The Utah Jazz moved starting small forward Royce O’Neale to the Brooklyn Nets for a 2023 first-round pick via Houston, Brooklyn, or the 76ers. The pick will be the lesser of the three teams, to Utah will surely be without a lottery pick in the loaded 2023 NBA Draft.
Utah is trading Royce O'Neale to Brooklyn for a first-round pick, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022
The Jazz are far from turning to a full-on rebuild, so it’s possible the pick acquired in this trade will be moved later this summer for John Collins or another upgrade to the forward position. O’Neale was a consistent starter for the Jazz over the last three seasons, but he was never a star, and a first-round pick is a decent exchange for the undersized forward.
Even if Utah keeps the pick and drafts a player late in the 2023 first round, the chances of them finding a productive player, if not a star, are very high. The class is headlined by Victor Wembanyama, the most hyped prospect since LeBron James and Zion Williamson, but the class is incredibly deep, with solid players available at any pick.
If the Jazz don’t find a trade partner to turn this pick into another player this offseason, they could take a season off, draft two first-rounders, and then have a powerful young roster to come back with next season. Regardless of how Utah approaches the aftermath of the trade, I think it was a win for the franchise.