Andrei Kirilenko and Raja Bell to Houston
for
Kevin Martin, Shane Battier, and Houston's $3,000,000 trade exception
I tried this trade on RealGM and ESPN's trade machine. It works on both sites. If the Jazz are serious about improving their team at the deadline for a playoff run, this would be the absolute best trade they could make, IMO. There would be insentive for both teams. First off all, the Jazz NEED to improve their perimeter scoring. Adding a perimeter scorer like Kevin Martin, who is just entering his prime at 28 years old, would be the perfect player to place next to Deron in the backcourt. Our offense would move to elite status with four great scorers (Williams, Martin, Millsap, and Jefferson) in the starting lineup. Also, Shane Battier would be an EXCELLENT veteran presence to bring of the bench whose contract is also expiring. Now that Sloan is gone and Horny has been added as a permanent assistant, I would look for the Jazz to go after perimeter scoring at the trade deadline. With AK's huge expiring contract, the Jazz would be absolute idiots not to do so. This move would also insert Gordon Hayward into the starting lineup at Small Forward. From Houston's prospective, they would be getting a huge expiring contract in AK and the veteran Bell for next to nothing. Bell would go to the Rockets in exchange for their trade exception to make room for both Martin and Battier. New Jazz depth chart:
PG: Deron Williams, Earl Watson, Ronnie Price
SG: Kevin Martin, C.J. Miles
SF: Gordon Hayward (who needs more minutes), Shane Battier
PF: Paul Millsap, Jeremy Evans (who definitely needs more minutes), Mehmet Okur (if he ever gets healthy again)
C: Al Jefferson, Kyrylo Fesenko, Francisco Elson
I really like that depth chart. With Martin (an over 20/game scorer) in the backcourt, D-Will would basically become impossible to guard. If teams put their best backcourt defender on Williams, Martin would expose the other defender's weaknesses. A perimeter shooter/scorer like Martin would make Big Al incredibly effective. Hayward would be the fifth starter, as he would not be expected to carry a lot of the scoring load. He would just be expected to play defense, hustle, get "garbage points", etc. (which is a perfect role for a talented rookie). Battier would give us another veteran presence on the bench, which would solidify it. He also has outside scoring ability.
for
Kevin Martin, Shane Battier, and Houston's $3,000,000 trade exception
I tried this trade on RealGM and ESPN's trade machine. It works on both sites. If the Jazz are serious about improving their team at the deadline for a playoff run, this would be the absolute best trade they could make, IMO. There would be insentive for both teams. First off all, the Jazz NEED to improve their perimeter scoring. Adding a perimeter scorer like Kevin Martin, who is just entering his prime at 28 years old, would be the perfect player to place next to Deron in the backcourt. Our offense would move to elite status with four great scorers (Williams, Martin, Millsap, and Jefferson) in the starting lineup. Also, Shane Battier would be an EXCELLENT veteran presence to bring of the bench whose contract is also expiring. Now that Sloan is gone and Horny has been added as a permanent assistant, I would look for the Jazz to go after perimeter scoring at the trade deadline. With AK's huge expiring contract, the Jazz would be absolute idiots not to do so. This move would also insert Gordon Hayward into the starting lineup at Small Forward. From Houston's prospective, they would be getting a huge expiring contract in AK and the veteran Bell for next to nothing. Bell would go to the Rockets in exchange for their trade exception to make room for both Martin and Battier. New Jazz depth chart:
PG: Deron Williams, Earl Watson, Ronnie Price
SG: Kevin Martin, C.J. Miles
SF: Gordon Hayward (who needs more minutes), Shane Battier
PF: Paul Millsap, Jeremy Evans (who definitely needs more minutes), Mehmet Okur (if he ever gets healthy again)
C: Al Jefferson, Kyrylo Fesenko, Francisco Elson
I really like that depth chart. With Martin (an over 20/game scorer) in the backcourt, D-Will would basically become impossible to guard. If teams put their best backcourt defender on Williams, Martin would expose the other defender's weaknesses. A perimeter shooter/scorer like Martin would make Big Al incredibly effective. Hayward would be the fifth starter, as he would not be expected to carry a lot of the scoring load. He would just be expected to play defense, hustle, get "garbage points", etc. (which is a perfect role for a talented rookie). Battier would give us another veteran presence on the bench, which would solidify it. He also has outside scoring ability.
