Rockets: 4 trades to send P.J. Tucker to the Jazz

3. Houston Rockets receive Derrick Favors

In this trade proposal, the Jazz would send 29-year-old big man Derrick Favors to the Rockets, along with draft capital for Tucker. Favors is just eighth on the Jazz in minutes, with 16, and Tucker’s ability to play the small-ball center role would make it easy for Utah to replace Favors.

In addition, Tucker is a tenacious defender, and especially among wings, which can’t be said about Favors. Although the Jazz generate the most corner threes in the league, they don’t have a center that can space to the corner to shoot threes, like Tucker can.

For the Rockets, they would acquire a quality big man who is under contract through 2022-23, although the final year has a player option worth $10.18 million. Favors is slated to make roughly $10 million next season, which is a number worth acquiring for a future first-round pick.

So why exactly would Utah attach a first-round pick just to move Favors? There’s several reasons. For one, he’s not in coach Quin Snyder’s rotation, as he’s just eighth on the Jazz in minutes, with 16 per game.

This surely isn’t what they had in mind when they signed him to a three-year deal worth $29 million prior to the start of the season. In addition, the Jazz are in win-now mode right now and likely aren’t worried about a pick in 2025.

With Tucker’s ability to give the Jazz a much needed 3-and-D skillset, this is a trade they’d have to consider.

Next: No. 2