With less than 24 hours left, NBA trade deadline heats up


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SALT LAKE CITY — We're not under 24 hours until the NBA's trade deadline. Here's what's going on with the Jazz and around the NBA.

Derrick Favors trade looks unlikely

Monday, ESPN's Zach Lowe reported that the Jazz have tested the market for Derrick Favors, seeing what kind of interest there is in the Jazz's starting power forward. The speculation has always been that a trade in the offseason was most likely, given the Jazz's needs at power forward now and current injury status hurting his value.

From what I'm hearing, it sounds like the return they'd get right now is pretty low, and doesn't really match what they'd like to get in return for Favors. Of course, things could change in these last 24 hours, but as of right now, I'd bet that Favors stays in a Jazz uniform beyond Thursday. How much longer is yet to be seen.

The Jazz practice at 5 p.m. Wednesday. We'll make a request to Jazz PR for Derrick Favors to speak to the media then. If we get the chance, we'll ask Favors about his tweet last night that sent Jazz Twitter into a frenzy:

> 🤔 > > — Derrick Favors (@dfavors14) [February 22, 2017](https://twitter.com/dfavors14/status/834229755083829249)

My guess: Favors was probably trolling us all. He has a sense of humor, and several other NBA players have been doing the same sorts of emoji tweets around the league. We'll see!

Update: Favors' fiancée and the mother of his twins just tweeted this:

SMDH 🤐🤔 — L❤VER (@SHiV0LLi) February 22, 2017

Favors and family are probably dealing with better information than I have. So maybe they know something I don't? Or maybe they're still just messing with us? Trade deadline uncertainty, everyone! I'll update again if we find out more.

Deron Williams rumors, not buying them

ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Marc Stein also reported last night that the Jazz have expressed interest in former Jazz PG Deron Williams, now a member of the Dallas Mavericks. On the other hand, Dallas' Eddie Sefko reports that the Jazz are not involved in talks for Williams or Mavs center Andrew Bogut.

Williams is very available in trades, as the Mavericks try to retool an aging roster, but I'm skeptical that the Jazz are truly interested. I have no doubt that Williams would love to come to Utah, after all, he keeps a home here and stays here frequently during the NBA offseason.

But the Jazz acquiring Williams would mean a somewhat drama-filled reunion with both Gordon Hayward and Joe Johnson, neither of whom he was best of friends with in their previous time as teammates. And why risk team chemistry for a middling increase in talent at the backup point guard position?

I like Williams, and think he could help the team in the future. But for right now's point guard situation, plus Hayward's upcoming free agency, I don't think now is the best time. Given MacMahon and Stein's Dallas ties, I suspect the rumor was first floated by their organization to give Williams some more value in the trade market, though I don't doubt that the Jazz have talked about Williams internally to some degree.

Wilson Chandler or Danilo Gallinari?

USA Today's Sam Amick reported that the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers are interested in Denver Nuggets swingman Wilson Chandler. That comes after Lowe's earlier report that "The Nuggets are seeking a lottery-protected first-round pick and swap rights on another pick for Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, sources say."

Update: Amick says the Thunder are no longer interested in Chandler.

Update to Wilson Chandler intel: OKC, I'm told, no longer has Wilson Chandler on its radar. — Sam Amick (@sam_amick) February 22, 2017

That's either Gallinari or Chandler, to be clear: the Nuggets would like to keep one or the other as they try to keep the eight seed over the newly-powerful Pelicans. So if only one of them is likely to be traded, the Jazz would likely have to best a team's offer on either Chandler or Gallinari.

Gallinari's presumably the player the Jazz would prefer, given that he has more positional versatility to play the PF spot. I haven't heard any specific desires from the Jazz's front office on either player, though that doesn't mean that they're not interested. I just don't know about it.

The good news is that neither the Thunder nor the Clippers have great assets to flip to Denver. In particular, I believe neither team can trade a first round pick for the next three seasons, thanks to picks they've traded in the past.

Lou Williams traded

Just a few hours after the Jazz's interest in Lakers guard Lou Williams was reported, he was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Corey Brewer and a first round pick Tuesday evening.

It's not a great return for Williams for the Lakers, but I suspect new GM Magic Johnson wanted to put a stamp on things by making a trade immediately. I also wonder if he liked Corey Brewer: most teams look at Brewer and see a burdensome contract, but Johnson's spoken well of him in the past.

The biggest impact for the Jazz, though is on the floor. Now, Houston is even more dangerous, beating them will be tough should the two teams meet in the playoffs.

Bojan Bogdanovic deal, what's a first worth?

Another deal went down Wednesday afternoon: the Nets traded Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCollough to the Wizards in exchange for Andrew Nicholson, Marcus Thornton, and a first round pick.

The big moving pieces here are Bogdanovic for a first and the Nets taking on Nicholson's contract. Bogdanovic's a nice shooter, but a lousy defender. He does help Washington's awful bench, though.

For the Nets to get a first round pick in the deal for an expiring contract is a nice piece of business, although they had to take on Nicholson's nearly $20 million owed beyond this season. That's okay in my book: it's not as if free agents were going to be dying to be a part of a struggling Nets team moving forward.

> Make that now 7 picks in the 21-30 range that will go to another team > > — Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) [February 22, 2017](https://twitter.com/NBADraftWass/status/834522374733168644)

Also, what is a late first round pick worth? We've now had firsts be the major pieces in deals for Williams and Bogdanovic in the day. There's a big gulf in value between those two players. Is P.J. Tucker in the same realm? Is Gallinari or Chandler? We'll see.

New: Mack to Cleveland deal stalled?

ESPN's Chris Haynes just reported the following:

ESPN Sources: Utah, Cleveland engaged on trade over weekend that included Shelvin Mack, Jordan McRae, etc. Talks have since stalled out. — Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 22, 2017

Cleveland was the most likely destination for Mack, but it's interesting that talks have stalled. That doesn't mean that they won't be resumed at some point, though.

McRae would be an interesting fit. He's shown he can score in the D-League, but mostly through inefficient shots. He is long, though. He's 6-foot-6 and has a 7-foot-1 wingspan. Maybe he could turn into something if you could convince him to defend well and fit as part of a system? He's not good, but he definitely fits the profile of last-man types the Jazz have liked.

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Andy Larsen

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