The Jazz trade Royce O’Neale to the Nets for a 2023 First Round Pick

The Utah Jazz have traded G/F Royce O’Neale to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

There had been a lot of noise suggesting an O’Neale trade could be on the way, and it didn’t take long to materialize.

The pick is a 2023 first-round pick, which will be the lesser of Brooklyn, Houston, or Philadelphia’s picks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The 2023 NBA draft is projected to be one of the best drafts in many years, so this pick, while almost certainly being outside of the lottery, still holds significant value.

The Jazz have made it clear that they plan to compete for a title, so trading a rotation player for a pick seems unlikely to be the final move. One must wonder if the pick will be re-routed to another team for a player. John Collins has been linked to Utah a lot, and some speculate he could be had for a first-round pick and a rotation player.

Another option is that Utah cleared roster spots for a trade that brings multiple players back, maybe a Rudy Gobert trade.

One thing is for sure; the Utah Jazz are making moves.