Jazz acquire former draft bust in trade with Pistons

The Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons are giving us a light appetizer with some 24 hours to go before the NBA trade deadline.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Wednesday that the Jazz are sending forward Simone Fontecchio to Detroit in exchange for fellow forward Kevin Knox, a 2024 second-round pick, and the rights to Gabriele Procida (a former second-round pick in the 2022 draft).

Knox, 24, is probably the best-known name here. He was a lottery pick in the 2018 draft (No. 9 overall) but was never able to shed his label as a bust, especially after being picked over players like Mikal Bridges, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Michael Porter Jr. Knox had been averaging 7.2 points and 2.4 rebounds a game this season for Detroit.

As for the Pistons, they get a useful player in Fontecchio, who is posting 8.9 points a night on strong 45/39/80 shooting splits (but will be a restricted free agent in the summer). 

Meanwhile, the Jazz will have the option of trying their luck on Knox for the rest of the year (he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer) or maybe even flipping him again before Thursday’s formal deadline. 

At 26-26 (10th in the Western Conference), it is unclear if Utah will fully commit to buying or selling, but they do have some high-profile trade chips.