The Utah Jazz should avoid trading with the Boston Celtics if Malcolm Brogdon is the piece you get back.
The Utah Jazz don’t have a clear point guard to start the season with, we know that. That’s not something we’re surprised about. We’ve long talked about the issues surrounding the position and who should start. There’s an argument to be made that the Jazz should go with the guy who fits the style of offense and the needs of the offense, as opposed to who’s the best player. There’s an argument that you just go with the best player you have on the roster. There’s also an argument that the team needs to make a move.
All ideas are valid at this point, but knowing you have a need makes people a bit greedy, and Jay Postrado of Clutch Points just pitched a trade that the Jazz need to reject immediately. Before it even becomes an actual trade idea from Brad Stevens and the Celtics, Danny Ainge needs to write Stevens a text saying, “lol no chance”.
In this trade pitch, we see Malcolm Brogdon going from the Celtics to the Utah Jazz for Collin Sexton and Simone Fontecchio. And now we look around to see where the internet prank crew is, because no. This is a bad trade.
Brogdon’s not the fit the Jazz needs. He’s inconsistent from three, with two of the last four seasons being at 32% or less for the year, he’s not a great passer (3.7 last year alone), he’s not great defensively (career -0.4 DBPM), he’s older than the rest of the core (30) and he’s making well over $20 next year. He’s not worth the salary he’s making now, and now you’re going to throw him at the Jazz in exchange for a player with a much higher ceiling?
Naw. Brogdon has value as a team’s backup, but he’s proven across his NBA career that he’s not a good starter. He’s very average in a lot of ways, and the years he gets the most action, are the years the teams win the fewest games. The Pacers were better off without him, the Bucks won a title after they traded him. He’s one of those guys who’s just good enough to get minutes but if you need him to do any sizeable amount of work for you, you’re not going to be very well off.
If Brogdon was a free agent, a seventh or eighth man off the bench, for a 10th of his contract; sure. He brings a matchup issue against the second and third-string guards, but you don’t want to lean on him against the best of the best.
Keeping Sexton and hoping he delivers on his upside is the smarter play than going for someone who is going to start to decline from his very average prime.