Utah Jazz bolsters their depth at the NBA Trade Deadline.
Joe Ingles went down with a season-ending ACL tear just over a week ago during the Utah Jazz’s 126-106 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After the game, once Ingles injury was confirmed, fans and pundits alike set social media ablaze with speculation about whether or not he would be moved at the annual NBA Trade Deadline.
Yesterday, the million-dollar question was answered and Utah ultimately moved Ingles in a three-team five-player trade. On the surface, this looks like a win-win-win for all parties involved. I particularly like the deal for Utah, they acquired a rotation player in Nickeil Alexander-Walker from the New Orleans Pelicans and a wildcard in Juancho Hernangomez from the San Antonio Spurs.
The Jazz added a punch with Alexander-Walker to replace what they lost in Ingles, all for the low price of the injured Ingles, three second-rounders, and the seldomly used Elijah Hughes. The second-year wing was averaging 8.0 minutes per game in Salt Lake City and has only appeared in five games in January and February combined.
Alexander-Walker on the other hand has appeared in 50 of New Orleans’ 54 games this season. Averaging 26.3 minutes per game, 12.8 points per game, on 12.6 field goal attempts per game. His 3-point percentage is 31.1 percent this season, which is a far cry from Ingles career 40-percent marksmanship. Therefore, to make a real difference for the Jazz, Alexander-Walker must improve his efficiency from beyond the arc, and his overall shooting splits.
Goodbye, Joe
For Ingles and the Jazz, this was a bittersweet goodbye, Ingles has spent his entire eight-year NBA career in Utah. Once he went down, it was almost inevitable he would be moved at the deadline. As he described to Tim MacMahon last week:
Joe Ingles last week, in anticipation of being traded: "If I’m able to get someone back that would help them make a push for the end of the year, I understand that. I’m not going to sit here and be sour and upset."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 9, 2022
Ingles also shared his own goodbye message via his Twitter account in true Joe Ingles’ fashion:
For added love, the Utah Jazz Twitter account replied to Ingles post by sharing three red heart emojis.
Nobody knows at this time what the future holds for Ingles, this certainly does not feel like the end. Due to a strange NBA caveat, perhaps Ingles could be back with the Jazz as soon as next season.