As the Knicks bolster their bench with a proven veteran, Utah’s gamble on Josh Green intensifies. The move highlights the significant depth the Jazz sacrificed for a specific fit.
The Utah Jazz’s Josh Green trade already has a measuring stick, and it showed up in New York less than three weeks later.
Utah targeted Green because it wanted another 3-and-D wing. Now John Konchar — one of the two players the Jazz gave up to get him — is joining the defending NBA champions.
That does not make Utah’s decision wrong. It does make the standard for Green a little clearer.
The New York Knicks are signing Konchar to a one-year contract, SNY reported Tuesday, giving the 30-year-old another opportunity after Minnesota waived him Aug. 29.
For the Utah Jazz, his quick return to an NBA roster is a reminder of exactly what they gave up in pursuit of a cleaner fit.
Utah sent Konchar and former No. 10 overall pick Cody Williams to Minnesota in exchange for Green and cash considerations. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Jazz “wanted an additional 3-and-D wing.”
That was the bet.
Konchar had already proven useful during his brief stay in Salt Lake City, averaging 5.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists across 26 games while playing 26.2 minutes per night.
One of his best performances came April 10, when he recorded 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Utah’s 147-101 win over his former Memphis Grizzlies team.
Konchar was never supposed to be a centerpiece. He was still legitimate NBA depth … and less than three weeks after Minnesota cut him loose, the reigning champions decided he was worth bringing to New York.
That is where Green comes back into the equation.
Utah did not acquire him simply to rearrange Will Hardy’s bench.
The Jazz identified an archetype they wanted and surrendered Konchar along with Williams, a 21-year-old former lottery pick, to get it.
Green now has to justify that evaluation.
His appeal is easy to understand. Utah spent the offseason adding defensive options around a young roster that already has plenty of players fighting for developmental minutes.
Green gives Hardy another perimeter defender while fitting the low-maintenance 3-and-D profile the Jazz specifically sought.
Konchar signing with New York changes none of that … but it gives the deal another layer.
Utah moved a useful veteran and a former No. 10 pick because it believed Green’s skill set better matched the roster it is building.
Less than three weeks later, one of those outgoing pieces already found his way onto the defending champions’ roster.
September will not decide whether Utah made the right call.
Once the games begin, though, Green will have every opportunity to show why the Jazz were willing to give something real up to get exactly the type of player they wanted.
