Toronto Raptors: B-
This seems like a bit of an overpay for Young, especially considering he’s a free agent after this season. He will most definitely help the Raptors in the immediate future, as they look to make a run at home-court advantage in the first round. Coach Nick Nurse practically runs a seven-man rotation, with the starting five playing upwards of 40 minutes a night.
Young can help add depth for the squad, and will likely play lots of small ball center for the Raptors. Toronto salvaged the trade by getting Detroit’s second-round selection in return, as now they’re only moving around 10-15 spots down in the overall draft order. Despite this, it’s unclear how much Young moves the needle for Toronto, and a first is a first after all.
Utah Jazz: C+
The Jazz moved on from Joe Ingles’ dead salary after he suffered a torn ACL just two weeks ago, trading him to the Trail Blazers in exchange for Nickeil Alexander-Walker. As a player, NAW certainly has untapped potential, but it will be interesting to see how he slots into the Jazz’s rotation. His scoring-first playstyle is seemingly already filled by Jordan Clarkson, who’s having another good year in terms of production. His efficiency has fallen off, so the front office may view Alexander-Walker as a replacement for Clarkson in the long term.
They’ll have his restricted free agency rights when he hits the market after the 2022-23 season. They could have gone all-in for a player such as Jerami Grant in order to compete now, but they decided not to, as both Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell are under contract through the 2025-26 campaign.