MEMPHIS, TN – NOVEMBER 29: Ed Davis #17 of the Utah Jazz defends Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first half at FedExForum on November 29, 2019 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Brandon Dill/Getty Images)
If the Utah Jazz decide to look to move on from the under-achieving Ed Davis, they’ll have some interesting trade options.
This offseason, Utah Jazz fans were absolutely thrilled by the new faces that the team brought in during free agency. So far, Bojan Bogdanovic has more than lived up to the billing and Emmanuel Mudiay has been better than expected. Unfortunately, Utah’s other two well-known free agents have been less than satisfactory.
Jeff Green has already become the first casualty as the Jazz waived him to make room for G-League standout Rayjon Tucker. Considering how poorly the bench had been playing, Utah opted to move on from Green whose impact numbers were less than favorable.
The other who has been a negative has been Ed Davis. Quite frankly, Davis’ lack of production has been absolutely shocking to me, as I was quite excited about his acquisition at the time. He’s long been known as one of the league’s best backup bigs, but he’s been far from able to find his footing thus far with the Jazz.
Sure, he suffered the early leg fracture which most certainly was a setback in his progression with this Jazz squad. But even upon returning, he’s been so out of sorts that in Saturday’s monumental win over the LA Clippers, Quin Snyder actually opted to replace him in the rotation with Tony Bradley.
Davis is averaging just 1.4 points per game on the year (a career-low) while shooting under 40 percent from the field, which is awful for a center. His best attribute has long been his rebounding, but he’s only nabbing 4.3 per game, although, to his credit, it should be noted that that translates to 13.3 per-36 minutes. But those marks are both still low by his standards.
Furthermore, his defense has been absolutely atrocious as he’s simply been unable to slow anyone. He’s also posting a plus/minus of minus-3.5 and a net rating of -11.7, both of which are among the worst on the team. I think it’s a stretch to say Ed Davis, who was so impactful just a season ago, is washed up, but I think it’s entirely fair to say that he simply isn’t a fit in Quin Snyder’s system as things certainly haven’t gone as anticipated.
With that being the case, it’s entirely possible, as the Jazz showed by trading away Dante Exum for Jordan Clarkson and waiving Green to add Tucker, that the Utah front office could get aggressive yet again and aim to deal Davis. If they do so, they’ll almost certainly still be looking to add size considering that they became even more thin in that department after parting ways with Jeff Green.
Therefore, I’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of four potential big men trade targets that the Jazz could consider dealing Ed Davis for. Of course, Davis’ stock isn’t in a great spot right now. However, he’s played well enough and recently enough that I could see teams being willing to still take a shot on him. Even so, due to Davis’ $4.7 million salary, this list will be restricted to players in the $3-5 million range.
And while moving Davis may be easier said than done, there is at least some logic to be had in each of these moves.
according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (paid subscription required)</a>, Hernangomez figures to be very much available. The Nuggets expect him to command a hefty pay bump this summer compared to his current salary, and they’re unlikely to keep him around with so many other priorities on the roster.</p>
<p>If they’re looking to shed his salary, though, does it really make sense for them to add Ed Davis? Well, if they believe Hernangomez is set to make more than Davis’ $5 million next year, then adding Davis who will still be under contract at a reasonable rate may still be logical for them. Consider also that there’s speculation of them being willing to deal <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/12/29/utah-jazz-four-trade-possibilities-struggling-center-ed-davis/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/plumlma01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Mason Plumlee</a> and his $14 million contract, and the Nuggets may very well need a veteran backup center who can simply get in the game and grab rebounds while <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/12/29/utah-jazz-four-trade-possibilities-struggling-center-ed-davis/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jokicni01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Nikola Jokic</a> rests.</p>
<p>Considering that Hernangomez is on the slim side of the rotation in Denver, he may welcome a change of pace and an ability to play more of a consistent backup role.</p>
<p>Hernangomez wouldn’t quite fix Utah’s size issue, but he would provide versatility as he could play either forward position or the center spot as required. He’s a solid rebounder and has decent touch as a career 36 percent three-point shooter.</p>
<p>Much like the recent Exum-for-Clarkson trade, while some were skeptical of it, there’s no denying that whatever Clarkson could bring would be more than Exum riding the bench. Similarly, Davis hasn’t been able to do much of anything in a Jazz uniform whereas the Jazz could likely at least get some meaningful production out of Hernangomez.</p>
