two guys willing to take an average of $9 million between them being better than just keeping a stud like Derrick.

So pushing that scenario out of the way as well, once again I return to holding onto Favors as the best course of action. One big reason for this is that Favors should be able to find more playing time and ample opportunities now that an additional shooter in Mike Conley has been added to the starting lineup. Last season, the group of Ricky Rubio, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert featured three non-shooters in Utah’s starting five, which just wasn’t a sustainable option.

For that reason, though Favors would start, he’d often quickly find himself on the bench, then coming back in to take Gobert’s backup minutes. But with Conley now in the mix to space the floor, the Favors-Gobert pairing could work significantly better.

In fact, as pointed out by Forbes’ Ben Dowsett in the tweet below, when the Jazz had George Hill in their mix, Favors and Gobert had a +11.2 Net Rating in 541 minutes together, which was the second-best high-volume two-man lineup on the entire Jazz team.

In other words, it’s entirely possible that a lot of the Favors-Gobert shortcomings over the past two seasons rested largely on the shoulders of Ricky Rubio being a non-shooter. Conley is anything but a non-shooter as a dynamic threat that will command the opponent’s attention at all times. As such, he could very well revert the Wasatch Front into being an absolute force down low with the new space they’ll have to operate.

For that very reason, Favors, who has sacrificed so much for the Jazz and done so much to better himself and improve this team, deserves a shot to show what he can do alongside Mike Conley. Favors is a far better player than he gets credit for, and he may very well be able to showcase that in full force now that a new man is in action running the point.

I’ve already suggested that Favors is a better player than most everyone available at his price point, the only question has been if he is the best fit. If the Conley-Favors-Gobert grouping works to perfection, though, that may not be a question at all. And the Jazz may very well be completely best off sticking with their guy in Favors.

And, on the bright side, let’s say that the Jazz hold onto Favors, only to find that the Favors-Gobert pairing remains awkward and unsolvable, and that a stretch-four is truly the only answer. Well, in that case, the Jazz can certainly then look to move him at the trade deadline for a piece that may help with a final push into the postseason.

Derrick will be on an expiring contract and still hold a ton of value if a team wanted to add him then re-sign him. In other words, Utah could experiment with Favors and Conley, and if it works to perfection, their conservative approach of keeping Derrick would pay massive dividends as he would continue to be a major impact player for the Jazz.

Or, if things don’t pan out, it still wouldn’t be too big a risk or a loss, because Utah would then be able to explore their options with him at the trade deadline where, depending how the season shakes out for the 29 other teams, could produce some interesting options that aren’t even available now.

So with so much uncertainty facing what Utah could or might get out of Favors now, they should instead hold on to him and let him yet again prove his worth and determination on this squad. His playing alongside Conley could go a long way in eliminating concerns about his fit, and the Jazz will be hard-pressed to find anyone who can contribute as well as him at his salary level.

The Jazz have until July 6th to make a decision on Favors’ contract. And I fully expect they’ll continue to give him his shot alongside a new-look team run by a brilliant point guard, and that he’ll continue on the roster to start off the 2019-20 NBA season.