JAZZ TRADE UP TO BRING IN TREY BURKE
The Utah Jazz acquired the rights to point guard Trey Burke from the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rights to guard-forward Shabazz Muhammad and the rights to center Gorgui Dieng.
What does it give the Utah Jazz
Veteran point guard {P Mo Williams} is slated for unrestricted free agency, which makes adding a starting-talent point guard to replace him a pressing priority. Enter Burke, who is one of the more skilled and athletic point guards in this year's draft. While there are a few questions about his size and fluidity, he is a proven playmaker who has star potential. Trading two first-rounders (Muhammad at No. 14 overall and Dieng at No. 21) for one also saves the Jazz money, so this is a nice deal all-round for Utah.
What does it give the Minnesota Timberwolves
When Minny drafted Burke at No. 9 overall it was clear he probably would be moving quickly, since perhaps no team in the NBA has more quality point guards than the T-Wolves (including {P Ricky Rubio}, {P Alexy Shved}, {P Luke Ridnour}, and {P Jose Barea}). Rather than keep a top-10 talent, Minnesota instead parlays it nicely here into two fairly advanced players who can help them immediately. Muhammad is a very good scorer and more of a true wing than several of the options they have at shooting guard, and Deng brings quality depth to the center spot (and insurance in case the 'Wolves can't re-sign {P Nikola Pekovic}).
Fantasy impact
Burke is developed enough to start regularly for the Jazz right away, and while he probably won't be a top-tier producer right away he will probably be a good pick in the middle rounds of most fantasy drafts. Meanwhile it's unclear if Muhammad will start right away for Minny, but he will certainly put up points (although don't expect too much more from him statistically early on). Dieng probably isn't a viable fantasy option yet (even if he somehow earns a rotation spot) but he may be worth keeping an eye on later in the season as a pickup for rebounds and blocks. This trade probably hurts the fantasy value of {P Mo Williams} (but only if he stays with the Jazz), and on the T-Wolves' side it drops the fantasy fortunes of Ridnour, Shved, and Barea (who may now lose minutes to Muhammad).