<p>If the Nuggets are looking to get a cheaper backup center in place after potentially dealing Plumlee and are looking to move Hernangomez anyway, a deal with the Jazz may just make sense. Considering the good fortune Utah has had with trading with the Nuggets, this may be an avenue worth pursuing.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/12/29/utah-jazz-four-trade-possibilities-struggling-center-ed-davis/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Khem Birch </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">ORLANDO, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 11: Khem Birch #24 of the Orlando Magic takes the court against the Boston Celtics in the 3rd quarter at Amway Center on October 11, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Harry Aaron/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>Khem Birch</h3>
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<p>Both Ed Davis and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/12/29/utah-jazz-four-trade-possibilities-struggling-center-ed-davis/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/birchkh01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 ref="nofollow">Khem Birch</a> have one year beyond this one on their contract, although Birch’s is about $2 million cheaper in 2020-21. However, the Magic are another team that, like the Spurs, some think may make significant moves at the deadline to alter their current roster and strategy. If they do so, the Jazz might very well be able to get involved to see what opportunities surface.</p>
<p>Khem Birch looked like a promising young piece that was blossoming quite well last season, thus he was signed to his current two-year contract. However, despite significantly increased playing time this season, Birch hasn’t been able to up his productivity to match. Despite logging over eight minutes more per game, he’s shooting far worse than a year ago and putting up less points per contest.</p>
<p>Therefore, the Magic may very well be open to moving him, especially if it means landing a reputed and experienced role player like Davis. Again, while it’s true that Davis’ numbers look horrible so far this year, his reputation as a valuable player is quite well known and could still be attractive to several teams that believe they can better utilize him.</p>
<p>Not only that, but the Magic have been a middling to poor rebounding team, so perhaps they’d be encouraged by what Davis could bring on the boards as well. Orlando also could use a veteran big man to be a helpful influence on some of their younger bigs like <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/12/29/utah-jazz-four-trade-possibilities-struggling-center-ed-davis/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/v/vucevni01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Nikola Vucevic</a> and <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/12/29/utah-jazz-four-trade-possibilities-struggling-center-ed-davis/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bambamo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Mo Bamba</a>, so in that regard Ed Davis may be viewed as helpful.</p>
<p>On the Jazz side of things, I could see some feeling apprehensive about Birch and thinking that if you’re going to go to the trouble of adding him, you may as well just play Tony Bradley instead. I definitely can understand that line of thinking, but I also still believe Birch could be a nice piece.</p>
<p>He’s shown some good promise in his young NBA career and is pretty similar to Alex Len in the pick-and-roll with 1.04 points per possession as the roll man and a shooting percentage of 60 percent in those situations. He’d certainly be an upgrade over what Davis has been able to muster thus far in Snyder’s system and would help add center depth to a team that is thin at that spot.</p>
<p>It should be noted that due to restrictions, Birch can’t be dealt until January 13th, but this would still give the Jazz and Magic plenty of time to strike up a deal prior to the deadline.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Utah Jazz: Three takeaways from statement win over Clippers" data-url="https://thejnotes.com/2019/12/29/utah-jazz-statement-win-clippers/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2019/12/29/utah-jazz-four-trade-possibilities-struggling-center-ed-davis/"https://thejnotes.com/2019/12/29/utah-jazz-statement-win-clippers/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Utah Jazz: Three takeaways from statement win over Clippers </a> </div>
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<p>In short, the challenge in moving Davis is that it is dependent on a team still believing in him despite his poor start in Utah. Quite frankly, I believe his struggles have been more an indication of fit than him being a negative roster piece, so there’s still a chance the Jazz could get value out of him.</p>
<p>If they can do so, any one of these four guys would be intriguing while Davis could also give back something of need to each of the aforementioned teams. It feels almost like a necessity that the Jazz move on from him at this point, but we’ll see if anything gets done between now and the February 6th trade deadline.</p><!—pageview_candidate—></p>">