Larry Nance Jr.
2019-20 Salary: $12.7 million
One of the Jazz’s biggest weaknesses since giving up Derrick Favors and Jae Crowder this summer has been their significant lack of size. Ed Davis has been disappointing and Tony Bradley remains unreliable, though recent contests have many wondering if the latter deserves playing time over the former.
Or, the Jazz certainly could look to address their size problem via a trade. And if they did so, they may be wise to take a look at Larry Nance Jr. Nance is a guy who quietly puts up good numbers and who does the little hustle things that make a team better. Unfortunately for him, he’s been on bad teams his entire NBA career, but as a role player off the Jazz bench, he could truly thrive in a more promising opportunity.
Nance is a terrific rebounder with an ever-improving three-point shot that is at nearly 36 percent this season. He’d be an excellent defender in Utah’s second unit whose toughness and size could work wonders for a group that has consistently looked overwhelmed. Larry has averaged a per-36-minutes double-double in each of the past five seasons, and that effort and intensity would be well-utilized on the Jazz roster.
Why the Cavs MIGHT do it:
The Cleveland Cavaliers are obviously in a pretty dismal spot right now and need to make drastic changes as they plan for the future rather than the present. Part of doing so could involve stockpiling assets and clearing some payroll. It’s almost hard to believe, but the Cavs actually have the eighth-highest payroll in the NBA.
Finding a trade partner for Kevin Love would help with that significantly, and they have a lot of high-paid guys that will be free agents this summer. Still, with Nance having three years left on his contract versus Dante’s two, the Cavs may be open to that kind of swap.
Not to mention, Exum could help bring some defense to Cleveland’s otherwise abysmal defensive backcourt, considering that the Cavs are 29th in defensive rating so far this season. Cleveland truly doesn’t have too much to lose or look forward to with this current roster, so if they’re hoping to blow things up further, get rid of some of their bigger contracts and acquire some picks while the Jazz aim to add some size, this could be a beneficial deal for both parties.