The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Derrick Favors and a first-rounder from the Jazz in 2021 as part of a salary dump, but the draft pick never conveyed. It was top-eight protected in 2026, and Utah can fall no lower than eighth overall in the lottery after drawing the tiebreaker over the Sacramento Kings. The Thunder receive nothing after this pick didn’t convey.
The trade was ultimately Derrick Favors for a 2027 second-round draft pick and cash. The Thunder just finished year one of their rebuild and had room to take on a salary. They hoped it would be a mid-first round pick coming back from Utah, but the Jazz quickly traded Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert to enter their own rebuild. That left the Thunder with nothing in return.
The Jazz no longer own the second-round pick next year that has been part of several deals. Utah was happy to get off the final two years of Favors’ contract and wisely fleeced the Thunder into getting nothing in return. Sam Presti still has a mountain of draft capital. He was willing to take this gamble, but it was unfortunately an unwise bet by the best lead executive in the NBA.
Thunder strike out on a key piece of the Derrick Favors trade
Favors was caught off guard (subscription required) by the move, but some Thunder fans were hyped when it happened. Sadly, the big man played just 39 games with OKC in what turned out to be his final NBA season. He averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game. Favors produced a 0.0 value over replacement player (VORP) and didn’t quite fit on a young squad focused on development.
Giving up a second-round draft pick for 39 games of Favors is a bad look. The Thunder clearly thought Utah was going to stay competitive for longer than they did. It is easy to forget that the Jazz just had the best regular-season record in the West in 2021 before losing to the Clippers in the second round of the playoffs. Favors was clearly declining, and Utah took full advantage of OKC’s rebuild.
The Thunder traded Favors to Houston in the 2022 offseason after he picked up his player option. Oklahoma City gave up two second-round draft picks in this eight-player deal that worked as another salary dump. The Thunder were eager to push toward contention and knew Favors wasn’t helping. Houston waived him before the start of the regular season.
Favors signed deals with the Hawks and Bulls, but never appeared in another NBA game. The 34-year-old did play in the G League during the 2023-24 season. His time in the league is done as he hasn’t appeared in the last two years.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had dreams of getting a first-round draft pick for taking on the final two years of Derrick Favors’ contract, but it won’t happen. The Jazz are officially in the top eight, which leaves OKC with nothing else from this trade. They actually gave up a second-round pick to get Favors in a rare miss by Sam Presti. Even the best don’t get it right every time.
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