The Jazz are trading starting forward Royce O’Neale to the Nets for a first-round pick, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The pick is a 2023 first-rounder, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Brooklyn is using a $11.3M trade exception it acquired from the James Harden trade with Philadelphia, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.
The first-rounder will be Philadelphia’s pick for next season, which Brooklyn acquired in the same deal, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic tweets.
O’Neale has a $9.2M salary next season and a $9.5M salary for 2023-24. However, the last year is guaranteed is only guaranteed for $2.5M.
O’Neale, noted for his defensive prowess, has been a fixture in Utah’s lineup for the last three seasons. He averaged 7.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 2.5 APG in 31.2 MPG this past season while appearing in 77 regular-season games.
The acquisition of O’Neale will likely diminish the possibility of the Nets re-signing free agent swingman Bruce Brown. On the flip side, Utah’s decision to trade one of its starters signals that other moves are on the way. The first rounder will give it an asset to dangle for another trade.
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