Stevenson-Giricek swap
The Utah Jazz acquired swingman Gordan Giricek from the Orlando Magic for guard DeShawn Stevenson, a future second-round draft pick and an undisclosed amount of cash.
What does it give the Utah Jazz
A dependable veteran for the stretch run. Giricek may just be a rent-a-player here, but he's a much better shooter, passer, and defender than Stevenson. Expect Utah to give him plenty of playing time as they try to make the playoffs, and possibly re-sign him if they like what they see. Giricek is much better than his limited time in Utah showed, so his stats may very well spike on the talent-poor Jazz. He's averaging 10.2 points and 1.7 assists in just less than 30 minutes with Orlando, so he should produce much better numbers if given more steady playing time. He could quickly emerge as Utah's starting shooting guard.
What does it give the Orlando Magic
A promising but risky gamble for the future. Stevenson has already been in the NBA for almost four seasons, but he's still only 22 years old. He's played more this season than in the past, but hasn't really lived up to the high expectations Utah had for him after drafting him straight out of high school in 2000. He's a little bit like a young Corey Maggette, the Clipper star who spent just one season in college ball before making the leap. Like Maggette, his career has started slowly, but also like Maggette, he's an athletic and talented scorer who just doesn't play mch defense. His output should change much with the move to Orlando.
Fantasy impact
