Jazz Trade Rumors: Latest on Nets' Royce O'Neale Interest, Gary Trent Jr. Pursuit
June 30, 2022
Utah Jazz forward Royce O'Neale is a popular man this summer.
The Athletic's Tony Jones reported the Jazz have "received significant interest from multiple teams" about O'Neale. SNY's Ian Begley cited the Brooklyn Nets as one team that could pursue the 29-year-old, though he added it's "unknown" how much the Jazz want to move him.
Begley also reported Utah is interested in Toronto Raptors wing Gary Trent Jr.
O'Neale averaged 7.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 2021-22. He also shot 45.7 percent overall and 38.9 percent from the perimeter. The 6'5" forward is also a plus defender, something the Jazz were sorely lacking outside Rudy Gobert.
O'Neale is also on a team-friendly contract. He's due to earn $9.2 million for the upcoming year and only $2.5 million of his $9.5 million salary is fully guaranteed in 2023-24.
For the same reasons a team would be interested in O'Neale, it's difficult to envision the Jazz would want to give him up. Absent including him in a trade for an All-Star-caliber talent, dealing him might be a lateral move at best for a team that's still in win-now mode.
Granted, Utah clearly needs to address its supporting cast to avoid another first-round exit in the playoffs.
Trent, who averaged 18.3 points and shot 38.3 percent from beyond the arc with the Raptors, would provide some offensive support for Donovan Mitchell.
Getting the 6'5" scorer out of Toronto won't be easy, though.
In March, ESPN's Tim MacMahon (via RealGM) reported on the Lowe Post that the Dallas Mavericks discussed sending Kristaps Porzingis to the Raptors in a swap that included Trent. Toronto, however, was insistent on not making Trent part of the outgoing package.