Thunder Acquire Center Derrick Favors and First-Round Pick In Trade With Jazz

The morning after the 2021 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder stayed busy, making a trade with the Utah Jazz.

After an eventful 2021 NBA Draft in which Thunder GM Sam Presti made two separate trades, OKC is staying active. 

As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder made a deal with the Utah Jazz to acquire center Derrick Favors. 

The Utah Jazz have agreed to trade C Derrick Favors and a future first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a future second-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Jazz create some financial flexibility and Thunder grab another first-rounder.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 30, 2021

With two years left on his deal at just under $10 million a season, Utah needed to get off of Favors’ contract to gain roster flexibility and get below the luxury tax. As a reward for taking him on, Oklahoma City was able to add another future first-round pick to their stash. 

While it’s still unclear what Favors’ future is in OKC, he’s 30 years old and clearly doesn’t fit their timeline  

It seems he could be yet another asset the Thunder could flip before the start of the season, or even before the deadline.

However, with that in mind, even after Thursday’s draft, Oklahoma City still didn’t have a center on the roster before making this trade. Perhaps Favors sticks around and gets minutes to increase his trade value.

Last season with the Jazz, Favors averaged 5.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game.