There was a brief period of time around the year 2015 where Derrick Favors looked like he might be breaking out into an All-Star-esque player. Then the Jazz shook up their roster and he became, like, the fourth option on offense whenever he was on the floor, and he didn’t look as much like an All-Star as he did before. I used to be like “he’s a top five power forward in the league or close to it” to “yeah, well, he’s probably above average at least, maybe top fifteen, top twenty for sure”.
Maybe he’s a little obsolete because he doesn’t stretch the floor that much (ignore his two three-pointers in this game; those didn’t happen), but he’s so effective inside that I don’t think it really matters as long as he plays with the right teammates. That brings up the question: is Rudy Gobert the right center pairing for him? 2018’s conventional wisdom tells us that no, that pairing is not ideal because there is no shooting there.
Here’s what I propose: trade Royce O’Neale for Thon Maker. The Bucks get a decent wing prospect, and the Jazz get a stretch-five that they can pair with Favors. This is the perfect trade. It’s so perfect that the league office won’t even make a fuss if the teams involved decide to push the paperwork through right now, two months after the trade deadline. The Jazz should absolutely take Thon Maker away from the Bucks. Please take him away.
Is Nate Wolters still on the Jazz? I’ll even downgrade the trade: Wolters for Maker straight up. This has to happen.