Like the Cavaliers did with Ricky Rubio, the Jazz decided to use Joe Ingles as a bargaining chip, following his cruciate ligament rupture in his knee. A maneuver that the Australian expected.
Salt Lake City sends the expiring contract of its winger, as well as Elijah Hughes and a second round of the Draft to the Blazers, in exchange for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who has just arrived at the Blazers as part of the exchange around CJ McCollum . The Jazz also get their hands on Juancho Hernangomez as the Spurs invite themselves into the trade, getting them Tomas Satoransky and another second-round draft pick from Utah.
For Utah, the departure of Joe Ingles is the end of an era, the Boomer having been at the club since 2014. And even if his stats were not very impressive, he was one of the leaders of the group, on and off the field.
With Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Utah recovers an explosive young player, who could be useful at the end of the season, even if his duo with Jordan Clarkson off the bench does not promise to be the most effective, the cousin of Shai Gilgeous- Alexander running at nearly 13 points on average this season, but at 38% success including 31% from afar.
Note also that Joe Ingles, at 34, could return to Utah next summer, if he is back on his feet, and that Utah can save $11 million in “luxury tax” with this exchange.
The Jazz are sending out the two second-round picks in the deal, sources tell ESPN. Alexander-Walker, 23, has the chance to make an impact on the Jazz’s bench and assuredly will benefit in Utah’s development system. Averaged 13 points for Pels and will be a part of rotation. https://t.co/rvZ6SN1Zmx
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2022
