The Demo Site

July 2, 2009 -
Now that the free-agent opt-out decisions have been made and the landscape is a little clearer, it’s a great time to revisit possible trade destinations for Boozer. Let’s face it; the majority of Jazz fans will be sorely disappointed if he’s a member of the team when training camp begins. While there are numerous potential trade scenarios involving Boozer, I’ll focus on what I believe are the top-5 most likely:

(Note: I had to change this article at the last minute to remove Detroit, as their recent signing of Villenueva makes it highly unlikely they would trade for Boozer)

Chicago
Best realistic deal: Boozer, Brewer, and CJ for Kirk Hinrich and John Salmons.
Alternate deal: Boozer and CJ for Kirk Hinrich and Tyrus Thomas

I love the idea of Hinrich on the Jazz as a quality backup for Deron and solid option at the two. But can the Jazz really afford $9M a year for a backcourt role player? He still has three years left on his contract, so it’s a bit risky. If he can provide some consistent shooting and defense from the SG position, it might be worth it.

Salmons would be perfect for the Jazz, giving them a solid defender and true scoring option capable of playing either wing position. He also has a cheap contract ($6M for the next two years). I believe this is a trade that would make both teams better.

The alternate deal with Tyrus Thomas is not quite as attractive, but still a decent option.

Here's how the new Jazz would look under the better scenario, with my best guess at minutes distribution:

PG – Deron (36), Hinrich (12), Maynor
SG – Hinrich (20), Korver (28)
SF – Salmons (36), AK (12), Harpring
PF – Millsap (32), AK (16)
C – Memo (30), Koufos (18), Fess
Projected 2009-10 Salary: $79M

Golden State
Best realistic deal: Boozer, CJ, and Fess for Rony Turiaf, Brandan Wright, Kalena Azubuike, Speedy Claxton (to be waived), and a 2010 1st round pick (top-10 protected).
Alternate deal: Boozer, CJ, and Fess for Andris Biedrins, Anthony Morrow, Wright, Claxton, and the 2010 1st rounder.

Nellie has already made it known that he will not trade Anthony Randolph or Steph Curry. Otherwise those two would headline the list. The Jazz don’t get equal value in this trade, but they do acquire a bunch of young talent and would still be able to put a competitive team on the floor in 2009. If nothing else, they improve their shot blocking and 3-pt shooting. They also get an additional pick in the deep 2010 draft.

This trade is similar to the rumored deal with Phoenix for Amare Stoudemire that has apparently fallen apart. Boozer should fit in well in GS since they don’t play defense.

PG – Deron (36), Price (12), Maynor
SG – Azubuike (20), Korver (20), Brewer (8)
SF – AK (28), Brewer (20), Harpring
PF – Millsap (30), Wright (12), Turiaf (6)
C – Memo (30), Koufos (12), Turiaf (6)
Projected 2009-10 Salary: $82M

Houston
Best realistic deal: Boozer and CJ for Shane Battier, Luis Scola, and Brian Cook (to be waived)
Alternate deal: Boozer for Artest (sign and trade) and Scola

Houston desperately needs scoring with Yao out and McGrady likely missing much of the season. Boozer would give them that. Battier and Scola would both be great additions to the Jazz, although they are clearly role players. This team would be competitive (and much improved defensively) but would still lack a go-to scorer outside of Deron.

The alternate deal involving Artest would be intriguing, but would he come to Utah, and would the Jazz really want him to?

PG – Deron (36), Price (12), Maynor
SG – Brewer (28), Korver (20)
SF – Battier (28), AK (20), Harpring
PF – Millsap (28), Scola (20)
C – Memo (30), Koufos (18), Fess
Projected 2009-10 Salary: $80M

Charlotte
Best realistic deal: Boozer and CJ for Gerald Wallace and Raja Bell
Alternate deal: Boozer for Emeka Okafor

The Bobcats are losing money and desperate to dump salary. Boozer is an expiring contract but could also be a local draw since he played at Duke. Wallace is reportedly available and would be a nice addition to the Jazz, bringing athleticism, defense and the ability to get to the line. Bell would add outside shooting and defensive toughness. This move would give the Jazz a serious logjam at the wing, so they would likely need to make a subsequent trade.

The Bobcats would really have to be desperate to unload Okafor after consecutive seasons in which he played all 82 games, but who knows?

PG – Deron (36), Price (12), Maynor
SG – Bell (24), Brewer (12), Korver (12)
SF – Wallace (32), Brewer (16), Harpring
PF – Millsap (30), AK (18)
C – Memo (30), Koufos (18), Fess
Projected 2009-10 Salary: $82M

New Jersey
Best realistic deal: Boozer and CJ for Bobby Simmons, Courtney Lee, and Kenyon Dooling

This is another deal in which the Jazz clearly don’t get equal value immediately, but they do get some young talent and fill some needs. Courtney Lee had a strong rookie season and could make it much easier to let Korver go next year. Dooling is a combo guard who plays tough D and can hit the three. Simmons makes the deal work with his large expiring contract ($10M), but he's also a good defender and great 3-pt shooter from the corner. As with the Charlotte trade, this would leave the Jazz with a glut of wing players, so an additional trade would make sense.

PG – Deron (36), Dooling (12), Maynor
SG – Lee (24), Korver (18), Dooling (6)
SF – Brewer (30), Simmons (10), Harpring
PF – Millsap (30), AK (18)
C – Memo (30), Koufos (18), Fess
Projected 2009-10 Salary: $81M

Of the deals above, I like the Chicago trade the best. As you can see, all of these place the Jazz well into luxury tax territory for the 2009-10 season, but that seems a foregone conclusion at this point. These scenarios all assume that Millsap returns to Utah (I used a starting salary of $8M for my assumptions). If he gets an offer sheet that the Jazz feel they can’t match, that could change the landscape considerably. Should that happen, I’ll update the trade scenarios