This is the fifth article in a series that analyzes key transactions in the 2022 off-season.In contrast to achieving grades, this series explores why The team was motivated to take action.Free agent Net When jazz…
In a shuffled and lost deal among other major NBA news-ie Kevin Durant Request a deal from Brooklyn — Nets acquired Royce O’Neill From jazz in exchange for either Net‘, Rocket’, or Sixers’ 2023 first round pick (whichever is disadvantageous).
Nets used the $ 11.3MM trade player exception and didn’t have to return anything in return to receive O’Neill’s salary.
Nets perspective:
Why has Nets given up on the first round of picks for players with an average of less than 7 points (6.9 PPG) per game since becoming a full-time starter three years ago?
It’s true that O’Neill isn’t a scorer, but he brings many other qualities to the table, making him an attractive role player for the team that’s about to win.He scores very efficiently when taking shots (which is certainly very rare) and finally posts a .446 / .384 / .803 slash line. Three seasonsSuitable for a true shooting rate of 59.6%.
He generally makes good decisions when he has the ball, recording a 2.5: 1 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last three years, well above the forward average. look. O’Neill also found effective creative ways to attack, such as setting up an unexpected bone-polishing back screen and slipping into the rim for layups.
O’Neill is a solid rebounder, pulling down the 5.7 board at 30.6 MPG over the same period. He also has the mysterious knack of being in the right place and at the right time. This doesn’t show up in the stats, but it’s noticeable if you’re specifically tracking player movements.
Much of O’Neill’s value for jazz was tied to his desire to do dirty work. He was often tasked with defending the best non-centers of the opposing team, and although his results in the field were mixed, it’s hard not to admire his determination.
O’Neill has been a very durable player since 2018 and has missed a total of seven games in the last four seasons. This must have been an attractive attribute for Nets, given all the matches the major players have missed in the last few years. He also has a reasonable contract, earning $ 9.2 million in 2022/23 and a partially guaranteed salary of $ 9.5 million in 23/24 at $ 2.5 million.
The success of the 29-year-old NBA is a testament to his self-awareness. O’Neill knows exactly who he is as a player, and as he said, he’s not trying to do what he can’t do. Bryan Ruiz of the New York Post a few weeks ago.
“(I will help you) in the best possible way” He said. “Try to be the one I’m doing. Don’t be anyone other than me. But what made me take me here, and what keeps me here I know what I’m doing, so I just learn how I can do it and do what I have to do aggressively and defensively. “
That said, of all the deals made this offseason, at least from the Brooklyn side, this turned out to be the most annoying.
Watch O’Neill roast repeatedly Jalen Brunson The first defeat of Utah to Dallas revealed that his defenses were slightly reduced. O’Neill wasn’t a blocked defender in the first place. He’s a small forward at 6’4 “and isn’t the NBA’s fastest player, but he uses his length (6’9” wingspan) and strength (226 pounds) to thwart his opponents. I’m doing my best to do it.
What O’Neill lacked in physical attributes was always made up for by determination and toughness.Utah’s defense was always secured by the internal presence of the Defensive Player of the Year three times, so he rarely got a lot of help around him. Rudy Gobert..
What’s particularly confusing to me about this deal is that Nets already had a better all-round player. Bruce Brown He did not even offer a free agent, reportedly – he joined the Nuggets through a taxpayer’s mid-level exception. O’Neill, on the other hand, is older than Brown and will make more money than him over the next few seasons, but Brown’s deal is fully guaranteed on 23/24 and O’Neill’s deal is not.
O’Neill is a much more proven shooter than Brown and has a lot of experience playing two forward spots, but Brown has a strong, sturdy physique and is more athletic, so he is responsible for defending one or two positions. There is no such thing. He did a lot as it was last season.
Maybe Nets like O’Neill’s veteran presence can help him turn the culture around, it’s a general manager. Sean Marks It will be an important point in the future. Even if jazz couldn’t move beyond the second round during O’Neill’s tenure, they must have been drawn to his playoff experience.
I still believe O’Neill is a solid player with a fair contract with the potential for bounceback. In that sense, it’s an easy-to-digest victory-it works now. It’s unclear if a player who finished the downseason in an area that has built a reputation (defense) was a valuable gambling with that asset. We will look at the play next season.
On the other hand, I liked Nets free agents to bring flyers TJ Warren When Edmond SumnerBoth missed everything last season while recovering from the injury, but are reportedly in perfect health. I also like the collection of young players that Nets has collected in recent draft topics. Marks and the front office are consistently rough and talented, so O’Neill may be another player, even in very different situations.
Jazz perspective:
The reason Utah took action was much easier to understand.
Easy-to-understand and simple jazz was at the top. Last year’s club was disappointed on many levels. Utah was still a good team. Don’t get me wrong. Playoffs every season are not easy.
But the writing was on the wall.It’s a luxury tax with no draft equity and no real young players to build around sans Donovan Mitchell (People with maximum salary contracts and a share of flaws) made building a jazz roster unacceptable.
You can only do things over and over before anyone notices that your window is closed. Perhaps it happened in 2021, when Jazz posted the NBA’s best 52-20 record in the regular season, just falling to the Clippers in the second round of the playoffs after blowing off the 2-0 series lead. .. When rear Kawhi Leonard He tore the ACL in Game 4 of the series (also hit a 22-point half-time lead in Game 6, the clincher of the series).
The loss of the deflationary series had a negative impact on jazz in many ways. This was taken over last season when it collapsed later in the game, blowing off some big leads in the fourth quarter. They were one of the best net ratings in the league and third overall, but they didn’t have a solid yet stunning record of 49-33. And when they were rolling, they were really good. Unfortunately, however, there was no sense of improvement after the slump during the season, at least in part, caused by the absence of COVID-19.
This will replace O’Neill with the 2023 First Rounder. Change was inevitable for jazz. The O’Neill handed out was the first domino that happened to fall.
The NBA team is always looking for “3-and-D” players who don’t need the ball effectively to supplement the star players. O’Neill fits that pattern when playing well.
president Danny Ainge Although notorious and difficult negotiator, O’Neill’s asking price in Utah was clearly the first choice of all sorts, probably not in 2023, and Brooklyn met that asking price. Obtaining decent draft assets for players who defensively turn off the downseason is definitely a good return for jazz.
